Naming Spheres in Earth Science

Spheres!

biosphere   hydrosphere   geosphere/lithosphere    anthrosphere

That is a lot of spheres – and there are even more coming!

We will be learning about even more spheres, but don’t worry! Unlike this pyramid of identical spheres, the spheres in earth science are all different. Learning the meanings of the prefixes will help you keep them sorted out in your mind.

But you can learn them all if you understand where the words came from, or what common words they mean in their original languages from thousands of years ago.

To better understand spheres in earth science, it is helpful to understand what the different parts of the word mean.

Many scientific words in English come from the languages of Latin and Ancient Greek, which were spoken thousands of years ago. This is called the origin of the word, or where it first came from.

If we understand what the parts of words mean, then we can understand the whole word. You need to memorize root words and word-parts to be successful in science.

Sphere is a root word. That means it is a word all by itself. You can add a word-part in front of it or after it. We already learned how to turn the noun sphere into an adjective: you add –ical to the end. The word-part -ical is not a word by itself, but it changes words when it attaches to the end. You can do this with other words: music – musical, comic – comical, practice – practical.  

Spheres in earth science are named using prefixes: word-parts that attach in front of the word. A prefix is usually not a word by itself; it needs to fix itself to the front of another word. To understand the different spheres, remember the meaning of the prefix.

• BIOSPHERE: The prefix bio- comes from the Ancient Greek word bios, which means way of life or lifetime. We use this prefix to mean life. A biography tells a person’s life story. Biology is the study of living things. The biosphere means the sphere of all living organisms, or things that are alive. When you think about the biosphere, you should think not only about the organisms, but how those organisms interact with one another.

***

The orangutan and the tree provide an example of interaction between two organisms in the biosphere.

• HYDROSPHERE: The prefix hydro- comes from the Ancient Greek word hydor, which means water. We use this prefix to show that something is related to water. You may have heard of hydroelectric energy, which is energy produced from moving water. The hydrosphere includes all water around the earth: oceans, seas, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, creeks, ice, snow, glaciers, clouds (that contain water), and groundwater (water beneath the earth’s surface).

***

A view from underwater shows us part of the hydrosphere.

• GEOSPHERE: The prefix geo- comes from the Ancient Greek goddess named Gaia. We use this prefix to show something is related to the earth. Geology is the study of rocks and what they tell us about the earth’s history. The geosphere includes all solid rock.
• LITHOSPHERE: The prefix litho- comes from the Ancient Greek word lithos, which means rock or stone. Some authors use geosphere and lithosphere interchangeably (as if they mean the same thing). Lithosphere really means the earth’s outer crust or upper mantle. You can think of it like the earth’s shell. It includes mountains, prairies, valleys, and most other landforms.

The lithosphere is like the top layer of the earth. We can see the surface of the lithosphere.

• ANTHROSPHERE: The prefix anthro- comes from the Ancient Greek word anthropos, which means man or human. Anthropology is the study of human beings and different their cultures. The anthrosphere means everything that human beings have made or changed on the earth.

Frogtown’s Shuang Hur Supermarket was created by humans. That makes it part of the anthrosphere.

QUESTION #1: Take a close look at the photo below. Find an example in the photo from each of the four spheres that we have learned about. Post your answer by clicking on Leave a Comment.

Here’s one for free: The mountains are part of the lithosphere. Now come up with three more on your own. Make sure to tell what you see and what sphere it is a part of.

You already know that the mountains are part of the lithosphere. Now give an example for three other spheres that we have learned about. Answer by clicking on Leave a Comment.

Question #2: Check out the video below. What two spheres are interacting? Post your answer by clicking on Leave a Comment.

***

You can also use Leave a Comment to ask a question OR you can email your questions to Mr. Quigle: paul.quigle@spps.org.

Coming soon: more spheres!

Sphere

What is a sphere?

The English word sphere comes from the ancient Greek words sphaira, which means ball. Click on one of the dictionaries on the right to learn more.

The word sphere is a noun because it is a thing.

For example, the earth is a sphere.

If you want to describe something shaped like a sphere, you can use the adjective spherical.

[Adjectives describe nouns.]

For example, planets are spherical in shape.

Sphere is an important word to know in earth science. It will be the root word for many other words.  A root word is like the roots of a plant because it can grow. You can put other word parts in front of the root word or after the root word.

For example, when you add –ical after the root sphere (the -e disappears), you get the adjective from the root word: sphere becomes spherical.

 

Get ready to learn about different kinds of spheres!

Question: Is an M&M candy a sphere? It is round and three-dimensional (not flat).

Think about the definition of a sphere. How can you explain that an M&M candy is or is not a sphere?

Click on Leave a Comment (in the upper left corner of the post) to explain why or why not!