Water near the poles is very cold (shown in dark purple), while water near the equator is very warm (shown in light blue). The image above depicts the different temperatures one would find on oceans' surfaces. These large collections of salty water are referred to as oceans. The salty water collects in deep valleys alongĮarth's surface. Ninety-seven percent of Earth's water is salty. Most of Earth's fresh water, however, is frozen. This water flows as precipitation from the atmosphere down to Earth's surface, as rivers and streams along Earth's surface, and as groundwater beneath Earth's surface. The hydrosphere extends from Earth's surface downward several kilometers into the lithosphere and upward about 12 kilometers into the atmosphere.Ī small portion of the water in the hydrosphere is fresh (non-salty). **It ranges from 10 to 20 kilometers in thickness. The hydrosphere contains all the solid, liquid, and gaseous water of the The word "lithosphere" will be used in reference to all land in Earth's system. For the purpose of this module, however, there will be no distinction among the various layers of land. For example, many geologists-scientists who study the geologic formations of Earth-reserve the word "lithosphere" to mean only the cold, hard surface of Earth, not the entire inside of the planet. *Note: The word "lithosphere" can take on different meanings depending on the speaker and the audience. At the center of Earth is a solid inner core of nickel and iron. Below that is a liquid outer core of nickel and iron. Next is a thick, semi-solid mantle of oxygen, silicon, iron, and magnesium. Beneath that layer lies a very thin, solid crust of oxygen and silicon. The outermost layer of the lithosphere consists of loose soil rich in nutrients, oxygen, and silicon. If someone were to cut through Earth to its center, these layers would be revealed like the layers of an onion (see The solid, semi-solid, and liquid land of the lithosphere form layers that are physically and chemically different.
There are high mountain ranges like the Rockies and Andes (shown in red), huge plains or flat areas like those in Texas, Iowa, and Brazil (shown in green), and deep valleys along the ocean floor (shown in blue). *The surface of the lithosphere is very uneven (see image at The lithosphere contains all of the cold, hard solid land of the planet's crust (surface), the semi-solid land underneath the crust, and the liquid land near the center of the To keep things simple in this module, there will be no distinction among the sub-spheres of any of the four major spheres.
Each of these four spheres can be further divided into sub-spheres. These four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere" (living things), and "atmosphere" (air). Everything in Earth's system can be placed into one of four major subsystems: land, water, living things, or air.
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