Earth Science Concepts: Big Bang, Risks, and Waste Management
Earth’s Structure and Composition
Ocean: Continental thickness 30-40 km, Rigid. Mohorovicic Discontinuity: Higher density. Lower Mantle: Plastic. Gutenberg Discontinuity: Depth 2900 km. Outer Core: Liquid, depth 5100 km. Inner Core: Solid. Earth’s radius: 6378 km.
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang theory posits that all matter, space, and energy were concentrated in a single point of extreme density and temperature. This point underwent a massive explosion, leading to the expansion of the universe. As the universe expanded, energy transformed into matter, forming subatomic particles and atoms. These atoms condensed, giving rise to astronomical structures such as planets, galaxies, and nebulae, composed of various chemical elements.
Risk Assessment in Earth Science
Risk is defined as the probability of loss of human life, property, or productive capacity due to natural phenomena or human activities. Risks are associated with:
- Internal Dynamics: Earthquakes, volcanoes, and deformations.
- External Dynamics: Erosion processes related to gravitational forces, geological characteristics of the subsoil, nival processes, periglacial activity, glaciers, fluvial dynamics, coastal processes, and atmospheric dynamics.
Risk Prediction and Prevention
It is projected to delve deeper into the study of risk, using statistics and probability to assess the occurrence of phenomena. This includes evaluating the effects of risks and their social consequences.
- Prediction: Aims to anticipate and announce when and where a phenomenon will occur, including its development and intensity.
- Prevention: Involves implementing measures and activities to avoid the detrimental impact of potentially dangerous phenomena, based on forecasts and predictions.
Planetary Formation
Approximately 5 billion years ago, nebula materials interacted due to shock waves from a nearby star’s explosion. The nebula’s matter began to condense and concentrate in the central part of the future solar system. Gravitational force compressed and heated the core until it reached sufficient temperature, leading to the formation of the sun. Matter circling the young star formed a flattened disk. Denser materials were located closer to the center. Within this disk of planetesimals, different materials appeared in orbits around the sun, colliding, destroying, and then reassembling into larger bodies with greater gravitational attraction. These planetesimals were the seeds of future planets. Planets near the sun, composed of dense materials, became rocky inner planets, while those farther from the sun, composed of light materials, became gaseous outer planets. The planets cooled and developed atmospheres with released gases.
Waste Management Phases
The phases of waste management include:
- Collection and Transportation
- Treatment:
- Deposit in landfills
- Composting (aerobic decomposition of organic matter under controlled conditions)
- Incineration (energy treatment transforming organic fraction into inert materials and gases)
- Biological treatment (anaerobic fermentation producing biogas)
- Disposal and Recycling
Evolutionary Theories
- Lamarck: Spontaneous generation, impulse towards perfection, use and disuse of traits, inheritance of acquired characteristics.
- Darwin: Changing world, changing organisms, extinction, new species, gradual and continuous change, common ancestry, natural selection.
- Darwinists: Random mutations, natural selection, favorable mutations increase in frequency, adaptation, gradual evolutionary change, speciation through accumulation of differences, population divergence into new species.
Water Treatment Processes
- Purification: Treatment to remove contaminants and pathogens from water sources, making it suitable for consumption.
- Softening: Treatment of urban wastewater in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to remove pollutants from city discharges.
Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change
Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, N2O, CFCs, prevent a portion of the solar radiation reflected as heat from escaping the Earth’s atmosphere. This leads to an increase in the average temperature of the Earth, causing climate change.
The 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Reduce: Adopt consumption habits and behaviors that help reduce waste generation.
- Reuse: Use consumer waste multiple times without treating or transforming it, for the same or different functions.
- Recycle: Use waste as raw material to produce similar or different products. Important for sustainable development, utilization of raw materials, reduces energy and water consumption, reduces waste generation and pollution.