2.

04: EARLY EARTH

Has Earth always been as we know it today? In this lesson, students will study how living beings have
been shaping the planet’s spheres since the appearance of the first living organism. Students will
analyze how the formation of atmospheric oxygen changed Earth's geosphere and biosphere.

Lesson Objectives:
● Analyze how the interactions within and between Earth's spheres caused changes to early
Earth
● Describe how the formation of atmospheric oxygen changed Earth's geosphere and biosphere

There are three Checkpoints in this lesson, following Chapters 1, 3, and 5. The lesson concludes with a
quiz.

Chapter 1: Earth’s Formation

Key Terms
Many terms, including these, are linked in the lesson and appear in the
glossary. These are especially important in this lesson.

● solar wind ● volcanoes ● limestone

Concepts to Learn
This lesson introduces many new ideas, processes, and connections that are
important to understand. The following questions and prompts require you
to think about what you learned and apply it in your responses. Ask your
teacher for help as needed.

1. Summarize the formation of Earth. After the formation of the Sun from a solar nebula,
dust and gas particles combined to form
planetesimals that became protoplanets through
accretion. These protoplanets eventually became
Earth and other planets in our solar system

2. How did Earth’s early atmosphere evolve The solar wind carried away the hydrogen and
into its secondary atmosphere? helium in the primordial atmosphere. When
asteroids, comets, or other impactors enter the
atmosphere, they burn up. gases trapped in the
rock, as well as any ice that may have been on the
surface, are released into the atmosphere. When
impact events occur, gases trapped in the interior

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 1

 of the Earth are released into the atmosphere.
Volcanoes released gases that were trapped
inside of Earth, like carbon dioxide and water
vapor

3. What is zircon? What did scientists A mineral commonly found in the crust of the
determine about the heavy oxygen Earth; formed from the crystallization of magma as
isotope ratios in zircon crystals? What did it cools. The heavy oxygen isotope ratios
this evidence suggest? indicated that the crystals formed in wet, cool
sedimentary environments on the surface. This
suggests that Earth had liquid water on the
surface 4.37 billion years ago

4. Describe the steps of water formation on Earth is formed from rock material and water
Earth. present in the solar nebula. As the rocky material
accreted, water was trapped inside the planet.
Water vapor escapes as Earth experiences
volcanic activity and impact events. Comets and
asteroids containing water deposit surface water
upon impact

5. Describe the steps that led to carbon Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere combined with
dioxide becoming trapped in rocks. the rain over thousands of years. This acid rain
saturated the sedimentary rock of Earth’s crust

6. Describe how the composition of gases in Water vapor and carbon dioxide levels decreased,
the atmosphere changed over time. along with methane and sulfur dioxide

Checkpoint Reflection
Use this space to record your thoughts and lingering questions about the
lesson.

Enter your reflection here.

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 2

Chapter 2: Comparing Earth’s Atmospheres

Concepts to Learn
This lesson introduces many new ideas, processes, and connections that are
important to understand. The following questions and prompts require you
to think about what you learned and apply it in your responses. Ask your
teacher for help as needed.

1. Compare and contrast the gases found in the secondary atmosphere and the atmosphere today.

Secondary Atmosphere Both Atmosphere Today

Sulfur dioxide Water vapor oxygen

ammonia Carbon dioxide

Hydrogen sulfide methane

nitrogen

hydrogen

helium

argon

2. Why was oxygen not present in Earth’s secondary atmosphere?

The secondary atmosphere came from volcanic eruptions that released gases

Chapter 3: Earth’s Spheres

Key Terms
Many terms, including these, are linked in the lesson and appear in the
glossary. These are especially important in this lesson.

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 3

 ● biosphere ● geosphere ● water cycle
● hydrosphere ● atmosphere ● carbon cycle

Concepts to Learn
This lesson introduces many new ideas, processes, and connections that are
important to understand. The following questions and prompts require you
to think about what you learned and apply it in your responses. Ask your
teacher for help as needed.

1. Define each sphere and list some examples of what you can expect to find in each.

Sphere Definition Examples

Atmosphere The portion of Earth that consists of Nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon,
the layers of gases surrounding carbon dioxide gases
Earth

Geosphere The portion of Earth that consists of Mountains, rocks, and soil
all the rocks and minerals on Earth,
and all landforms. The solid part of
Earth

Biosphere The portion of Earth that consists of Plants, animals, bacteria and fungi
all living things and organic matter

Hydrosphere The portion of Earth that consists of Rivers, oceans, polar ice
all water in solid, gas, or liquid form

2. Describe how the different spheres Magma coming up through Earth’s layers is part of
interact during a volcanic eruption. the geosphere. Gases from the eruption move
from the geosphere to the atmosphere. Lava
flowing down the volcano affects the biosphere by
destroying organisms in its path. The
condensation of water vapor from the eruption
alters the atmosphere and the hydrosphere

3. What is the water cycle? The movement of water between spheres

4. Describe how the different spheres Water vapor is released from the geosphere
interact in the water cycle. through volcanic activity. The water vapor is
added to the atmosphere, where it condenses into

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 4

 clouds, and then rains down onto Earth as part of
the hydrosphere. The water falling on Earth
collects in oceans as part of the hydrosphere, or in
rocks that can absorb fluids, which are part of the
geosphere. From here, the water can either
evaporate from oceans back into the atmosphere
or remain in rocks as part of the geosphere until
events like volcanic eruptions release it as vapor

5. Describe how the different spheres Starting with carbon dioxide trapped in the Earth’s
interact in the carbon cycle. interior. Carbon dioxide can be released from the
geosphere to the atmosphere through volcanic
activity. Once in the atmosphere, the carbon
dioxide can combine with water in clouds to form a
weak acid. The acidic rain falls to Earth as part of
the hydrosphere, contributing to weathering (the
breakdown of rocks and minerals). This process
releases calcium and other elements that are
transported to oceans by rivers. The released
calcium then combines with carbonate in the
water, forming sedimentary rocks on the seafloor,
which returns the carbon to the geosphere. Over
time, the seafloor is recycled back into the
geosphere, where it can once again be released
through volcanic activity, completing the cycle

Checkpoint Reflection
Use this space to record your thoughts and lingering questions about the
lesson.

Enter your reflection here.

Chapter 4: Where Did the Oxygen Come From?

Concepts to Learn
This lesson introduces many new ideas, processes, and connections that are
important to understand. The following questions and prompts require you
to think about what you learned and apply it in your responses. Ask your
teacher for help as needed.

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 5

 1. What two sources are responsible for the The interaction between ultraviolet light and water
molecular oxygen we see in the vapor and the oxygen produced by photosynthetic
atmosphere? bacteria

2. Describe the process of photolysis. When ultraviolet light enters Earth’s atmosphere
Consider both water vapor and carbon and interacts with water molecules, photolysis
dioxide. occurs, and the light breaks up the molecule. This
same process occurs with carbon dioxide

3. What are stromatolites, and why are they Stromatolites are communities of tiny single-celled
important? organisms (bacteria). They are the earliest
evidence of life on Earth, which helps scientists
understand more about how oxygen formed

4. What happened when all of the iron in the Little to no new iron-rich layers were added to the
oceans reacted with the oxygen present? banded iron formations. The oxygen was free to
diffuse into the atmosphere. The additional oxygen
produced by the bacteria began to spread out into
the atmosphere

5. What happened to the iron on the surface The oxygen reacted with the iron on the surface,
as a result of increased atmospheric oxidizing the sediment and producing red-colored
oxygen? sedimentary rocks

Chapter 5: The Great Oxidation Event

Key Terms
Many terms, including these, are linked in the lesson and appear in the
glossary. These are especially important in this lesson.

● atmosphere ● hydrosphere
● biosphere ● geosphere

Concepts to Learn
This lesson introduces many new ideas, processes, and connections that are
important to understand. The following questions and prompts require you
to think about what you learned and apply it in your responses. Ask your
teacher for help as needed.

1. How did the buildup of oxygen affect the Additional oxygen allowed more complex life to

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 6

 different spheres of Earth? evolve, changing the biosphere. Iron sediments on
the surface reacted with the oxygen, changing the
composition of the rocks and affecting the
geosphere

2. List the events in order, from the earliest Volcanic outgassing resulted in the formation of
to most recent, in the timeline of early the secondary atmosphere
Earth. Start with the formation of Earth
and end with the evolution of more The secondary atmosphere led to the formation of
complex life. the oceans, which allowed the first photosynthetic
life to evolve

These organisms produced oxygen, which

eventually resulted in the buildup of oxygen in the
atmosphere

There are four spheres of Earth: the biosphere,

geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. An
event in one sphere affects all of the other
spheres, resulting in a series of cycles that allow
Earth to function

3. What is the most impactful event that led The formation of atmospheric oxygen
to the evolution of life on Earth?

Checkpoint Reflection
Use this space to record your thoughts and lingering questions about the
lesson.

Enter your reflection here.

2.04 GUIDED NOTES | Earth Space Science | Semester A 7