There are several conflicting usages of geosphere, variously defined. In Aristotelian physics, the term was applied to four spherical ''natural places'', concentrically nested around the center of the Earth, as described in the lectures '' Physica'' and '' Meteorologica''. They were believed to explain the motions of the four '' terrestrial elements:'' '' Earth'', '' Water'', '' Air'', and '' Fire''. In modern texts and in Earth system science, geosphere refers to the solid parts of the Earth; it is used along with

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

, hydrosphere, and biosphere to describe the systems of the Earth (the interaction of these systems with the

magnetosphere In astronomy and planetary science, a magnetosphere is a region of space surrounding an astronomical object in which charged particles are affected by that object's magnetic field. It is created by a celestial body with an active interior Dynamo ...

is sometimes listed). In that context, sometimes the term

lithosphere A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, the topmost portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time ...

is used instead of geosphere or solid Earth. The lithosphere, however, only refers to the uppermost layers of the solid Earth (oceanic and continental crustal rocks and uppermost mantle). "Geosphere" may also be taken as the collective name for the

, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, and the

. The different collectives of the geosphere are able to exchange different mass and/or energy fluxes (the measurable amount of change). The exchange of these fluxes affects the balance of the different spheres of the geosphere. An example is how the soil acts as a part of the biosphere, while also acting as a source of flux exchange. Since space exploration began, it has been observed that the extent of the ionosphere or plasmasphere is highly variable, and often much larger than previously appreciated, at times extending to the boundaries of the Earth's magnetosphere. This highly variable outer boundary of ''geogenic'' matter has been referred to as the "geopause" (or magnetopause), to suggest the relative scarcity of such matter beyond it, where the solar wind dominates.

References

Geophysics {{geophysics-stub

See also

References