Editing Geosphere (section)

{{Short description|Collective name for the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, and the atmosphere}}
{{For|the academic journal from the Geological Society of America|Geosphere (journal){{!}}''Geosphere'' (journal)}}
{{wiktionary}}

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 ''[[Physics (Aristotle)|Physica]]'' and ''[[Meteorology (Aristotle)|Meteorologica]]''. They were believed to explain the motions of the four ''[[classical element|terrestrial elements]]:'' ''[[Earth (classical element)|Earth]]'', ''[[Water (classical element)|Water]]'', ''[[Air (classical element)|Air]]'', and ''[[Fire (classical element)|Fire]]''.

In modern texts and in [[Earth system science]], geosphere refers to the [[Solid earth|solid parts of the Earth]]; it is used along with [[atmosphere]], [[hydrosphere]], and [[biosphere]] to describe the systems of the Earth (the interaction of these systems with the [[magnetosphere]] is sometimes listed). In that context, sometimes the term [[lithosphere]] 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).<ref>Allaby, A. and Allaby, M. (eds). (2003). ''A Dictionary of Earth Sciences''. [[Oxford University Press]]. New York. 2nd edition. p. 320. {{ISBN|0198607601}}</ref>

"Geosphere" may also be taken as the collective name for the [[lithosphere]], the [[hydrosphere]], the [[cryosphere]], and the [[atmosphere]].<ref>Williams, R.S., Jr., and Ferrigno, J.G. (eds.) (2012) [http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386a/plate-earthsystem.html Plate Figure 4] in ''State of the Earth’s cryosphere at the beginning of the 21st century–Glaciers, global snow cover, floating ice, and [[permafrost]] and periglacial environments'': U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386–A.</ref> The different collectives of the geosphere are able to exchange different mass and/or energy [[flux]]es (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,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=lorea |first1=N. |last2=Cotet |first2=V. |last3=Mocani |first3=V. |title=Cycles of substances and energy at geospheres interface - fluxes conditioning the soil and life |journal=Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences |date=April 2014 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=209–217}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite journal |author= Siscoe, G.|title=Aristotle on the magnetosphere|journal=[[Eos (newspaper)|Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union]] |volume=72 |issue=7 |pages=69 |doi= 10.1029/90EO00050|year=1991|bibcode=1991EOSTr..72...69S}}</ref> This highly variable outer boundary of ''geogenic'' matter has been referred to as the "geopause" (or [[magnetopause]]),<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1029/95RG00872|bibcode=1995RvGeo..33..175M|title=The geopause|journal=[[Reviews of Geophysics]] |volume=33 |issue= 2 |pages=175|year=1995|last1=Moore|first1=T. E.|last2=Delcourt|first2=D. C.}}</ref> to suggest the relative scarcity of such matter beyond it, where the [[solar wind]] dominates.