s8pe-fmup-CA10-CA19
12/7/05
8:04 PM
MAZER
Page CA17
of Earth Science
Heat energy inside Earth and radiation from the Sun
provide energy for Earth’s processes.
Energy is the ability to cause change. All of Earth’s processes need energy to
occur. Earth’s interior is very hot. This heat energy moves up to Earth’s surface,
where it provides the energy to build mountains, cause earthquakes, and make
volcanoes erupt. Earth also receives energy from the Sun as radiation —energy
that travels across distances in the form of certain types of waves. Energy from
the Sun causes winds to blow, ocean currents to flow, and water to move from
the ground to the atmosphere and back again.
Physical forces, such as gravity, affect the movement of
all matter on Earth and throughout the universe.
What do the stars in a galaxy, the planet Earth, and your body have in common?
For one thing, they are all made of matter. Matter is anything that has mass
and takes up space. Rocks are matter. You are matter. Even the air around you
is matter. Everything in the universe is also affected by the same physical forces.
A force is a push or a pull. Forces affect how matter moves everywhere in the
universe.
Matter and energy move among Earth’s rocks and soil,
atmosphere, waters, and living things.
Think of Earth as a huge system, or an organized group of parts that work
together. Within this system, matter and energy move among the different parts.
The four major parts of Earth’s system are the
• atmosphere, which includes all the air surrounding the solid planet
• geosphere, which includes all of Earth’s rocks and minerals, as well as
Earth’s interior
• hydrosphere, which includes oceans, rivers, lakes, and every drop of
water on or under Earth’s surface
• biosphere, which includes all the living things on Earth
Earth has changed over time and continues to change.
Events are always changing Earth’s surface. Some events, such as the building or
wearing away of mountains, occur over millions of years. Others, such as earthquakes, occur within seconds. A change can affect a small area or an entire
continent, such as North America.
Unifying Principles CA17
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