Talk:List of basic Earth science topics

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[edit] Suggestions for List of basic Earth science topics from a new-to-Wikipedia Geoscientist

(Copied from User_talk:Geologyguy)

This is my first post to someone else's user page; please pardon any faux pas and advise. I write to you because you seem to have been involved in earlier revisions of this page, you seem to be active, and you are a fellow IU Geology grad (BA 1992, MS 1997), though I took my classes at IUPUI.
I would like to suggest a change in the List of basic Earth science topics page, but I'm unsure how to go about it and was unwilling to just make the change without conferring with more experienced users.
Specifically, I have a problem with the use of the term 'Lithosphere' to indicate all solid material below the pedosphere and cryosphere. I have taught introductory physical geology for 15 years and the way I describe the 'solid' portion of the earth is to explain that geologists divide the earth in two different ways it based on two properties: composition and mechanics.
As I'm sure you know, compositionally we have:

  • iron/nickel core
  • iron/magnesium rich silicate mantle
  • granitic/basaltic crust.

In terms of mechanics, we have:

  • solid inner core
  • liquid outer core
  • solidish lower mantle
  • gooey asthenosphere
  • brittle lithosphere.

Since the term lithosphere is commonly used to indicate this more brittle, uppermost portion of the mantle plus the crust, I find that to use lithosphere by its most literal sense (rock layer) could cause confusion for some. I would propose using the term geosphere to mean the whole of the rocky portion of the earth, meaning 'c' from Bates & Jackson [1]
Below, there could be the list the sub-layers in relative order, perhaps even giving an image showing how the two ways of dividing these layers relate to each other.
Is this something that I should just change and see what kind of response there is?

On a related note, I am interested in soil and noted that one of the requested topics in the WP:SOIL area is the term 'argillic', and adjective that is usually used with respect to a soil horizon. Are adjectives usually given a separate entry in Wikipedia? I did add the term to Wikitionary, as it was missing there.
Thanks, Vince
Fhernly (talk) 20:57, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Major rename proposal of certain "lists" to "outlines"

See Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)#Major rename proposal of certain "lists" to "outlines".

The Transhumanist    00:30, 12 June 2008 (UTC)