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Chapter 2
Earth’s Physical Geography
I.
Our Planet, Earth – part of Milky Way solar system
A. Earth orbits the sun in one revolution – 365 ¼ days
B. Earth spins on its axis as it revolves around the sun
1.
2.
One complete spin – rotation – takes 24 hours
Earth rotates toward east – sun rises in east, causes time zones
C. Seasons – caused by Earth’s tilted axis
1.
When Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward sun – summer
a. When it is away from sun – winter
b. Southern Hemisphere has opposite seasons as Northern
D. Latitudes – horizontal lines that run across the Earth
1.
Low Latitudes – tropics – areas between the Tropic of Cancer and
Tropic of Capricorn
a. Direct sunlight, hot year round, near equator
2. High Latitudes – polar zones – areas above the Arctic circle and
below the Antarctic circle
a. Indirect sunlight, cold year round
3. Middle Latitudes – temperate zones – between tropics and polar
zones
a. Seasons like ours
II. Forces Shaping Earth
A. Earth’s Structure – sphere of hot metal at Core
1.
2.
Mantle covers Core
Crust covers Mantle
B. Water & Air – water covers 70% of Earth
1.
2.
97% of all water is in the oceans
Most fresh water (no salt) is in glaciers
C. Landforms
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mountains – elevation over 2,000 feet
Volcano – type of mountain
Plateau – large flat area that rises above surrounding surface
Plains – large open areas of flat land
D. Forces Inside Earth – heat inside earth constantly changes
it
1.
Plates – huge blocks of Earth’s crust, floating on Magma in
Mantle
a. Continents and ocean floor
b. Magma rises b/w seams, pushes plates apart
c. Causes volcanoes and earthquakes
2. Pangaea – all land masses were together at one time
a. Moved apart on plates
E. Forces on Earth’s surface also change it
1.
2.
Weathering and erosion – creates new soil, carries off top soil
and beaches
Made mountains smaller, ground fertile, etc.
III. Weather & Climate
1.
2.
Weather– weather is condition of sky and air, and
Climate is average weather over many years
a.
b.
1.
c.
Depends on location – low latitudes have hot climates, but
high latitudes have cold climate
Air & water spread heat around earth
Without wind and water, places on Earth would overheat
Mountains effect climate – vertical climate zones, as you go
up, air is thinner & it’s colder
3. Oceans affect climate – ocean currents distribute Earth’s
heat
a.
b.
1.
Warm water flows from Equator to other parts of world,
warming them
Water takes longer to heat up and cool down than land
Wind blowing across water warmed or cooled with water and
made weather milder
4. Raging storms part of climate
a.
b.
Wind & water also create violent storms – tropical
cyclones & hurricane from over water
Tornadoes form over land
IV. Climate & Vegetation
A. Different Vegetation Regions – see page 52
B. Vertical climate zones