LANDFORMSThe Isthmus of Panama

ISTHMUS OF PANAMA 20 million years ago the

ocean covered the area where Panama is located today

Beneath the Earth's surface, two plates were slowly colliding into one another

This forced the Pacific Plate to slide slowly under the Caribbean Plate. The pressure and heat caused by this collision led to the formation of underwater volcanoes.

More and more volcanic islands filled in the area over the next several million years.

Meanwhile, the movement of the two tectonic plates was also pushing up the sea floor, eventually forcing some areas above sea level.

Over time, massive amounts of sediment (sand, soil, and mud) were peeled away from North and South America by strong ocean currents and fed through the gaps between the newly forming islands—eventually this sediment filled in the gaps of the volcanic islands and the isthmus was formed

WHY IS PANAMA SO IMPORTANT?

BECAUSE… Panama contains the

Panama Canal which is extremely important to ‘maritime’ trade

Before the Panama Canal existed traders had to sail all the way down the coast of South America and around Cape Horn

The creation of the canal made trading easier and opened up countries located in that area of the world up to new trading partners

PANAMA’S LOCATION

THE LOCATION OF THE PANAMA CANAL

GROUP WORK Now that we see the importance that

landform creation can have in your assigned groups please1) tell me what makes your landform

important/ special2) did the creation of this landform serve

any economic or political uses

GROUPS 1) You will have the Isthmus of Suez 2) You will have the Straight of Gibraltar 3) You will have the Persian Gulf

LANDFORMSREVIEW

TECTONIC PLATE BOUNDARIES convergent boundary, also known as a

destructive plate boundary (because of subduction—crust is destroyed) In this boundary 2 or more plates move

toward one another and can collideDuring collisions between two continental

plates, large mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas are formed.

Divergent boundary (aka constructive boundary because as the plates move apart new crust is formed)Plates move away from one another

Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts which produce rift valleys.

Most active divergent plate boundaries occur between oceanic plates and exist as mid-oceanic ridges.

Divergent boundaries also form volcanic islands which occur when the plates move apart to produce gaps which molten lava rises to fill.

Transform fault—neither creates nor destroys the Earth’s crustTransform faults show up on the seafloor as

valleys that may be even deeper than the rift valleys of spreading ridges.

PLATEAU An area of fairly

level high ground Plateaus can be

formed by a number of processes:

1) upwelling of volcanic magma or spreading of lava --Magma rises from the

mantle causing the ground to swell upward, in this way large, flat areas of rock are uplifted. Plateaus can also be built up by lava spreading outward from cracks and weak areas in the crust.

erosion by water and glaciers. Plateaus can also be

formed by the erosional processes of glaciers on mountain ranges, leaving them sitting between the mountain ranges. Water can also erode mountains and other landforms down into plateaus or they are pushed upwards by moving tectonic plates.

DELTA A triangular tract

of sediment (silt) deposited at the mouth of the river

STRAIT A narrow

passage of water connecting two seas or two larger bodies of water.

PENINSULA

A piece of land almost surrounded by water or projecting out into a body of water.

ARCHIPELAGO A sea or a

stretch of water containing many island.

GULF A deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land, with a narrow mouth.

CAPE A point or a head of land pointing into

a body of water.

ASSESSMENT 1. What is an area of fairly level

high ground called? 2. What is a sea or a stretch of

water containing many island? 3. What is a point or a head of

land pointing into a body of water called?

4. A deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land, with a narrow mouth is called what?

5. A narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two larger bodies of water is called what?

6. A piece of land almost surrounded by water or projecting out into a body of water is called what?

7. What is a triangular tract of sediment (silt) deposited at the mouth of the river called?

Terms

Archipelago

Plateau

Delta

Gulf

Straight

Peninsula

Cape