EARTH SCIENCE:
HEEDING IT'S WONDERS
Earth Science is in fact the most loved and sought after branch of Science due to its relation to Earth and its physical structure. I was thrilled upon gaining knowledge about it being the coverage of the final quarter. I knew it would contain several topics we've all learned before but in a more elaborated context. The study of our home planet always, or usually brings out an enthusiasm allowing us to have the desire to learn more. It is, after all, less complicated than Anatomy, Chemistry and Physics!
We were able to know about the layers of the Earth: the crust, mantle, and inner and outer core. Here we know that in these layers, a lot of activity takes place such as the driving and resisting forces that cause the plates to move.
We also find out about Pangaea, and its evolution towards our present continents. This was presented by Sir. Alfred Wegener. Who knew that these large pieces of land were once a supercontinent? This tells us that the world constantly changes overtime.
With regards to plate tectonics, we focus on the types of interaction there is between the plates. This is what we refer to as: Divergent, Convergent and Transform. With these interactions, mountains, mountain ranges, trenches, and volcanoes are formed!
The Ring of Fire, to me, is the most interesting topic as it speaks of two natural phenomenas: volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. I learned that when a country lies within the Ring of Fire, it is very prone to the devastating effects of volcanic eruptions; some of which entails earthquakes and tsunamis. As a result of plate movement, earthquakes bring devastating effects to mankind and property. We never know when these disasters may occur, that is why we should be aware of our surroundings. We must know what to do before, during, and after in order to recover well.
In general, I believe Earth Science is a great topic to end the school year. From all the stress we've been through, we need a less complicated topic; and to me, that is Earth Science. Having prior knowledge already, I can say that my knowledge has expanded due to these topics discussed, and the series of quiz bees done to further strengthen that knowledge.
My Journey in Science 10 has been a roller coaster of emotions. I have experience things that have pushed me way pass my breaking point. But in the end, I survived everything. I'd like to thank my wonderful group mates for staying by my side throughout all the projects done. I am lucky to have you for a group and it was a pleasure working with all of you. To Sr. Romie, thank you. You have gave us out of this world projects that really challenged my ability. It was hard, but I know someday I am able to apply these experiences in future endeavors. This journey was hard, but it is all worth it.
Alyanna Ysabelle Faustino
Earth Science gets me very interested due to the more fact that it talks about our beautiful home planet Earth. but, what really got my attention is earthquakes. Recently, there has been news on the great earthquake that may occur anytime. I always wondered: What causes earthquakes? Why does it happen? Why does it do so much damage? These questions of curiosity have now been answered due to our Earth Science topic about Earth Science topic Earthquakes. This lesson became even more meaningful because it was part of our diorama all about seismic waves.
Who knew that these waves are actually waves of energy. These are the waves that cause the damage of earthquakes. We have P-waves that move horizontally, and the S-waves that move up and down. These two are the types of Body Waves.
With surface waves, however, it consists of love and rayleigh, that moved the ground from side to side, and circularly, respectively. I've learned a lot more topics this quarter, but they've too many to mention.
My Journey in Science 10 has been very difficult but yet, very fun! Thanks to my group mates & Sir Romie!
Aldrine Nicole Merto
Geo science is embraced with a lot of terms for the fields of science that is related to the planet earth. Geo science or what we call Earth Science includes the study of geology, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. I also know that Earth Science can be considered to be a branch of planetary science, but with a much older history. Typically, Earth Scientists use tools from geography, chronology, physics, chemistry and others to have much expanded knowledge of the Earth and how it evolves.
This study however includes the moving of the tectonic plates. That being said that Earth long ago has a massive super continent that was proposed by Alfred Wegener, and later on originates the theory of Continental Drift. Before it was discussed, I knew very little about this. Know I learned so much more.
Science is actually my Favorite subject even though I always fail. This year I got to learn a lot of things that has really helped me improve on Science. But, setting aside Earth Science, I'd want to lay emphasis on the reason why Science is my favorite: The Topic Chemistry. Now this topic is not really one that majority likes unlike Earth Science, it is complicated; and thats what makes it more interesting. Chemistry to me is the topic that has made my year fruitful.
But then, there is another reason why the topic chemistry is my favorite, despite it being so difficult. It is because of Alchemy, but alchemy is not shown on the Science books like in the school. Alchemy is a part of chemistry or like chemistry but more on attempting to convert metals into gold or find a universal elixir. Guess most of you reading this would not really know much about it, but, I'm the type of person who loves unique topics. Doing Alchemy takes risks,just so you know.Daniel Elison Ordoyo
Earth science is an amazing topic it makes me want to learn more. from the days that have passed i learned a lot of things like how the ground moves when there is a earth quake. also that there is a lot of
kinds of ground movement like Divergent, Convergent and Transform this kind of movement made mountains, mountain ranges, trenches, and volcanoes and also tsunami. divergent boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
kinds of ground movement like Divergent, Convergent and Transform this kind of movement made mountains, mountain ranges, trenches, and volcanoes and also tsunami. divergent boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts which eventually become rift valleys. Most active divergent plate boundaries occur between oceanic plates and exist as mid-oceanic ridges. Divergent boundaries also form volcanic islands which occur when plates move apart to produce gaps which molten lava rises to fill.
Convergent boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary (because of subduction), is an actively deforming region where two (or more) tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere move toward one another and collide.
Jacob Sy
Earth is the spherical planet we live on. It is the third planet from the sun. It is the only planet known to have life on it. Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago. The earth has different layers. The Earth has layers not unlike an onion and can be dissected to understand the physical and chemical properties of each layer and its influence on the rest of the Earth. Generally speaking, Earth has 4 layers: the outer crust that we live on, the plastic-like mantle, the liquid outer core, and the solid inner core.
When differentiating the layers, geologists lump subdivisions into two categories, either rheologically or chemically.
Rheological differentiation speaks to the liquid state of rocks under tremendous pressure and temperature. For instance, rock will respond very differently to strain under normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures as compared to fewer than thousands of kilometers of rock. If we subdivide the Earth based on rheology, we see the lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, and inner core. However, if we differentiate layers based on chemical variations, we lump the layers into crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.
From the deepest ocean trench to the tallest mountain, plate tectonics explains the features and movement of Earth's surface in the present and the past.
Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above the core. The plates act like a hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's mantle. This strong outer layer is called the lithosphere. Developed from the 1950s through the 1970s, plate tectonics is the modern version of continental drift, a theory first proposed by scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912. Wegener didn't have an explanation for how continents could move around the planet, but researchers do now. Plate tectonics is the unifying theory of geology, said Nicholas van der Elst, a seismologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York. Subduction zones, or convergent margins, are one of the three types of plate boundaries. The others are divergent and transform margins. At a divergent margin, two plates are spreading apart, as at seafloor-spreading ridges or continental rift zones such as the East Africa Rift. Transform margins mark slip-sliding plates, such as California's San Andreas Fault, where the North America and Pacific plates grind past each other with a mostly horizontal motion.
The Ring of Fire is a string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 90% of all earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, and the ring is dotted with 75% of all active volcanoes on Earth. The Ring of Fire isn’t quite a circular ring. It is shaped more like a 40,000-kilometer (25,000-mile) horseshoe. A string of 452 volcanoes stretches from the southern tip of South America, up along the coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, down through Japan, and into New Zealand. Several active and dormant volcanoes in Antarctica, however, “close” the ring. The Ring of Fire is the result of plate tectonics. Tectonic plates are huge slabs of the Earth’s crust, which fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The plates are not fixed but are constantly moving atop a layer of solid and molten rock called the mantle. Sometimes these plates collide, move apart, or slide next to each other. Most tectonic activity in the Ring of Fire occurs in these geologically active zones.
The Largest Ecosystem
Oceans are the largest of the ecosystems, covering more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. The ocean ecosystem is divided into four distinct zones. The deepest zone of this marine ecosystem, the abyssal zone, has cold, highly-pressurized water with high oxygen but low nutrient levels. Ridges and vents on the ocean floor that emit hydrogen sulfide and minerals are found in this zone. Above the abyssal zone is the benthic zone, a nutrient-rich layer that contains seaweed, bacteria, fungi, sponges, fish and other fauna. Above this is the pelagic zone, essentially the open ocean, which features water with a broad temperature range, surface seaweeds and many species of fish as well as some mammals. The intertidal zone, where the ocean meets land, is covered by water during high tide and is terrestrial during low tide, allowing it to support unique vegetation and animal life.
Rainforests of the Sea
Coral reefs cover only a tiny fraction of the Earth's surface and only a slightly larger percentage of the ocean bottom but support a great deal of diverse aquatic life. Reef-building corals exist only in shallow subtropical and tropical waters. The corals host photosynthesizing algae and get most of their food from these algae, allowing for enough growth to form large structures that create valuable habitat. Rising water temperatures and increasing acidification of water linked to increases in carbon dioxide are the greatest threats coral reefs face. On local levels, over-harvesting of coral and overfishing threatens reefs, as do invasive species and polluted runoff.
Looking at Shorelines
Like coral reefs, estuaries are sometimes grouped with oceans to make up the marine ecosystem. Estuaries occur where saltwater from the ocean and freshwater flowing from rivers or streams meet, creating a unique habitat oriented around water that has a varied salt concentration and has high levels of nutrients resulting from sediments being deposited by rivers or streams.
Lakes and Ponds
Lakes and ponds, water bodies with varied surface areas and volumes, are also known as lentic ecosystems and are characterized by a lack of water movement. Like oceans, lakes and ponds are divided into four distinct zones: littoral, limnetic, profundal and benthic. Light penetrates the uppermost of these, the littoral, which contains floating and rooted plants. The other zones also each play unique roles in the ecosystem.
Flowing Freshwater
Rivers, streams and creeks are classified as lotic ecosystems. These ecosystems are characterized by flowing freshwater, which moves to a larger river, lake or ocean, and is present during part or throughout all of the year. Because of the water's movement, rivers and streams tend to contain more oxygen than their lentic relatives and have host species that are adapted to the moving water.
Wet Soils and Water-Loving Plants
Wetlands are freshwater ecosystems characterized by the presence of water, which could be several feet deep or simply saturate the soil, often with seasonal fluctuations. Certain types of soil known as hydric soils that are different than other soils and plant species adapted to wet conditions also characterize wetlands. Wetlands are very important in regulating water levels, filtering water and improving water quality, reducing flood dangers and providing valuable habitat for plants and animals.
These are the main topics we've discussed for the fourth quarter. Earth science is easier compared to the other lessons we had in the previous quarters. Understanding more facts about where we live is rather essential to us, as students and as individuals.
