Unit 7 Earth’s Resources
Study Guide
Overarching Concept: 9.7 - Elements on Earth move among reservoirs in the solid earth, oceans, atmosphere and organisms as part of biogeochemical cycles.
Elements on Earth exist in essentially fixed amounts and are located in various chemical reservoirs.
The cyclical movement of matter between reservoirs is driven by the Earth’s internal and external sources of energy.
D. 19 Explain how chemical and physical processes cause carbon to cycle through the major earth reservoirs.
Where are the major carbon reservoirs and in what form is carbon stored there? If you can give chemical formulas, you have excellent understanding.
Reservoir Name / Carbon is stored as:Process:
Carbon was in / Carbon now stored in / Equation for this process / Rate of Process / Energy transformationsPhotosynthesis
Respiration
Feeding
Decomposition
Sedimentation
Surface Transfer
Combustion
How have humans altered combustion? What effects is it having on the Earth’s environment?
How have humans altered sedimentation? What effects is it having on the Earth’s fossil fuel reservoirs?
How have humans altered photosynthesis in terms of plant populations? What effects is it having on the Earth’s environment?
What kinds of processes drive the carbon cycle? Where does the energy come from? What would it take to make carbon STOP cycling completely? (This will help you identify what drives the carbon cycle to begin with.)
D. 20 Explain how solar energy causes water to cycle through the major earth reservoirs.
Compare water’s major reservoirs using the table below.
illustration / Reservoir / How water enters / How water exits / How humans affect this reservoir / Energy transformations?Atmosphere (clouds)
Oceans
Rivers/ Lakes/ Surface water
Ground water
Plants
What does the sun’s energy do to create evaporation?
What does the sun’s energy do to create wind?
D. 21 Explain how internal energy of the Earth causes matter to cycle through the magma and the solid earth.
Draw and label the layers of the Earth.
Where is the Earth the hottest?
Which layers are solid? Liquid?
What causes magma to form convection cycles?
Draw the convection cycles on your picture above.
How does matter cycle through the earth surface? Fill in the rock cycle chart: (remember, rounded rectangles are names of rocks. Regular rectangles are processes.
Describe/ compare these processes in the following chart:
Name of Rock / Formed by / Location found / Looks like / ExamplesIgneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
The Earth’s crust is broken. We call the large piece of crust “plates.” There are seven major plates and about 7 minor plates. What kinds of structures can form along plate boundaries?
What is the ocean floor made of?
What are the continents made of?
Why does the ocean floor subduct while continents tend to float?
Compare the ways plates can move by filling in the chart
Boundary type / Draw arrows to represent the motion / Associated landforms / Examples in the worldWhole Unit Concepts:
What is a reservoir?
What is a source?
What is a sink?
Which processes are endothermic (take energy to happen)?
Which processes are exothermic (give off energy)?
How are the three cycles similar?