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Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, Water Cycle, Carbon Cycle, Rock Cycle
Above is a diagram of plate tectonics. The crust of the earth is broken up into 7 "major" plates. Those plates "float" above the mantle of the earth and move around the planet.
There are three separate ways those plates move.
Divergent Boundaries: Plates are pulled away from each other and create ocean ridges and rift valleys.
Convergent Boundaries: This is where plates bump into each other and there are two sub-types for this to occur as well.
Continent - Continent: Form mountain ranges
Ocean plate - Continental plate: These form subduction zones which ultimately create volcanoes on the surface.
Transform or "Strike-Slip" boundaries: The plates here slide past each other and the best example for us here in the USA would be the San Andreas fault in California.
Above is a diagram of the Carbon Cycle.
The Carbon Cycle follows Carbon as it changes form in our planet. Carbon in the form of gas shows up as C02 and negatively impacts our quality of life on Earth via the heating we see from Climate Change.
Carbon is store in multiple forms in the Earth as seen above. The removal of carbon from the Earth via the burning of fossil fuels is a major concern for humans as we move forward.
The Water Cycle follows the flow of water on our Earth and has multiple transformations (forms) of water. These forms are from the clouds to ground (gas to liquid), from the ground to the air (liquid to gas), and from the plants to the air (liquid/gas to gas).
The Rock Cycle shows how rocks transform between phases (liquids to solids) and forms (solids to solids) as well.
Igneous Rock: These rocks are formed when magma (liquid rock in the Earth) cools and crystalizes.Â
Sedimentary Rock: These rocks are formed through weathering and erosion. This is a process unique to the Earth, and not on the moon, since the Earth has an atmosphere. The atmosphere provides the liquid (water) and wind to break rocks down from their previous form into sediments now. Those sediments are then compacted and cemented to make new rock.
Metamorphic Rock: These rocks are formed via heat and pressure and can be formed from previous sedimentary or igneous rocks.
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