- LITHOSPHERE:
All of the solid ("rocky") material making up the Earth is together called the Lithosphere.
It is approximately spherical in shape.
Rocky solids are more dense than water, so gravity pulls these solids closer to the center of the Earth.
- HYDROSPHERE:
The Hydrosphere is made of the liquid or watery material of our planet. It surrpounds most of the surface of the Lithosphere.
The Hydrosphere lies on top of the lithosphere because water is less dense than the rocky material of the Lithosphere.
The Hydrosphere covers about 75% of the surface of the Lithosphere. The continents make up about 25% of the Lithosphere surface.
The Northern Hemisphere has more land than the Southern Hemisphere.
The Hydrosphere includes the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water.
Water in the form of rain, snow, clouds, and atmospheric moisture is really part of the hydrosphere.
- ATMOSPHERE:
The gasses that are part of our planet make up the Atmosphere.
The Atmosphere surrounds the Hydrosphere and Lithosphere because the gasses are less dense than either the water
of the Hydrosphere or the rocky material of the Lithosphere.
The Atmosphere is divided into several layers.
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- BIOSPHERE:
The Biosphere consists of all the living things on Earth: plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, and more.
Biological activity exchanges water and many dissolved materials with the Hydrosphere.
Biological activity also contributes to weathering of the lithosphere, and the dead remains of organisms may add material to the lithosphere.
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