Week 3

Our Earth and it's Resources

   It's the third week of studying Earth Science. This time we are appointed to different partners to report about Earth. Our task is to report about Earth's resources. Now, my partner picked the very first of the topics which is Earth's Resources.

EARTH RESOURCES

-Earth resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form.
-Often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems.
-They are derived from the environment. Some of them are essential for our survival while most are used for satisfying our wants. 


CLASSIFICATIONS BASED ON ORIGINS


-Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere. 
Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category because they are formed from decayed organic matter.

-Abiotic resources are those that come from non-living, non-organic material. 

Examples of abiotic resources include land, fresh water, air and heavy metals including ores such as gold, iron, copper, silver, etc.

CLASSIFICATIONS BASED ON THE STATE OF DEVELOPMENT

-Potential resources are those that exist in a region and may be used in the future. 

-Actual resources are those that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are being used in present times.

-The part of an actual resource which can be developed profitably in the future is called a reserve resource.

-Stock resources are those that have been surveyed but cannot be used by organisms due to lack of technology.

RENEWABLE and NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

 

     Renewability is a very popular topic and many natural resources can be categorized as either renewable or non-renewable

-Renewable resources can be naturally replenished over fairly short spans of time.Some of these resources, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their quantity is not noticeably affected by human consumption.

-Non-renewable resources are resources that form extremely slowly and those that do not naturally form in the environment. Resources are non-renewable when their rate of consumption exceeds the rate of replenishment/recovery.Minerals are the most common resource included in this category.

FOSSIL FUELS

     Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons that may be used as fuel, including coal, oil, and natural gas.They are classified as non-renewable resources, because their rate of formation is extremely slow (potentially millions of years).

ALTERNATE ENERGY RESOURCES

-Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies.

-Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. In nuclear fission, the nuclei of heavy atoms such as uranium-235 are bombarded with neutrons.

-Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy.

-Hydroelectric power is the power generated by falling water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy.

-Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.  It is harnessed by tapping natural underground reservoirs of steam and hot water.

-Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity. It is harnessed by constructing a dam across the mouth of a bay or an estuary in coastal areas.

      After this, we presented a short clip in which there are so many typographical errors. But in the end, I think we explained a lot about Earth Resources to the class. After reporting, we had a quiz but we are exempted because we are the reporters but we still answered anyways and still got a perfect score :).And that's about it on our third week in NS. Stay updated for more information I can give every week.

Christine

Check out our professor's CV Mr. Crisencio Paner

Week 2

It's an Earth's wonder

It is our second week studying Earth Science. Today, i'm going to share you some information i learned in class.


MINERALS


      A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not have a specific chemical composition. 


ATOMS

Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter that make up everyday objects. A desk, the air, even you are made up of atoms! There are 90 naturally occurring kinds of atoms. Scientists in labs have been able to make about 25 more.

ATOMS ARE MADE UP OF THREE BASIC PARTICLES:

Protons- carries a positive charge

Neutrons-carries no charge

Electrons- carries a negative charge and circle the nucleus

WHY ATOMS BOND


Atoms bond because they have an inherent need to have their outermost level of electrons be "full".

Some lose their electrons to eliminate a level of energy, at which point the new outer most level (the one underneath the one that removed) electrons do not occupy a level until the levels closes to the nucleus is are full. 
At This point they are ionic. The other bonding element gains the losing atoms electrons. 
This results in one atom being positively charged and the other negatively charged resulting in attraction between the two. 

This is a model of an atom

TYPES OF CHEMICAL BOND

-Ionic Bond  is formed when one atom accepts or donates one or more of its valence electrons to another atom.

-Covalent Bond  is formed when atoms share valence electrons. The atoms do not always share the electrons equally, so a polar covalent bond may be the result.

-When electrons are shared by two metallic atoms a metallic bond may be formed. In a covalent bond, electrons are shared between two atoms. The electrons that participate in metallic bonds may be shared between any of the metal atoms in the region.

DEFINITION OF MINERALS

1.)Naturally occuring

2.)Solid substance

3.)Orderly crystalline structure

4.)Definite Chemical Composition

5.)Generally Considered Inorganic

HOW MINERALS ARE FORMED

1.)Crystallization from magma

2.)Precipitation

3.)Pressure and Temperature

4.)Hydrothermal Solutions

MINERAL GROUPS

1.) Silicates-make up the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals, constituting approximately 90 percent of the crust of the Earth. They are classified based on the structure of their silicate group. Silicate minerals all contain silicon and oxygen.

2.) Carbonates-metals bonded to (CO₃)^‑2 group to form minerals like calcite (CaCO₃; used for lime, cement) and dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂)

3.) Oxides- a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. Metal oxides typically contain an anion of oxygen in the oxidation state of −2. Most of the Earth's crust consists of solid oxides, the result of elements being oxidized by the oxygen in air or in water.

4.) Sulfates and Sulfides- Sulfates are an important mineral class and include some very interesting and attractive specimens. Although many minerals belong to this class, only barite,gypsum, and anhydrite can be considered common.The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S²⁻) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. 

5.) Halides- or organohalogens, are the group of compounds that contain a halogen atom (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine) bonded to a carbon atom. All halogen atoms are more electronegative than carbon, so the halides contain polar bonds. The slightly positive charge that exists on the carbon atom in carbon-halogen bonds is the source of the reactivity exhibited by halides. Although organic halides are not common in nature, they are widely used by chemists for transforming and synthesizing organic molecules.

6.) Native Elements- are those which occur in nature in their pure form (not as compounds). Examples include gold and silver as well as carbon (in the form of graphite or diamond). 

PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

-Color

-Luster

-Crystal Form

-Hardness

-Cleavage

-Fracture

-Density

ROCKS

Types

1.) Igneous Rocks- formed by crystallization from a melt (magma)

1. Extrusive (volcanic) - produced when magma flows on the earth's surface
   
2. Intrusive (plutonic) - produced when magma solidifies at depth beneath the earth.

2.) Sedimentary Rocks- are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles (detritus) to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution. Particles that form a sedimentary rock by accumulating are called sediment.

3.) Metamorphic Rocks- are rocks that have "morphed" into another kind of rock. These rocks were once igneous or sedimentary rocks. How do sedimentary and igneous rocks change? The rocks are under tons and tons of pressure, which fosters heat build up, and this causes them to change. If you exam metamorphic rock samples closely, you'll discover how flattened some of the grains in the rock are.

TRIVIA ABOUT MINERALS:

· More than 30 minerals are needed to make a computer · Zinc makes the average automobile last longer - 17 pounds of zinc protect it from rust. Another 20 pounds are used to make zinc die cast parts like door handles and locks, and each tire contains ½ pound of zinc, which is needed to cure rubber. · In one day, to maintain our standard of living, 18 million tons of raw material must be mined, cut or harvested to meet the demands of US citizens for "things and stuff", about 150 pounds for every man, woman and child. · In one day, 23 million photographs are snapped, more than 29 acres of wallet-size photos. · Zinc is found in hundreds of products, including vitamins, cereals, cosmetics, pet food, paints, fertilizers, tires, batteries, ointments, shampoos, soaps and pharmaceuticals. · Copper is essential in the human diet. It helps iron-rich foods make red hemoglobin in the blood. In fact, it is essential for the normal healthy growth and reproduction of all higher plants and animals. · Internet usage eats up about 70 million tons of coal each year in the form of coal-fired electricity. Even huge turbines used to generate wind power couldn't be made without mined minerals such as zinc and copper

And that's what I learned on our second week studying Earth Science. I enjoy this lesson because for one reason, I love minerals. I think it's a beauty that minerals are formed. Stay updated for more information I can give every week.

Christine

Checked by, Mr. Crisencio Paner

Week 1

Introduction to Earth Science

            Have you ever wondered the mysteries of the Earth? Believe it or not there are many you need to know about the planet Earth. This is only a part of your journey about knowing about our planet Earth. 




Relation of Earth Science to the field of Advertising

     I am an advertising student in UST studying the subject Earth and life Science. It is an inspiration for every student in our course to know about the subject matter. It helps students to visualize and get inspiration from different learning. 

    Our class starts at 10:00 am, a perfect time for learning. Our professor, Mr.Crisencio Paner, introduced us to Earth Sciences and its branches. First off is the history of the Earth then followed by a inspirational video about the Earth. Let me share you a little knowledge i learned in class...

What is Earth Science?
    Earth science (also known as geoscience) deals with study of the planet Earth. 




Formation of Earth

      The Big Bang Theory can start explaining about the Earth’s formation. According to Big Bang Theory, our universe was empty but everything begun with a super massive gaseous point. Then, randomly, enough energy was created to break the huge bond that was holding a huge body together. That breakage made the body to explode and created super heated particles that were dispersed all over the space. Right after, protons, neutrons, electrons, and their anti-particles begin to form in the space. Those super heated particles begin to cool down by giving off energy. In return, they created hydrogen and other massive atoms. As time passed, more atoms were created and they started to pull each other with atomic forces and gravitational forces. The bodies became more massive and created a fusion. That fusion eventually exploded and sent out more massive atoms into the universe. Those atoms were later combined and created planets, smaller stars, asteroids, and numerous other solid bodies. 


Branches of Earth Science


Geology  The study of the origin, history, and structure of the Earth and the processes that shape the Earth 

Oceanography Branch of Earth Science. The study of the sea (meaning oceans, bays, and seas).  

Meteorology Studies the Earth's atmosphere as it relates to weather and climate. 

Astronomy Studies of the universe. 

Environmental Science Special branch of earth science. The study of how humans interact with the environment 
 




If you think about it, it seems like the subject is hard to study but it really helps us students to be inspired and come up with creative outputs just by studying the Earth. It is only our first week tackling about Earth. I wonder what will I learn next. Stay updated on my blogs to know what will I learn and share to you next time...

Christine

Checked by, Mr. Crisencio Paner