The 4 Major Geological Subsystems of Earth

Think about a forest, a garden, or a farm. How do you think the soil in these areas was created?
Soil is something we take for granted and we don't often think of how it was formed. The
formation of soil is actually quite complex and requires the involvement of all four major
geological subsystems of Earth, which are the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and
geosphere.

The atmosphere is the mixture of gases that surround the Earth. The hydrosphere is all waters
on Earth, including subsurface and atmospheric water. The biosphere is all living organisms on
Earth, including those on the land, in the water, and in the air. The geosphere is the solid portion
of the Earth, which is made up of rocks and minerals.

Now that we know what the four major geological subsystems of Earth are, let's look at how they
are each involved in the formation of soil. At its base, soil is a mixture of decomposed organic
matter and broken down rock. The organic matter in soil is a result of decaying plants, which are
living organisms and are found in the biosphere. The disintegrated rocks in soil originate from
the geosphere. The air in the atmosphere and the water in the hydrosphere are responsible for
breaking down the rock into smaller pieces. Without the proper functioning of all four major
geological subsystems, it would not be possible to produce soil. Soil is everywhere around us
and it is evidence that these subsystems are constantly working to provide the Earth what it needs
to survive.

Interactions Between the Subsystems

All four major geological subsystems of Earth can function independently from each other, but
for the most part, there is some type of interaction between them. In some cases, it may be an
interaction between all four subsystems, but it could be an interaction between just two.

An example of an interaction between the geosphere and the hydrosphere would be the creation
of a tsunami. Tsunamis are created when a large volume of water is displaced due to a
disturbance under the water such as a landslide, earthquake, or volcanic eruption. The
disturbance that causes the tsunami takes place within the geosphere and the water that is
displaced is within the hydrosphere. When large waves from the tsunami hit the shore, the
hydrosphere is interacting a second time with the geosphere. The water is often strong enough to
cause damage to the solid earth.
Discovery and exploration of the Solar System is observation, visitation, and increase in
knowledge and understanding of Earth's "cosmic neighborhood" This includes the Sun, Earth
and the Moon, the major planets including Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune, their satellites, as well as smaller bodies including comets, asteroids, and dust.

The Solar System — our Sun’s system of planets, moons, and smaller debris — is humankind’s
cosmic backyard. Small by factors of millions compared to interstellar distances, the spaces
between the planets are daunting, but technologically surmountable

The Layers Of Earth

The Earth has layers not unlike an onion and can be dissected to understand the physical and
chemical properties of each layer and its influence on the rest of the Earth. Generally speaking,
Earth has 4 layers: the outer crust that we live on, the plastic-like mantle, the liquid outer core,
and the solid inner core.

When differentiating the layers, geologists lump subdivisions into two categories, either
rheologically or chemically. Rheological differentiation speaks to the liquid state of rocks under
tremendous pressure and temperature. For instance, rock will respond very differently to strain
under normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures as compared to fewer than thousands of
kilometers of rock. If we subdivide the Earth based on rheology, we see the lithosphere,
asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, and inner core. However, if we differentiate the layers
based on chemical variations, we lump the layers into crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.