APSC 151 Terms | Questions & Answers (100 %Score) Latest Updated 2024/2025
Comprehensive Questions A+ Graded Answers | With Expert Solutions
understanding the impacts of our work on our planet - We can't do sustainable engineering without
Lithosphere - Solid earth
Atmosphere - gases (the air)
Hydrosphere - all the water on and in the earth
Biosphere - all life
Geosphere - Lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere. (all earth systems)
ice, rivers, lakes, groundwater, soil moisture - Fresh water includes ____
2.8%, 97.2% - fresh water makes up ___ of earths water, and the ocean ___
Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Ozone Layer, Troposphere - Atmosphere is made
up of __
Trophosphere - 12 km thick - the air we interact with
Ozone layer - 20-30km - Protects us from sun's radiation
3mm - If the ozone layer is brought from 20km altitude to the Earth's surface this layer would be __
thick
atmosphere - 20km thick, All weather occurs in this layer, We cannot survive above 8km, The
temperature at the top of this layer is -60C
,Sun's energy - World wide movement of the atmosphere is driven by the ___
Rainforests, Desert, Tundra, Temperate Zone - are consequences of solar radiation and atmospheric
convection
the Hydrosphere - Major climate control results from interaction with "the" __
550 gigatons of carbon - biosphere is composed of __
0.01% - Humans make up ____ (1 in 10,000) of the Earth's Biomass
- first animals to globally impact the planet
CRUST, LITHOSPHERE, UPPER MANTLE, LOWER MANTLE, OUTER CORE, INNER CORE - Geosphere
consists of the ___
5-20km, 30-70km - Earth's Cool, Solid and Brittle CRUST is ___ thick below oceans and ___ thick on the
continents
Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium,Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, and many other elements in
small amounts - The crust is composed of mainly:
the Lithosphere - "the" ___ is below the Crust.It is a more ductile solid and is chemically different:
Oxygen, Silicon, Magnesium, IronTotal Thickness (including crust):5-100km thick under oceans150-
250km thick under continents
Asthenosphere, Upper Mantle - Lithosphere moves on a melted boundary with the __ or __
Mesosphere, Lower Mantle - Below the Upper Mantle is the __ or __ This layer is elementally similarto
the Upper Mantle but the elementsare not combined into more complexminerals (as in the Upper
Mantle)This layer is less mobile (more like aductile solid) than the Upper Mantleand is 2240 km thick
, Outer Core - Below the Mantle is the__This layer is Liquid and is composed of:Iron and NickelThe Outer
Core is 2270 km thick
Inner Core - At the Centre of the Earth is the __This layer is Solidand is composed of:Iron and Nickel(with
some lighter elements)The Inner Core is 1216 km thick
4.5 to 4 billion yrs ago - when was the Hadeon Eon
Hadeon eon - Unstable crust forms.• Iron/Nickel pulled bygravity to the CORE• Iron/Magnesium
MANTLE surrounds the core.• Lighter elements tosurface CRUST
Physical geology - study of Earth materials to understand processes that operate on and beneath its
surface
Historical geology - study of the origin of Earth and its development through time
Engineering geology - How does physical and historical geology allow us to predict the future impact of
the earth on Human activities and vice versa
geology - geo" - earth, "logos" - discourse•
directly - We have only ever ___ explored the CRUST. Crust is 10 to 70km thick. Deepest drill hole: 12km
Humans have stood a maximum of 4 km below the surface in minesIf Earth was an apple, the THICKEST
part of the Crust would be the thickness of the apple skin.50
DYNAMIC - the CRUST is ___ and constantly changing
Igneous rock, Sediments, Sedimentary rock, Metamorphic rock, - Rock Cycle:
Basic Cycle:• Molten magma becomes___•
Weathering and Erosion create____• Sediments lithify into ____ Burial and heat produce____, More
Heat and we start over again!
