1. Physical Geography Part 2
…but it’s not my

2. Earth – Sun Relationships Review
The earth’s tilt is 23.5 degrees. This tilt leads to our seasons as the earth revolves around the sun.
Remember, the earth revolves around the sun (365 ¼ days = 1 year), and rotates on its axis (24 hours = 1 day)

3. Because of revolution and rotation we experience solstices and equinoxes.
Solstices give us our longest (summer / June) and shortest (winter / December) daylight hour days.
Equinoxes give us two equal daylight/darkness
days (fall / September ) and (spring / March).

4. Also, remember that whatever the season is in the northern hemisphere, it is the opposite season in the southern hemisphere.
Northern Southern
winter summer
spring fall

5. One last thing on climate.
The larger the continent and the farther inland you are from a major body of water (ocean, sea) ) the greater it affects swings in climate (summer and winter). This is known as Continentality.

6. Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
Continental Drift is the theory that there was once a super continent named Pangea.
About 200 million years ago it began to break apart, spreading over time, forming the continents we know today. Our continents are still moving today.

7. To strengthen the theory of continental drift, scientists
point to plate tectonics. of
Plate tectonics describes the enormous pieces of the earth’s lithosphere that are moving in a variety of directions.

8. Tectonic plates move in 1 of 4 ways.
Divergent Boundary – Plates move apart, spreading horizontally
Transform Boundary – Plates slide past each other. These often cause earthquakes

9. Convergent Subduction Boundary – Two plates collide
and one of the plates slides under the other. Subducting plate melts, and this leads to formation of volcanoes.
Convergent Collision Boundary – Two plates collide and both crumple. Forms non-volcanic mountains.

10. When two plates meet they can cause folding or cracking of the rock
Plate Tectonics cont……
Plate movement can cause rock to become more flexible, folding or bending, which changes the crust (mountains)
Sometimes the rock won’t fold, and it cracks, leading to faults along the two plates. This causes transform boundaries and earthquakes.

11. One area of the world where plate tectonics is having a significant impact is the Ring of Fire.
It is the result of several different plates subducting, leading to volcanoes, earthquakes, and ocean trenches.
Sometimes, these earthquakes can cause a tsunami,
which is a giant wave in the ocean.

12. Weathering and Erosion
The physical and chemical processes that change rock on or near earth’s surface are known as weathering.
Chemical weathering occurs when rock is turned into a new substance as a result of interacting with another substance.
Mechanical weathering is the process that breaks rock into smaller pieces, changing the size only.

13. This is why the Appalachians are so much smaller than the Rockies
Not only are the Appalachians older, but the Rockies are
still growing

14. A few of your terms that you must know
Isthmus - a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses
Strait - a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water.
Archipelago - a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean.
The organic (plant or animal origin) material found in soil is called Humus.
Sediment – small pieces of rock (mud, sand, silt) settling in places as a result of weathering
Leaching - Process in which water removes soil humus and inorganic nutrients.