1. A Standard at a Time: Understanding World Geography Reporting Category #2: Geography WG.03B
WG.3.B Describe the physical processes that affect the environments of regions, INCLUDING weather, tectonic forces, erosion, and soilbuilding processes

2. PHYSICAL PROCESSES: How do physical forces affect a region?
WG.3.B Describe the physical processes that affect the environments of regions, INCLUDING weather, tectonic forces, erosion, and soilbuilding processes
[READINESS STANDARD]

3. Which words do you know, and which do you need help with?
Tectonic Forces
Erosion
Tsunami
Weathering
Spreading
Adaptation
Lithosphere
Subduction
Modification

4. Can you guess what country this is?
How many “regions” do you see?
Coastal Plains
Interior Lowlands
Great Plains
Basin and Ridge
Appalachian Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Coastal Ridge
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5. What stands out on this map?
Now, what do you see?
What stands out on this map?
Coastal Plains
Interior Lowlands
Great Plains
Basin and Ridge
Appalachian Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Coastal Ridge
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6. How do “tectonic forces” affect a region?
THE HESS CONVECTION CURRENT ‘SLAB-PULL’- ‘RIDGE PUSH’ MODEL
Continents pushed apart by ‘Ridge-Push’
Subduction of oceanic Crust by ‘Slab Pull’
Magma
Ridge-Push by diverging convection currents
Subduction by converging convection currents
Continental Crust pulled over the Oceanic Crust
LITHOSPHERE
(Tectonic means “building” The earth is “building” itself by building its lithosphere)
Describe what you see in the diagram
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8. How do “tectonic forces” affect a region?
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Famous Fault in California?
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9. How does “erosion” affect a region?
WATER
WIND
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DESCRIBE WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE LAND
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Lahar
SOIL
GRAVITY
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10. How does “weather” affect a region?
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DESCRIBE WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE LAND
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11. How does a region affect the weather?
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Windward vs. Leeward

12. Where would the “orographic effect” be most likely?
Coastal Plains
Interior Lowlands
Great Plains
Basin and Ridge
Appalachian Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Coastal Ridge
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13. SOURCE: http://www.i-fink.com/articles/articles/el_nino/
What is El Nino?
Ocean winds change yearly, causing “lethal heatwaves in India and Texas, rainfall in Texas, late monsoons, fires in the Indonesian rainforests, floods in Bangladesh and China, mudslides in California, drought in Australia and harvest failures in Africa.”
NORMAL
EL NINO

14. The same tectonic force, many continents…
Let’s look again at “Tectonic Forces”
The same tectonic force, many continents…
THE HESS CONVECTION CURRENT ‘SLAB-PULL’- ‘RIDGE PUSH’ MODEL
Continents pushed apart by ‘Ridge-Push’
Subduction of oceanic Crust by ‘Slab Pull’
Magma
Ridge-Push by diverging convection currents
Subduction by converging convection currents
Continental Crust pulled over the Oceanic Crust
LITHOSPHERE
(Tectonic means “building” The earth is “building” itself by building its lithosphere.)
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15. Human Impact or Natural Disaster
Human Impact or Natural Disaster? Use the word wall words to describe what you see
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16. Human Impact or Natural Disaster
Human Impact or Natural Disaster? Use the word wall words to describe what you see
“Deforestation”, this is a human impact on the environment.
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17. Human Impact or Natural Disaster
Human Impact or Natural Disaster? Use the word wall words to describe what you see
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18. What’s the connection among these disasters?
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Volcano, earth quake, fault l
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They happen when the earth is active
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19. What’s the connection among these disasters?
They were influenced by human impact
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20. What’s the connection among these disasters?
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Volcano, earth quake, fault line, tsunami
They happen because of air or water
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21. Modifying vs. Adapting
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What’s the difference between “modifying” and “adapting to” the environment?

22. What adaptations and modifications do you see?
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aecom.com
SOURCE: aecom.com
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What were they designed to accomplish?

23. What adaptations and modifications do you see?
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What were they designed to accomplish?

24. Modification or Adaptation?
Seismograph detects earthquakes by measuring the size of the waves
The Richter Scale uses information collected by seismographs to determine the strength of an earthquake

25. What does this culture value?
How did they modify the environment?
How would you describe their level of technology?
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26. What does this culture value?
SOURCE: aecom.com
How did they modify the environment?
How would you describe their level of technology?

27. Does Laredo face any natural hazards? Name them?
Type
Count
Avalanche:
Blizzard: 2
Cold: 13
Dense Fog: 1
Drought: 97
Dust Storm:
Flood:
541
Hail:
796
Heat: 5
Heavy Snow: 22
High Surf:
Hurricane:
Ice Storm:
Landslide:
Strong Wind: 41
Thunder
storm Winds:
539
Tropical Storm:
Wildfire: 15
Winter Storm: 10
Winter Weather:
Does Laredo face any natural hazards? Name them?