Outline

The Earth 367

12.1 The Earth As a Planet 368

Shape and Size of the Earth 368

Composition of the Earth 370

Density of the Earth 370

Extending Our Reach: Measuring the Earth's Mass 371

12.2 The Earth's Interior 371

Probing the Interior with Earthquake Waves 371

Heating of the Earth's Core 374

12.3 The Age of the Earth 376

12.4 Motions in the Earth's Interior 377

Plate Tectonics 377

Extending Our Reach: Measuring the Motion of Plates across Time 380

12.5 The Earth's Atmosphere 380

Composition of the Atmosphere 381

Origin of the Atmosphere 381

The Ozone Layer 383

The Greenhouse Effect 384

Structure of the Atmosphere 384

12.6 The Earth's Magnetic Field 385

Origin of the Earth's Magnetic Field 386

Magnetic Effects in the Upper Atmosphere 386

12.7 Motions of the Earth 388

Air and Ocean Circulation: The Coriolis Effect 388

Precession 390

Project 393

Essay 2 Keeping Time 395

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