identify ways materials are cycled within the earth system
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Materials are cycled through the Earth system in various ways. For example, the water cycle involves the movement of water between the atmosphere, oceans, and land. The carbon cycle involves the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, plants, animals, soil, and oceans. These cycles are essential for maintaining balance and supporting life on Earth.
Water vapor is not cycled through the atmosphere of the earth. While water does evaporate into the atmosphere and precipitate back to the earth's surface, the water molecules themselves are not cycled through the atmosphere in the same way that gases such as nitrogen and oxygen are.
Rock, minerals, and sediments are elements that are not cycled through the Earth's atmosphere. These elements remain largely stationary in the Earth's lithosphere, rather than being exchanged between the atmosphere and other Earth systems like the biosphere or hydrosphere.
Conduction occurs on Earth in various materials such as rocks, soil, and metals. It can be observed in the transfer of heat through the ground, within building materials, and in the conduction of electrical currents through conductive substances.
Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are materials from Earth that cannot be replaced within a reasonable amount of time. Other examples include rare earth metals and certain types of soil and sand. Once depleted, these resources take millions of years to form again.
Earth's size remains relatively constant because the new materials added, like meteorites or space dust, are balanced by materials leaving the Earth, like gases escaping into space. The constant movement and recycling of materials within the Earth's geosphere help to maintain its size over time.