Page 13 - Volt Atlas

Domains of the Earth

Domains or Realms of the Earth
Atmosphere
• Lithosphere—the solid portion of the Earth
• Hydrosphere—all water bodies on the Earth
• Atmosphere—the air blanket around us
Biosphere
• Biosphere—the living world
Hydrosphere Lithosphere
The four domains of the Earth
Crust Lithosphere
Lithosphere
(crust and uppermost
solid mantle) The solid outermost layer of the Earth is called the lithosphere or
Mantle sphere of rock. It consists of rocks, minerals and a thin layer of soil.
It is about 100 km thick. Its surface is irregular and is made up of
Outer Liquid various landforms like mountains, plateaus, plains and valleys. The
core C Coreore
thin uppermost layer of the lithosphere which is about 35 km in
Inner
core Solid thickness is called the crust. The layer below the crust is called the
mantle. It is made up of two parts—upper and lower mantle.
Lithosphere

Hydrosphere

The Earth is called the blue planet because a large portion of it is covered
with water. The hydrosphere or the sphere of water as the name suggests,
comprises of all forms of water. Water exists in three states—solid (ice), liquid
(water) and gas (water vapour). Oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, snow, ice, glaciers
and water vapour together form the hydrosphere.

Hydrosphere
Thermosphere
Atmosphere
A thin layer of air envelopes the Earth. This layer of air is called
Mesosphere
the atmosphere. It is held close to the Earth by the force of
Stratosphere
gravity. The atmosphere contains many gases like oxygen,
Troposphere
nitrogen and carbon dioxide. It also contains dust and water
vapour.

Atmosphere

Biosphere
A narrow zone on Earth where the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere meet is called the biosphere. It is

also called the living world and consists of the plant and animal kingdoms. It is the zone where all living beings
interact with each other to support life on Earth.
11