Download Chapter 1 Geography of Texas Notes

Chapter 1 Geography of Texas Notes:
I.
Sizing up Texas:
A. Texas is the ___ ____________ state in the U.S. Only___________ is bigger.
B. The ________ ______ of Texas is _________________.
C. This is _____ of the total area of the __________ ___________.
II.
Viewing Landforms of Texas:
A. The southernmost point in Texas lies on a mostly______ _________. This point is
very near sea level where Texas meets the ______ ___ __________.
B. Running along the ____________coast a few miles offshore is __________
__________. This long thin strip of land covered with sand dunes is a __________
____________ protecting the mainland shore from ocean waves. The bay between Padre
Island and the mainland is a ___________ ____________ ________.
C. Moving _____________, the land slowly rises and begins to gently roll. This part of
Texas is covered with a tough and prickly mixture of _________, mesquite trees,
_______, blackbrush, and other plants that thrive in a ____, _____ ____________.
D. Cutting across Texas in a great curving arc is an__________, or long cliff. The
_______________ _____________, formed millions of years ago by a giant
_____________, follows a weak part in the earth’s crust called a fault. Long ago, the land
sank east and south of the _______. North and west of it, the land rose many feet,
forming the escarpment.
E. The Balcones Escarpment marks the beginning of a region of Texas known as the
“_____ __________.” This part of Texas is a ____________, or tableland, covered with
small trees and brush.
F. Hills on the rim of the plateau were formed by streams cutting and smoothing over the
plateau’s___________ ______ . There are more ________ and __________ in this part
of Texas than in any other.
G. The land gradually gets _________ and __________ as you travel northwest. One
abrupt change disrupts this plains region. The ___________ ______________, also
formed along a _______, has cut great gashes in the caprock. ______ ________ and
______ ________ hold some of the most beautiful scenery in Texas.
H. A trip starting at the easternmost point in the state would also begin on a _______.
Again, the level of the land gently rises as you travel __________, after crossing the
Balcones Escarpment and the hill country; you finally reach the ___________ to the west.
I. ______ ________ has landforms that do not appear in other parts of the state. Most
noticeable are the ___________, which are a part of the ________ _________ ______.
This part of Texas has ____ ____________ more than ____ ______ _______.
Water Resources:
A. “_________ _________” Rivers of Texas: Texas Rivers are sometimes called “wrong
way” rivers because they carry water from the _____ _____ of the state, where it is
needed, to the _________ ________, which normally has _______ ___ ________.
B. To keep precious water from running __________ into the Gulf of Mexico, many
rivers in Texas have been ___________, forming ______________.
C. _____ _____ ______: The Rio Grande, which forms the ____________ ________ of
Texas, is one of the ___________ _________ in the United States – almost ______
______ in length. The Rio Grande was formed between 15 and 30 million years ago,
when forces within the earth caused the _________ ____ _________ forming a rift, or
gash, more than 5 miles deep in places. The basins of the rift filled with _________
________ and _________ to form inland seas. _____________ caused the seas to
overflow, and the Rio Grande was formed. The river connected basin after basin,
finally reaching the sea about ___ __________ _________ years ago.
D. Texas Lakes: Texas has nearly ______ _______. Texas ranks _________ behind
_________ and ____________ in the surface area of its inland waters. All but
_____of the lakes were formed when rivers were dammed. Only _________ ______
in East Texas began as a ____________ ______. Now, even Caddo Lake has been
dammed.
a. Uses for Texas Lakes: ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
E. Aquifers: Aquifers are another major __________ __________ in Texas. Aquifers
are ____________ ___________ ___________ ___________, which are replenished
with ____________. Enormous amounts of water are __________ _____ the aquifers
to ___________ _______ _______ needs of _____________ and __________ _____.
a. The Edwards Aquifer: The Edwards Aquifer is found between the cities of
_____________ ____ _____________. Large amounts of __________
_________ this aquifer, making it a dependable source of water for years to
come.
b. The Ogallala Aquifer: The __________ of this aquifer remains a ______
__________. It lies beneath the _______ _______ ______ , a region of Texas
that does not have a dependable supply of rainfall. More than ___ _________
_______ are irrigated by this aquifer, and its levels _____________ ____
___________.
F. Pollution: Not every Texan is concerned with protecting our water resources.
____________ and ________ from cities, factories, and fields often empty into our
rivers, lakes, aquifers, and bays. Because of this pollution, ______ and _________ is
sometimes declared unsafe to eat.
Three Vegetation Regions:
In general, Texas has three types of natural vegetative regions: __________________,
____________________ and ___________________________.
A. Forests: ________ __________forest regions are found in Texas, all in the
___________ third of the state where _____________ ____ __________.
_____________ is one of the _____ _______ ________ in Texas, usually
outranked only by cotton. The lumber, plywood, and paper industries provide
_____ ______ in _________ ________.
B. Grasslands: Early settlers _______________ __________ on the grasslands
because they had to clear only a _________ ______. These areas are still major
________________ ____________.
i. __________ is a valuable resource: The rich soil of Texas is one of its
most valuable resources. Major crops include ________________________
______________________________________________________________.
C. Savannas: Much of _____________ and _______ Texas has a dry, rocky soil that
supports only ______ _______ and _________ _________ _________, and in
some places scattered ____________.
D. Land that is __________ __________ for __________ can often be used for
________________. Texas usually leads the nation in the number of __________
____________________________________________________________________.
III. Natural Mineral Resources:
A. Texas is the nation’s most ____________________________________________.
B. It leads the nation in the production of _______________, with ___________ the
most valuable and ________________ the second most valuable.
C. ________ of all the ___________ produced in the entire history of the United
States has been produced in Texas.
D. Texas produces about _______of the nation’s _____________. You can find salt
mines and domes in many parts of the state.
E. ____________is found in ____________ and __________ ____________. A lowgrade coal, called ____________ is found along the ____________ _________.
Coal is used to fuel boilers, steam-engines, and furnaces.
F. _____________ is used in insecticides and gunpowder.
G. Gypsum is used to produce __________________________________________.
H. _______________ and __________________ are used for building.
I. _____________________________________________________ are also mined
in Texas.
IV. The Climate of Texas:
A. _____ ____________ and ______ __________ generally characterize Texas’s
climate; however, Texas covers such a large area that other factors contribute to its
climate as well.
B. These factors include: ________________________________________________.
C. Absolute Location: Texas lies in what are called the “________ _________” the
region about midway between the ___________ and the _________ ________.
Because Texas is not very far from the _____________, it experiences warmer
weather. South Texas is milder than North Texas.
i. The middle latitudes are also a meeting place of _______ ______ moving
from the ____________ and __________, ______ air moving from the Gulf
of Mexico. _____________ _________ may result from this mixing of cold
and warm air. These may produce thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes. Texas
has an average of ____ _____________ each year.
D. ____________ ___________: The location of Texas relative to the ______ ___
_____________ has a major influence on the climate of the state. Most of the year,
winds blow inland from the coast for 200 miles or more. These gulf breezes
_______ Eastern Texas in the _________ and _________ it in the _________.
Moisture from the __________ is the ________ of most of the _________ that
falls on our state. _______________ and ___________ ___________ also
originate in the gulf.
E. Elevation: In general, the average temperature _________________________ for
__________________________ rise in elevation. _______________areas receive
__________ ___________ because cooler air is less able to hold moisture. On the
___________ ___________, there are no mountains to block powerful
_____________.