GEOGRAPHY 3340 EXAM 1 NOTES AND STUDY GUIDE

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1 GEOGRAPHY 3340 EXAM 1 NOTES AND STUDY GUIDE Sctt Phillips NOTE: This guide is t cver sme f the main tpics we have discussed but des nt cver everything n the exam. T d well, yu need t als read and study the assigned chapters in the bk. Yu may want t als lk at ther infrmatin nline if that helps yu. Belw are additinal ntes t what is in the bk. I suggest using the nline quiz (frm yur hmewrk) als and als make sure yu have an understanding f the Key Terms and Tpics (including the Additinal nes) at the end f each chapter. GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT GEOGRAPHY Gegraphy Is a spatial science The extent f areas where features exist The arrangements f the features n Earth This is cmmn t different sub-fields f gegraphy Physical Gegraphy Fcuses n prcesses and features that make up Earth s envirnments Human, r cultural gegraphy Fcuses mre n spatial aspects f culture, ecnmics, etc Lcatin Place Mre than just a lcatin, has characteristics Places ften have names What else has names? Site vs. Situatin Site qualities abut the envirnment f the place itself Situatin mre abut where a place s relative lcatin t ther places 1

2 CHAPTER 1. GETTING TO KNOW THE GOLDEN STATE Knw sme f the basic infrmatin abut Califrnia such as its apprximate ppulatin, its largest cities, etc Be sure t review the sectin n Califrnia s Situatin (p.9). Understand the cncepts f cismntane and transmntane and what type f Califrnia regins make gd examples f each. Be sure t read abut the different physigegraphic regins f Califrnia and knw sme basics abut what makes each unique (like unique vegetatin). Basic Califrnia Inf Califrnia (name) Used in 1500s t describe island paradise in the new wrld Appeared n Spanish maps represented as an island ff f Mexic (including Baja Califrnia Lcatin Latitude and Lngitude Suth brder near 32.5 degrees (32d, 30 ) nrth latitude Nrth brder near 42 degrees nrth latitude Eastern edge arund 114 degrees west lngitude Western edge arund 124 degrees west lngitude Hw des latitude affect climate? Hw different is suthern brder frm nrthern brder? Is lngitude imprtant fr climate, hw? (r, maybe it wuldn t be by itself ) Hw wide is Califrnia in Lngitude? Hw tall is Califrnia in Latitude? Why des that answer nt seem right? 3 rd largest state (by size) What are the ther 2? ~160,000 square miles Culd fit a line f arund 760 miles (t crners) At least 1,260 miles f castline Why is it hard t knw the exact length f the cast? Mre than 3,000 miles cunting rivers, bays, etc Width 400 miles at widest 150 miles at narrwest What is situatin, r relative lcatin? Situated n tectnic plate bundaries What happens at places like this? Hw des that create unique envirnments? 2

3 Physigraphic islatin Unique envirnments separated (islated) by physical barriers Endemic species What are endemic species? Why des Califrnia have relatively high number f them? Islatin f pre-eurpean cultures Understand Gegraphic Pivt Pint where 5 regins meet Six Elements f Gegraphy Lcatin (the wrld in spatial terms) Abslute lcatin, Latitude and lngitude Places and Regins Cnceptual hw humans rganize space Physical Systems (what we are studying nw) Human Systems (what we will study later) Human/Envirnmental interactin Hw the 2 abve g tgether The Uses f Gegraphy Applied gegraphy, GIS, Remte Sensing (what is GIS?) CHAPTERS 2&3. CALIFORNIA S GEOLOGIC HISTORY AND MODERN GEOLOGY Backgrund inf While nthing may seem mre stable r unchanging as muntains and cntinents, ne thing we are learning is that these indeed change ver time, but ver a very LONG perid f time. In gelgic systems, there are different sets f prcesses that build things up and that wear things dwn. We call these endgenic and exgenic prcesses. The rck cycle Endgenic These are internal prcesses remember that the ther wrd exgenic is like external t help yu remember that endgenic is like internal. These are prcesses that use energy stred inside the earth (internal energy) and they are respnsible fr building up landscapes (muntains, islands, cntinents, etc ) Exgenic These are external prcesses. Generally speaking, these are frces that wear things the things that were built up by endgenic prcesses. They tend t flatten the landscape as they break up and wear dwn built-up muntains r ther landscape features. Endgenic prcesses can act n the frce f gravity alne r with the help f ther gemrphlgic agents such as running water, mving ice, r the wind. Hw d igneus rcks frm? What happens t them after they are abve grund and expsed t weather and gravity fr a lng time? What happens t the material that breaks away frm igneus rcks, r where des that end up? What happens t sedimentary rcks nce they end up n the edge f an ceanic plate that cnverges 3

4 with a cntinental plate, r hw can sedimentary rcks becme metamrphic rcks and later becme magma that culd frm new igneus rcks? Fr Califrnia, what kind f rcks are the Sierra Nevada, and what kind are the Califrnia Cast Ranges? Plate tectnics Plate tectnic mvement Plate divergence, r Sea-flr spreading hw des that wrk and hw des it affect the mvement f ceanic plates? Plate cnvergence and Subductin When ceanic plates mve away frm a spreading center (see sea-flr spreading), what happens at the ther end f the plate that cmes in cntact with a cntinental plate? (Hint: here it is imprtant t knw which denser: ceanic r cntinental crust). Hw was subductin imprtant t the frmatin f Califrnia muntain ranges during the Meszic Era Understand the term Orgeny muntain-building prcesses alng plate bundaries Transfrm mvement f plates what kind f mvement is this? Be prepared t answer what kind f plate bundary is at the San Andreas Fault. Landfrms and Gemrphlgy Landfrms types f surface features (muntains, canyns, valleys, etc ) Gemrphlgy Subfield f gegraphy that studies landfrms Tpgraphy distributin f landscape (muntains, plains, hills, valleys, plateaus) Relief Differences between highest and lwest elevatin in an area Lw relief areas are relatively flat High relief areas are muntainus r rugged Plutn a bdy f magma that cled and frmed rck under the Earth s surface (undergrund). Bathlith The largest types f plutns are called a bathlith, r a large area f igneus rck that cled frm magma undergrund. These frm the large muntain ranges in western Nrth America, particularly the Sierra Nevada next t us (that is why it has s much granite!). But if a bathlith frms undergrund, why are the granitic muntains f the Sierra Nevada abve grund? Understand hw a bathlith belw the surface becmes muntains abve the surface. In shrt it is because the rck is harder than ther types f rcks that cver it. As the sfter rcks 4

5 abve it are wrn r erded away thugh exgenic prcesses, the harder des nt wear away as fast s remains where ther sfter material has wrn away. Orgeny muntain-building prcesses alng plate bundaries Tectnic frces S we understand that tectnic frces mve Earth s crust arund and as it des this, parts f the Earth s crust is pushed against each ther, pulled apart frm each ther, r slide past each ther. These frm distinct types f landfrms depending n the type f frce. Cmpressinal tectnic frces push t areas f crustal rcks tgether Faulting Tends t shrten, r thicken the crust Will cause flding r faulting in the landscape One way rcks may react when pushed tgether is by breaking apart frm each ther, with ne set f crustal rcks mving up and ne mving dwn this is called a fault Flding Smetimes rcks dn t break when pushed tgether but they fld. Remember the types f flds shwn in Figure Anticline is a fld that is shaped like a dme and syncline is a fld that is shaped like the letter U. Tensinal tectnic frces pull areas f crustal rcks apart Tends t stretch, r thin the crust Can cause the crust t be brken int fault blcks (Figure 14.29) The fault blcks that are pushed up are called hrsts The fault blcks that slip dwn are called grabens These frm what is called a hst and graben landscape Shearing tectnic frces areas f crustal rck slide past each ther San Andreas Fault is due t shearing tectnic frces Exgenic Prcesses Als knwn as denudatinal prcesses and landfrms Denude, r wear landscapes dwn Mass Wasting Stream Ersin Glaciatin Wind Ersin 5

6 Weathering Physical weathering Mass wasting Unlading rcks are under pressure (frm ther rck n tp f them) when they are undergrund. As sfter material wears away and rck becmes expsed, it is under less pressure. This causes the uter layers f rck t break away. Freeze-thaw weathering In areas subject t freeze-thaw cycles, water gets int rck cracks, then it freezes and expands breaking rck apart. In what regin f Califrnia might this type f weathering be cmmn? Can be classified by types f earth material and speed f mtin (see Table 12.1) Slw mast wasting Creep Slifluctin Fast mass wasting Falls Avalances Slides Flws Liquefactin sil acts like fluid when shaken Subsidence land sinks when water pumped ut Stream Ersin Wind Ersin Mst significant exgenic prcess in Califrnia Fluvial landfrms frmed by running water Ersin Depsitin Carves V -shaped valleys Alluvium is depsited int valleys Where is mst ersin? Where is mst depsitin? Greater ersin events in dry regins why? Alluvial fan debris washed frm canyn in arid regin Desert playas areas f internal drainage Drainage basins (als called watersheds r catchments ) Drainage basin is an expanse f land (an area f land) that cntributes runff t a stream Muth f a stream Dwnstream end Exterir drainage - Water ges all the way t the cean Interir drainage Water desn t have a path t the cean. Less pwerful than ther frms f ersin 6

7 Glacial Prcesses Mst assciated with arid (desert) regins But als frms sme dunes in beach areas Frms sand dunes Erdes rck (like sand blasting) Alpine (r Muntain) glaciers in high elevatins Frm when snw accumulates year ver year Scpe ut enrmus amunts f material Leave U -shaped valleys Cntrast with stream ersin: Other distinct glacial landfrms Steep cliffs Waterfalls Bwl-shape valleys Cnnected lakes CALIFORNIA THOUGH GEOLOGIC TIME Phanerzic En Palezic Era ~540 Ma ~250 Ma Califrnia is under water Meszic Era ~250 Ma ~70 Ma Subductin f Oceanic Plates creates muntains Nevadan Orgeny Plutns magma frmed rck under surface Bathlith Massive Plutn Where can we find ne? Franciscan Cmplex Or Melange Sedimentary and igneus material crushed against cntinent Cenzic Era ~70 Ma Present Mre evidence f landfrms in recent Cenzic Era than lder eras why? Cenzic basins Include Great Central Valley Filled with sediments frm uplifted muntains 7

8 Mdc Plateau Lava flws resulting frm subductin f eastern Pacific plate Evlutin f San Andreas Fault Cast ranges Change frm Subductin f Eastern Pacific Plate (under Nrth American Plate) t transfrm plate bundary Pacific plate mving nrthwest Is stretching suthern part f Califrnia as it mves Flding and faulting f sedimentary rck alng San Andreas Fault Cuts f Central Valley frm Pacific Mdern Tectnic Prcesses and Landfrms Sierra Nevada Faults n east side (Basin and Range) cause rise in Eastern Sierra Basin and Range Tensinal frces Hrst and Graben landscape Central Valley Dwnwarping Squeezed between flding Cast Ranges and Sierra Nevada Fills with alluvium What is alluvium? 8