ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE REVIEWER

WEEK 1: EARTH
2. Stratosphere – Ozone layer (planes
- Earth is the only planet in the solar system can be seen here)
known to harbor life. Earth is in the 3. Mesosphere – coldest layer (<Meso=
GOLDILOCKS ZONE. means middle)
4. Thermosphere – hottest layer (where
- Earth is the only place in the known
the Aurora Borealis can be seen)
universe confirmed to nest life and is the only
5. Exosphere – outermost layer
one known for sure to have LIQUID WATER on
(spacecrafts can be seen here)
the SURFACE.
Something to remember!!!
The 4 Subsystems are interconnected,
Reasons why earth is a living planet ex: volcanic eruption, it affects all of the
subsystems.
1. It has the right distance from the sun.
2. It is protected from harmful solar PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
radiation by its magnetic field.
Minerals are:
3. The atmosphere keeps us warm. 4. It
1. Naturally Occurring
has the right amount of ingredients
2. Inorganic
for life. Including water and carbon.
3. Homogenous Solid
4. Definite chemical Composition
ORIGIN & STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH 5. Orderly crystalline structure
1. Biosphere – is made up of the parts of
Earth where life exists-all ecosystems. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS
2. Hydrosphere – is the total amount of A. Color
water on a planet. It includes water on - It is the most observable
the surface of the planet, underground characteristics of a mineral.
and in the air. - Minerals color may change
Reasons why water is ESSENTIAL depending on the surface.
o It can be in any form (solid, liquid, B. Streak
gas) - Color of a mineral in powdered
o Water has a neutral PH scale form.
o Water is a good conductor of heat & C. Hardness
energy) - It is a measure of the resistance of
o It is a UNIVERSAL SOLVENT a mineral (not specifically surface)
o Water is a high specific key to abrasion.
3. Geosphere – includes rocks and
minerals on Earth.
Layers of the Earth
• Crust
• Mantle
• Core (inner and outer)
✓ The outer core is liquid because it
does not have enough pressure to
sustain itself.
4. Atmosphere – the atmosphere is a
gaseous barrier that protects the
earth.
• The atmosphere is made up of: 78%
nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% of
other gases.
Layers of the Atmosphere D. Cleavage and Fracture
1. Troposphere – lowest layer (clouds are - Cleavage refers to the tendency of
present here) minerals to break along very
smooth, flat and shiny surfaces.
A mineral fracture may break along
random, irregular surfaces.
 E. Crystal Habit other bodies of water at the Earth’s
- The external/natural shape of a surface.
crystal or groups of crystals is
displayed/observed as these
crystals grow in open spaces.
F. Diaphaneity/Amount of Transparency
- Ability to allow light to pass
through it. This is affected by
chemical makeup of the mineral
shape.
G. Luster
- It is how light is reflected off a
- surface.
A mineral with high luster is very
reflective. Lithification – it is the process of compaction
H. Tenacity and cementation of sediments.
- Describes the minerals reaction to Compaction- occurs when layers of sediment
stress. compress the rock below it.
WEEK 2: ROCKS Cementation – is when sediments are glued
together by minerals deposited between
- A rock is a solid collection of them.
mineral grains that grow or Remember: Different types of fossils can be
become cemented together. seen/embedded in sedimentary rocks.
- There are 3 kinds of rocks:
Igneous, Sedimentary and TYPES OF SEDIMENTARY ROCK:
Metamorphic rocks.
• Clastic Sedimentary Rock – it is
IGNEOUS ROCK formed by mechanical weathering.
• Chemical Sedimentary Rock – it is
• They are formed through the cooling
formed when dissolved materials
and solidification of magma or lava.
precipitate from solution.
• Volcanic/Plutonic rocks
• Organic Sedimentary Rock – it is
Classification of Igneous Rocks
o Intrusive Igneous Rock (Course formed from the build up of plants and
or animals.
grained/Phaneritic texure) – this
type of rock is formed from METAMORPHIC ROCKS
solidification of magma below the - Came from pre-existing rocks
surface. They have large crystals of - Called parent rocks.
minerals that forms overtime through - Subjected to heat, pressure, and
a slow process of crystallization in a chemically-active fluids.
magma. Its parent rock can be an igneous,
o Extrusive Igneous Rock (Fine sedimentary or metamorphic rock.
grained/Aphanitic texture – This
Factors that Influence metamorphism:
type of rock is formed through a
1. Heat
faster rate of solidification of lava
2. Pressure
on the surface of the Earth.
3. Chemically-active fluids
Mineral Composition of Igneous Rocks Example of metamorphic rocks:
Felsic – Is composed mostly of light-colored Granite – Gneiss
silicates. Ex: Granite Sandstone – Quartzite
Mafic – it contains a substantial amount of Shale – Slate
dark colored silicates. Ex: Basalt, Gabbro
Intermediate – rocks with composition from FOLIATED and NON-FOLIATED
dark and light silicates. Ex: Diorite
1. Foliated – formed through pressure
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS due to compression. It has differential
pressure.
- Is formed by the deposition and 2. Non-Foliated – it has no foliation or
cementation of mineral or organic bands. It has equal or not enough
particles on the floor of oceans and pressure to compress it.
 3 FACORS THAT CREATES THE ROCK CYCLE: - Shallow, horizontally located
1.The movement of Plate Tectonics deposits or ores.
2.Weathering 3. DREDGING
3. Erosion - Process of mining
materials/minerals from the
bottom of a body of water,
including rivers, lakes and oceans.
B. Underground mining
- Is used to extract the rocks,
minerals and other precious stones
that can be found beneath the
earth’s surface.
- Most expensive in terms of
production cost.
- Mponeng gold mine, located in
Johannesburg, South Africa is the
deepest mine in the world.

WEEK 3: ORE MINERALS/MINING MINERAL PROCESSING

WEEK 3: ORE MINERALS/MINING
Mining – is the process of mineral extraction • Sampling – is the removal of a portion
from a rock seam or ore – a natural rock or which represents a whole, needed for
sediment containing one or more valuable the analysis of the materials.
minerals. • Analysis – is important to evaluate the
Ore Extracting – raw materials, mining, valuable component in an ore. This
deposited beneath the earth. includes chemical, mineral and
A. Surface Mining particle size analysis.
- It is used to extract ore minerals
• Comminution – is the process where
near the surface of the earth.
- In surface mining, the ground is the valuable components of the ore is
separated through crushing and
blasted so that ores near the grinding.
Earth’s surface can be removed to
• Concentration – involves the
the surrounding and is carried to separation of the valuable minerals
refineries to extract the minerals. from the raw materials.
- Surface mining can be destructive • Dewatering – uses the concentration
to the mining surrounding to convert it to usable materials.
landscape.
1. OPEN PIT MINING FOSSIL FUELS
- This is the most common type of
- Fossil fuels are basically remains
surface mining. Open pit means a
of plants and animals that died
big hole in the ground.
millions of years ago. (non-
- It is Less expensive, safer, easy
renewable kay dugay man na
and fast.
form)
2. STRIP MINING
-They are all composed of
- This mining type involves the hydrocarbons.
removal of a thin strip of
overburden above a desired 3 MAJOR TYPES OF FOSSIL FUELS
deposit, dumping the removed 1. Coal - it is important and primary
overburden behind the deposit, fossil fuel present on Earth.
extracting the desired deposit, ANTHRACITE – it is brittle and has
creating a second parallel strip in a black lustrous coal, often called
the same manner, and depending as HARD COAL, containing 86% to
depositing the waste materials 97% carbon.
from that second strip unto the BITUMINOUS – it usually has a
first strip. (libog noh?) high heating value and it is the
most common type of coal used in
electricity generation. It appears
smooth at first glance, but it has
 - The best energy source on Earth
layer of you look closely. It has
because it is already stead and
45% to 86% carbon.
o dependable.
SUBBITOMINOUS – black in color
and dull and has a higher heating D. Geothermal Energy
value than lignite. It has 35% to - It uses steam obtained from these
45% carbon. geothermal reservoirs to generate
o LIGNITE – brown coal (baby coal), electricity.
it is the lowest grade coal with a - Wells are drilled at the appropriate
crumbly and high moisture content. locations to bring this geothermal
It has 25% to 35% carbon. energy up to the surface.
Types of Geothermal Powerplant
1. Dry Steam Powerplant – This is the
simplest and oldest type of
geothermal plant. It directly uses
steam from the reservoir to operate
the turbine.
2. Flash Steam Powerplant – The most
employed in geothermal plants today.
(taas ang process ani )
3. Binary Cycle Powerplant - Binary
powerplants are a recent
development. They have made it
2. Oil – is an organic material mostly
possible to produce electricity from
algae, which was buried in mud at the
geothermal reservoirs with
bottom of the sea and lakes.
temperatures lower than 150-degree
- Petroleum in Latin means Rock Oil.
Celsius.
- Liquified Fossil Fuel
3. Natural Gas – it is mostly composed ADVANTAGES OF USING RES:
It is renewable
-
of methane.
No harmful
- gases are emitted
- Naturally occurring hydrocarbon
No greenhouse
- effects
- gas with the mixture of methane. Cost of- fuel is negligible
It can be extracted through
drilling. Capital- cost is 40-60% less than
thermal & nuclear plants.
WEEK 4: RENEWABLE ENERGY DISADVANTAGES OF USING RES:
- Is energy derived from natural - Availability at certain regions only
- Low efficiency
resources that are replenished at a - It is hard to replace fossil fuels
higher rate than they are because of its energy capacity.
consumed.
A. Solar Energy WATER AS A RESOURCE
- An impressive renewable resource
that can substitute fossil fuels. Water Sources
It can be utilized to generating - Surface Water
electricity from solar cells, - Glaciers
permitting people to access - Underwater flow
electricity without letting go of - Groundwaters
destructive gassed into the Where’s Water (kadtong vid)
atmosphere. - Drinkable water is mostly hidden
B. Wind Energy - underground.
- Another source of energy that is There is Blue and Green water: Blue
very functional is wind power and water are rivers, lakes,
presently, it is the quickest- groundwaters while Green water is
developing energy that can be water inside soil/agriculture.
accessed. Water Cycle
C. Hydroelectric Energy/Power - Condensation – Precipitation –
- The most reliable source of energy - Collection – Evaporation
Water Pollutants - Organisms/Biological factors
- Water stress (water is insufficient - Landscape/Topography
for its need) - Parent Material (it determines
- Population growth what type of soil will form)
- Expansion of Business activity Residual soil – are formed through
- Climate change weathering of its underlying rock.
- Depletion of Aquifers Soil Texture – defined as the relative
- High Temperature = Low Oxygen proportion of the particle sizes in the soil –
sand, silt and clay.
WEEK 5: SOIL
Sand – 2.00-0.05mm
- Unconsolidated mineral and Silt – 0.05 – 0.002mm
organic material on the immediate Clay - <0.002mm
surface of the Earth that serves as
the natural medium for the growth
of land plants/plant growth.

Soil forms the PEDOSPHERE

- Soil is the living skin of the Earth The
- Soil is teeming with life. It is teeming
with a variety of various types of life
microbes. It is the unconsolidated
mineral or organic material.
7 Roles of Soil
• Soil serves as the media for the
growth of all kinds of plants.
• Soils modify the atmosphere by
emitting and absorbing gases like
CO2, methane, water vapor, and dust.
• Soils provide habitats for animals that
live in the soil to organisms that
account for most of the living things
on Earth. How to calculate soil texture? Divide the
• Soils absorb, hold, release, alter and depth of each layer of soil by the total depth
purify most of the water in terrestrial in the jar, and multiply by 100.
systems.
• Soils process recycled nutrients,
including carbon, so that living things
can use them over and over again.
• Soils serve as an engineering media
for the construction of foundations,
roadbeds, dams, and buildings, and
can both preserve or destroy artifacts
of human endeavors.
• Soil act as a living filter to clean water
before it moves into an aquifer.
Soil Composition
- 25% water
- 25% air
- 45% minerals
- 5% organic matter
LAYERS A,B,C are the basic layers of soil.
It takes 200-400 years to make soil, thus
making soil a nonrenewable source and it is Soil Orders
finite. 1. Gelisols – Frozen soils found in the
coldest regions on Earth
FACTORS THAT AFFECT SOIL FORMATION
2. Histosols – High organic content and
- Time wet
- Weather/climate
 3. Oxisols – Very weathered and
common in tropical climates Liquid Waste
4. Spodosols – Sandy and acidic Gaseous waste
soils Bio, Nonbio, Hazardous, NonHazard
found in moist climates that often Wastes according to Generation (Origin)
support dense forests. • Municipal Solid Waste
• Industrial Waste
5. Andisols – composed of volcanic ash • Agricultural Waste
• Fishery Waste
6. Vertisols – Claylike soils that shrink and swell • Radioactive Waste
• E-Waste
7. Aridisols – Very dry soils in arid regions
• Biomedical Waste
8.Ultisols – Weathered soils WASTE MANAGEMENT
• Landfills – easiest buhaton
9.Mollisols – Deep and fertile soils • Incineration – sunugon ang waste
10.Alfisols – Moderately weathered unya I limpyo pana ang gaseous
waste para ma gamit.
11.Inceptisols – Slightly developed, • Compost and Mulch
young soils found on steep slopes and
• 3 R’s
mountain ranges
12.Entisols – Newly-formed soils found in
steep rocky lands
Human Activities affecting Quality of Soil
- Farming
- Construction & Development
- Mining
- Waste Disposal
Protection & Conservation of Soil
- Soil conservation techniques are
intended to preserve soil in place
and maintain its fertility. Source Reduction

• Conservation Tillage – To limit the

number of times a field is tilled,
plowed each year, to reduce the soil
being washed away.
• Terraces Planting – Crops are planted
on the flat tops of the terraces to hold
rainwater and prevent it from running
downhill.
• Forest Protection
• Buffer strips
• Fewer Concrete Surfaces
• Plant Windbreak Areas
• Crop rotation
• Water the soil
• Maintain the pH level
• Indigenous Crop
• Afforestation
• Monitor Grazing
• Dams
• Fertilizers (Organic dili Synthetic)
• No soil compacting

WEEK 6: WASTE
Waste – are unwanted or unusable materials.
Kinds of Waste:
o Solid waste
WEEK 7: WIND
- Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases
relative to a planet’s surface.

- It’s a fundamental aspect of Earth’s weather and

climate, influencing everything from daily
temperatures to the distribution of precipitation.

- The primary driver of wind is uneven heating of the

Earth’s surface .

- Sunlight warms different parts of the Earth’s surface

at varying rates, creating areas of high pressure
where cooler, denser air sinks, and low pressure where
warmer, less dense air rises.

- Air naturally flows from high-pressure areas to low-

pressure areas, creating wind.

A. Local Winds C. Global Winds

Local winds are winds that occur over
relatively small geographical areas, Global winds are caused by Earth's uneven
typically spanning tens to hundreds of heating and the Coriolis effect, and are
kilometers . They are primarily influenced organized into distinct wind belts. Trade
by localized factors like topography, winds, originating from subtropical high-
temperature differentials, and pressure pressure zones, blow towards the equator,
gradients. deflecting to the right and left in the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Sea breezes occur when land heats up faster
than the ocean, creating a low-pressure zone Prevailing westerlies, blowing from
over it. Cooler air from the ocean flows towards
subtropical high-pressure zones towards the
the land, creating a sea breeze.
poles, deflect to the right and left in the
Land breezes occur when land cools down Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Polar
faster than the ocean, creating a high-pressure easterlies, originating from polar high-
zone and cooling air flowing towards the pressure zones, also deflect to the right and
ocean, creating a land breeze. left.

Mountain breezes occur when air on mountain D. Doldrums

slopes rises and cools down at night.
The doldrums, also known as the Intertropical
B. Monsoon Winds Convergence Zone (ITCZ), is a region around the
equator with low atmospheric pressure due to solar
heating. This causes warm, moist air to rise, cooling
Monsoon winds are seasonal wind
and forming clouds and thunderstorms. This erratic
patterns that are characterized by a
weather pattern has been a source of fear for sailors,
complete reversal in wind direction as lack of strong winds can leave ships stranded,
between summer and winter . They are exhaust supplies, and cause psychological stress
driven by the differential heating of land among crew.
and sea.
Thunderstorms: The convergence of trade winds in this
Summer monsoon: During the summer area leads to frequent and often severe
months, land heats up faster than the thunderstorms, contributing to the region's rainfall.
ocean, creating a low-pressure zone over
land. Moist air from the ocean flows Humidity: Due to the rising warm air, the region
towards the land, bringing heavy rainfall. experiences high humidity levels, which can impact
marine biodiversity and weather patterns in
Winter monsoon: During the winter surrounding areas.
months, land cools down faster than the
ocean, creating a high-pressure zone Ocean Currents: The calmness of the doldrums affects
ocean currents, which can influence marine life and
over land. Dry air flows from the land
the distribution of nutrients in the water.
towards the ocean.
E. High Pressure and Low Pressure

High pressure refers to dry, stable air, resulting in clear skies and
calm weather. Low pressure, on the other hand, is moist and
unstable, causing cloud formation and stormy weather. The
interplay of atmospheric pressure, temperature differences, and
Earth's rotation shapes diverse wind patterns, crucial to our daily
lives.

F. Horse Latitudes
The horse latitudes are subtropical
regions located about 30 degrees north
and south of the equator . They are
characterized by calm winds and little
precipitation. The horse latitudes are
associated with high-pressure zones
where air descends, creating dry
conditions.

G. Coriolis Effect

The Coriolis effect is a phenomenon caused

by Earth’s rotation, which deflects moving
objects, including winds, to the right in the
Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere . This effect is
responsible for the curved paths of global
winds and ocean currents.
F. The Köppen Classification of Climate

Definition: The Köppen classification is an empirical

system used to categorize the world's climates based
on temperature, precipitation, and vegetation.
Developed by German botanist Wladimir Köppen, it
maps climates to vegetation zones, aiding in
understanding ecological patterns and climate-related
agriculture.

Group A Generally warm all year with significant

(Tropical) precipitation.

Group B
Includes deserts and semi-arid regions, defined
(Arid):
by low precipitation.

Characterized by moderate temperatures with

Group C
distinct seasons and a range of precipitation
(Temperate):
patterns.

Found in regions with significant temperature

Group D
variations, including cold winters and warm
(Continental):
summers.

Group E Characterized by cold temperatures, with

(Polar): subtypes such as tundra and ice cap climates.