Chapter 1/Geography
Terms
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- plateau
- area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300-3,000 feet high
- canyon
- deep and narrow valley with steep walls
- What are 2 main tools used by geographers?
- maps and globes
- mouth of a river
- place where a stream or river flows into a larger body of water
- tributary
- small river or stream that flows into a larger river or stream; a branch of the river
- Landforms
- there are many types of landforms. Landforms exists on land and under the ocean. Some landforms include: basins, bays, canyons, capes, channels, cliffs, continents, deltas, divides, gulfs, harbors, hills, islands, mesas, mountains, oceans, peninsulas, plains, plateaus, rivers, seas, sounds, straits, valleys, and volcanoes.
- continental shelf
- a plateau that lies off each coast of a continent
- river
- large natural stream of water that runs through the land
- Types of bodies of water.
- Oceans, seas, gulfs, bays, straits, channels, lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams.
- landforms
- individual features of the land such as mountains and valleys
- lake
- a sizeable inland body of water
- erosion
- process of wearing away or moving weathered material. Water, wind, and ice cause this wearing away
- Examples of erosion.
- Heavy rainfalls that move water into streams, rivers, and oceans. As the water moves, it takes particles of soil and sand with it. Wind may cause soil or sand to be lifted carrying the sand or soil from one place to another. Glaciers move particles of sand, soil, and rock as they act like sandpaper grinding everything beneath them as they move.
- Explain erosion.
- It is the process of wearing away or moving weathered material. It is caused by water, wind, and ice. Particles of soil or sand are picked up and moved.
- In what ways can tectonic plates move?
- they can move in different directions - two continental plates can smash into each other producing high mountain ranges, a continental plate and an ocean plate can move against each other, the thicker continental plate slides over the thinner ocean plate causing volcanic mountains or leading to pressure that causes an earthquake, and sometimes two plates do not meet head-on but move alongside each other - the two plates slide against each other creating a fault.
- What are the 3 uses of geography?
- used in planning (new services, how to handle a disaster), helping make sound decisions, and helping people manage resources
- delta
- flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth
- strait
- narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water
- How are a continental shelf and trench alike and different?
- They are alike in that both are landforms located under the oceans. They are different as a continental shelf is a plateau located off the coast of a continent while trenches are valleys on the ocean floors and are the lowest spots in the earth's crust.
- core
- located at center of earth and made of hot iron mixed with other metals and rock
- weathering
- process of breaking the surface rock into boulders, gravel, sand, and soil. This can be caused by water, frost, chemicals, and even plants
- What are the tools of geography?
- maps, globes - physical maps, political maps, contour maps, and special purpose maps
- peninsula
- body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water
- elevation
- height above sea level
- plain
- area of level land, usually at a low elevation and often covered with grasses
- valley
- area of low land between hills or mountains
- island
- land area, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water
- What are the 4 uses of geography?
- 1) to help one figure out where they are going 2) used in planning 3) helps people make sound decisions 4) helps people manage resources
- Which layer of the earth are the seven continents a part of?
- the crust
- Is the water on the earth's surface mainly fresh water or salt water?
- Most of the water on the earth's surface is salt water.
- tsunamis
- undersea earthquakes that can cause huge waves
- mountain
- land with steep sides that rises sharply (1,000 feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rugged than a hill
- Physical characteristics of a place
- physical features - landforms
- glacier
- giant, slow-moving sheets of ice
- earthquake
- violent and sudden movement of the earth's crust
- How much of the earth's surface is made up of water.
- About 70 %.
- Explain Plate Tectonics.
- It is a theory scientist have developed to explain the earth's structure. It states that the crust is not an unbroken shell but consists of plates, or huge slabs of rock that move. The plates float on top of liquid rock just below the earth's crust. They move - but often in different directions.
- What are the 4 layers of the earth?
- 1) core, 2) mantle, 3) magma, and the 4) crust
- fault
- cracks in the earth's crust
- How do the plates in the Earth's crust move?
- The plates float on top of liquid rock just below the earth's crust
- What are the earth's three layers?
- 1) core 2) mantle and 3) crust
- Name the seven continents - be able to locate them on a map. (see textbook page 41).
- 1) North America 2) South America 3) Africa 4) Europe 5) Asia 6) Australia 7) Antarctica
- gulf
- part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay
- What happens when plates meet?
- High mountain ranges are formed, earthquakes may result or even tsunamis (undersea earthquakes).
- isthmus
- narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas
- What are 2 reasons people settle in a particular area?
- 1) climate is one reason 2) the availability of resources (fresh water, trees, etc).
- plate tectonics
- a theory that states that the crust is not an unbroken shell but consists of plates, or huge slabs of rock that move
- mantle
- surrounds the core and is a layer of rock about 1,800 miles thick and has two parts
- Examples of weathering.
- Plant roots causing splits in rocks. Water getting into cracks of rocks and then freezing. As the frozen water expands, the rock is split.
- crust
- uppermost layer of the earth - is relatively thin and includes the ocean floors.
- magma
- melted rock that flows out of an active volcano during an eruption
- How are regions different from a place?
- a place is a specific place while regions include cities, rivers, and other landforms.
- trench
- valleys in the ocean floor
- Region
- areas that share common characteristics
- bay
- part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf