Chapters 2 & 3Physical Geography

Vocab•Weathering

•Sediment

•Erosion

•Delta

•Moraine

• Loess

•Seismograph

•Epicenter

•Richter Scale

Human Perspective

•Several people have suggested that the continents might fit together

•Sir Francis Bacon 1620

•Rock evidence in early 1900s

•Wegener’s “theory”

•Plate Tectonics

Solar System

•Sun

•Planets

•Asteroids

•Comets

Structure of the Earth

•Core-mantle-magma-crust

•the four “spheres”

•Continental Drift

•see p. 29

The Blue Planet•Anyone passing through our solar system

would be attracted to the blue planet. They would know that the blue color indicated water on Earth. They would know that where there is water there is probably life. They might try to meet us. We, the blue planet, stand out as a beacon to all.

• James Irvin, astronaut on Apollo 15 mission

Bodies of Water

•Water supports life and it helps distribute heat on the Earth

•71% of Earth’s surface

•A notion of motion in the ocean

•Hydrologic cycle

•Freshwater and Saltwater lakes

•Rivers and streams

•Ground water

Landforms

•See page 34-35

•Continental Shelf

•Relief

•Topography

ArchipelagoArchipelago

Bay

HarborHarbor

VolcanoVolcano

CapeCape

IsthmusIsthmus

Mountain RangeMountain Range

IslandIsland

LakeLake

GulfGulf

Cha

nnel

Cha

nnel

OasisOasis

PlainPlain

PeninsulaPeninsula

GlacierGlacier

MountainMountain

RiverRiver

RiverRiver

DeltaDeltaSwampSwamp

StraitStraitStraitStrait

DesertDesert

MouthMouth

ValleyValley

FieldField

Internal Forces Shaping the Earth

•“The view from overhead makes the theory come alive.”

•Sally Ride, female astronaut

Plate Tectonics

•Floating plates

•3 types of boundaries

•and 4 types of motion

•Folds and faults

Earthquakes

•Seismographs

•Epicenter

•Hazards

•Richter Scale

•Tsunamis

Volcanoes

•Most volcanoes are located on tectonic plate boundaries

•Magma: lava

•Volcanoes are unpredictable

•Ring of Fire

•Hot springs and geysers

•Ash

External Forces Shaping the Earth

•Sandstorms such as those in Egypt (khamsin) are among the external forces that shape the earth and affect the lives of the people in their paths

Weathering

•Weathering produces sediment

•Mechanical Weathering

•Chemical Weathering

•Climates can affect weathering

Erosion

•Movement by wind, water, ice, gravity

•Water

•Deposition--deltas

•Wave action

•Winds over 11 mph

•Loess

•Glaciers

Building Soil

•Soils combines the rock particles with humus

•Parent material

•Relief

•Organisms

•Climate

•Time

Chapter 3: Climate and Vegetation

•Hurricanes are an example of extreme weather that can affect human lives

Seasons

•Tilt (23.5°) and Revolution

•Solstices

•Equinoxes

Weather

•Weather vs. Climate

•3 Types of Precipitation

•Convectional

•Orographic (rain shadow)

•Frontal

Weather Extremes

•Hurricanes (typhoons, cyclones, willy- willies, chubascos)

•Tornadoes

•Blizzards

•Droughts

•Floods

Climates

•El Niños can cause changes in climatic patterns

Vocabulary

•Convection

•Greenhouse effect

Factors Influencing Climate

• Wind flows from high pressure areas to low pressure areas

• Global wind patterns are predictable

• Cold water currents usually cause drier climates

• Latitude is the most important factor

• Elevation is the second most important

• Topography

• Proximity (nearness) to water

Changes in Climate

•Over thousands of years, climates will change

•There is also variation between years

•El Nino

•La Nina

•Global Warming

Section 3: World Climate Regions

•While Paris, France and Winnipeg, Canada are about the same latitude, one is loved in “the Springtime”; the other isn’t.

Defining a Climate Region

•Typical conditions over many years

•Temperature and Precipitation

•Text uses five basic climate regions

•See pages 60-61

Types of Climates

•Tropical Wet

•Tropical Wet and Dry

•Desert

•Semi-arid

Mid-latitude Climates

•Marine West Coast

•Mediterranean

•Humid Continental

•Humid Sub-tropical

High-latitude Climates

•Sub-arctic

•Tundra

•Ice Cap

•Highlands

Section 4: Soils and Vegetation

•Most places where people have settled have been used for agricultural purposes, such as farming, herding and timber production. Soil and vegetation have a direct impact on which of those activities the people living in a region can perform.

Soil Regions

•World food supply depends on topsoil

•Depth, texture and humus content determine types of vegetation

•Vegetation influences human activities

Vegetation Regions

•Place: ecosystem

•Region: Biome

•Forest

•Grassland

•Desert

•Tundra

Plant Succession•Starts when

a catastrophic event occurs

•Starts with small plants

•Ends in Climax Community

Forest Biomes

•Usually three layers

•Most animals live in trees

•Little vegetation on floor

Tropical Rainforests

Coniferous Forest

•Needle Leaf Forest

•Cones for seeds

•Cold weather

Coniferous

•In Northern Continents

Deciduous Forest

•Turn color in Autumn

•Lose leaves

Mixed Forests

•Combined Broadleaf and Needle Leaf

Mixed and Deciduous

•In Humid Continental and Humid Subtropical Climate Zones

Mediterranean

•Scattered Trees & Shrubs: Chaparral

•Adapted to dry seasons and fires

Riparian Forests

•In river and creek beds

Savannas•Scattered Trees

•Grasses

•Scattered shrubs

•Large Mammals

•Elephants

•Giraffes

•Zebras

Savannas

Grasslands-Prairies•Tall grasses

•Scattered trees and shrubs

•Good for grazing large mammals

•Bison

•Cows

Grasslands-Steppes

•Short grasses

•Seasonal grazing only

Deserts•Cactus

•Small shrubs adapted to dry areas

•Wildflowers

Deserts

Tundra

•Mosses

•Lichens

•Low shrubs

•Small flowering plants

Tundra

Human Impact on the Environment

•Building Dams and other “development”

•Irrigation Systems

•Planting Food Crops

•Cutting Forests (Slash and Burn)