Which set lists the four major Earth system components?

• A. Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere
• B. Mantle, Crust, Core, Atmosphere
• C. Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere
• D. Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Pedosphere

Answer: (C)

Earth’s major system components are the large, interacting spheres where most planetary processes occur: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The geosphere covers the solid Earth—land, rocks, minerals, and the interior; the hydrosphere includes all water—oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater; the atmosphere is the gaseous envelope around the planet; and the biosphere contains all living organisms and their environments. Together, these four spheres describe the primary domains where energy andMatter move and interact, shaping climate, weather, rock weathering, and ecological systems.

So, the set that lists exactly these four components is the correct one, because it captures the four broad, interacting domains of the Earth system. Other options mix in interior layers (mantle, crust, core) or focus on subcomponents (cryosphere, pedosphere) that are parts or aspects of the bigger spheres, not the four principal system components.