Dynamic Planet

=Overview= The topic for this event varies from year to year, so in an effort to retain useful content for when topics cycle back in, Yearly topics will be set up as sections within the page.

General Advice
I like to start studying for this event by taking out all the earth science, ecology, and weather books I can find. Simple as they are, it might be worth your time to start with the Macmillan books. Their 'Dynamic Earth' gives you a background on earth science if you know little or none to start with. Learning some plate tectonics basics and information on ocean floor spreading out of this book will only take you a few minutes. No matter which division you are in, it is probably worth your time to read their 'Weather' book cover to cover - again, that isn't a big time commitment, and it is a good way to freshen up on the basics.

=Topics=

Volcanoes and Earthquakes
These are notes I have taken from the book Earth Science Demystified. I will be adding them to the wiki as I finish each chapter, they will be over general geology, plus the information about earthquakes and volcanoes. I hope it helps.

Chapter 1: Planet Earth Geology - the study of the Earth, its origin, development, structure, and history

Earth
 * thought to be flat until Aristotle
 * thought to be the center of the universe until Copernicus*one of the inner (terrestrial) planets
 * axis is at a tilt of 23.5 degrees
 * plane of eliptic - angle of incline with which the Earth rotates on its axis ::::around the sun

Earth's Formation
 * solar system formed from a rotating cloud of gas and dust ::::(nebular hypothesis)
 * formed a multilayer sphere
 * heavier elements sunk (iron, nickel)
 * lighter elements rose to surface (silicon)
 * four layers
 * inner core
 * outer core
 * mantle
 * crust

Lithosphere
 * contains the crust and the top part of the mantle
 * 65-100km thick, covers the entire Earth
 * acts as an insulator to the mantle below
 * thought to float on other layers
 * originally one continent (Pangea), but then broke up and separated

Contents of the Crust

Crust
 * hard, outermost covering of Earth
 * exposed to weathering
 * Continental Crust
 * landmass of Earth
 * thin compared to other layers
 * only 1% of Earth's total mass
 * thicker but less dense than oceanic crust
 * average of 30km thick, but can be up to 80km thick
 * made up of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock
 * forms 29% of Earth's surface
 * includes continental shelves
 * continental shelf - thinner edges of the continent that extend into the ocean
 * extends beyond shoreline 16-320km
 * continental slope is between the continental shelf and the sea floor
 * Oceanic Crust
 * Earth's crust below sea level
 * roughly 7-10km thick, denser than continental crust
 * experiences the heat and pressure from the mantle
 * contains ridges, trenches, and guyots

Mantle
 * the layer below the Earth's crust
 * makes up 70% of the Earth's mass
 * estimated to be 2900km thick
 * divided into upper mantle (asthenosphere) and the lower mantle (mesosphere)
 * mantle is solid but malleable
 * density increases with depth, from 3.3-6g/cm^3
 * Asthenosphere
 * made up of iron and magnesium silicates
 * thinner than mesosphere
 * found from 10-300km below the surface
 * temperature 1400-3000 degrees Celsius
 * density 3.4-4.3g/cm^3
 * Mesosphere
 * made up of oxides of Magnesium, silicon, and iron
 * from core to bottom of the asthenosphere (roughly 660km)
 * average temperature 3000 degrees Celsius
 * rock is solid due to high pressure
 * Creep - extremely slow atom by atom movement and bending of rock under pressure within the mantle
 * convection currents form in the mantle

Core
 * center of the Earth
 * mostly Nickel and Iron
 * about 30% of the Earth's mass
 * divided into outer and inner core
 * Outer core
 * about 2225km thick
 * density about 10g/cm^3
 * most likely fluid
 * Inner core
 * radius about 1275km
 * solid
 * average density 13g/cm^3
 * temperature estimated to be as high as 6650 degrees Celsius

Basic Event Info

This year resources should be allowed, though I think it will only be an 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper, front and back. So you need to only have what you don't know and what you actually won't remember on this sheet.

The general topics on the test will be earthquakes, volcanoes, geology, safety precations for earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis, and then structure and interior of the earth.

Here are some links: facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOG102/

facweb.weber.edu/bdattilow/shknbk/notes/fltstlds.htm

www.onep.go.th/tsunamis/Tsunamis_Eng/menu1.asp

Physical Oceanography and Weather
Resource materials WILL be permitted this year.

Physical Oceanography can cover a lot of territory... basically, you should have a firm knowledge of just about everything in the water that doesn't have to do with biology. Waves, tides, currents - these are all things probably worth studying. A few examples of terms you should understand are as follows.

-upwelling current -diurnal tide -significant wave height

Before you go crazy studying weather, make sure you know how to read a basic map. If at one place on the map, you have a stem with a flag, and the flag is at the left end of the stem, does this mean the wind is going east or west? If you have a 30 mph wind, how do you show this with the little marks on the flag? You need to know this information cold - trust me, I learned the hard way.

For division B, weather on the small scale will usually include such concepts as all types of fronts, various forms of precipitation, and basic weather prediction skills. You're on your own from here...

For division C, you need to have an idea of the convection of air on the global scale... trade winds, prevailing westerlies, polar easterlies. Of course, the layers of the atmosphere are definitely good to know. You'll want to have a basic knowledge of El Ni�o too - people who run these events like to ask questions about that.

Beyond the simple advice I've given you, there's always the technique of talking to a teacher at your school who teaches earth science or something like that. If you want, use the study sites listed below, or find your own, to help you learn about earth science. But in all honesty, if you have a few thick earth science books, and you study the sections that relate to this year's topics, that is probably the best way to use your time.

=(10/99 addendum):= With the news in that you will be allowed to bring resources in to the event with you this year, I thought I should add some advice on that. I believe they are changing the idea of the event from one where you study and learn facts, to one where you apply concepts and ideas to figure things out. Make sure you bring in a good collection of resources with you, though not too extensive that you won't know where to find the information you are looking for. With this change in the event, it will definitely be a good idea to spend additional time practicing working with weather maps, charts, graphs, etc!

Have fun, and best of luck.

=Study Sites= Student Center's Earth Science Study Sites - lots of links

Frank Potter's Science Gems - Earth Science II

Yahoo - Meteorology

TWC - Weather Glossary - Yes, the folks at the Weather Channel actually have a good site with an amazing list of terms.