Planet Earth Emma Flashcards
How does the earth move?
The earth spins on its own axis and orbits the sun. These movements make day and night possible as well as the 4 seasons
What is the order of the planets?
Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
What is the earth’s orbit?
The earth travels in an orbit around the sun. The orbit is the pathway that the earth moves in
How long does the earth take to orbit the sun?
365 1/4 days (one year)
How is a year divided
Into 12 months, which can be divided into 4 seasons
What causes the 4 seasons?
The path the earth takes around the sun is in an oval shape, so sometimes the Earth is further away from the sun than at other times.
How does the earth spin?
The Earth spins on its own axis, which is an imaginary line. It’s takes about 24 hours to make one full rotation .
How do we get night and day?
As the Earth spins on its own axis, when the place that you are on faces the sun, that is day. When the place you are on faces away from the sun, that is night.
The sun does not actually rise and set, the sun doesn’t move at all.
The earth’s rotating causes day and night.
What is the surface of the Earth called?
The crust
What is the Earths crust made up of?
It consists of rocks and soil. The earth is mostly covered with water, and the crust sits below the water
What are the 4 main elements that support life on earth?
Soil
Water
Air
Sunlight
How does soil support life on earth?
Most plants grow in soil
Soil contains minerals that plants need to grow. If there was no soil there would be no plants. This would mean that food chains could not exist and all animals would die
How does air support life ?
Air contains oxygen. All living things need oxygen to survive
Explain thoroughly how soil supports life on earth
- Plants anchor their roots in soil and absorb water
- soil has minerals and nutrients in it that plants need in order to grow and reproduce. When they reproduce they form seeds
- each plant and animal has its own habitat and they all have an important role to play in nature. If you take away any link in the food chain, the chain is upset or destroyed.
What life can be found in soil
Earthworms
Slugs
Snails
Moles
How do earthworms help the soil?
Earthworms eat decaying plant matter and they help to loosen the soil particles. This means more air in the soil.
How else do the creatures who live in soil contribute to nature?
They are a source of food for other animals
How is water important to the earth?
Earth is different to the other planets because it has water on it.
Plants use water, energy from the sun and other elements to make their own food.
If there was no food there would be no living things.
Water is a solvent which means that minerals and substances can dissolve in it and plants can take absorb it easily.
How is sunlight important to the earth?
Sunlight is the earth’s main source of energy.
Plants use the sun’s energy to make food and pass this energy on to animals through food chains.
Living things need energy to grow and reproduce
Why did traditional farmers plant different crops every year?
They did not have fertilisers. They knew that if they planted the same crops in the same place year after year the minerals in the soil would be used up.
What does the human body get from sunlight?
It uses sunlight to make vitamin D, which is important for building strong bones
What is land on Earth made up of?
Topsoil
Subsoil
Rocks
What is topsoil?
Topsoil is the top layer of soil in the Earth’s crust. This is where plants grow
Explain what topsoil is made of
It is made up of small sand grains, plant and animal matter, air and water
How is topsoil formed?
It forms when rocks break down into small grains. These grains of sand mix with air and water, and plants and animals make it their habitat. Topsoil is usually darker in colour than subsoil.
Where is subsoil found?
Beneath topsoil
What is subsoil made up of
There are pieces of bigger rock with some small parts of topsoil. It is lighter in colour than topsoil. Roots of some trees grow into subsoil and anchor the tree. There is not much life in subsoil
