1. What does Earth’s surface look like?
What does Earth’s surface look like? Our planet, Earth, is a BIG place! From space it looks like a round, blue marble like in this satellite photograph. But what does everyplace on Earth look like when we get on the ground? We can’t take a field trip to every place on Earth. However, we can look at some pictures that other people have taken. Let’s find out what Earth’s surface looks like in a few different regions of the world…
Photo source: NASA --

2. Los Angeles, California
This is a photograph of downtown Los Angeles, California. Does it look familiar to you? Do you notice any landforms that you also listed on your poster?
Photo source: USGS --
Photo courtesy USGS

3. El Segundo, California
This is a photograph of a sunset from El Segundo beach, California. It was taken in December The photographer is looking west over the Pacific Ocean. Can you see the waves breaking along the shore in the foreground? Do you notice any landforms here?
Photo by M.J. D’Amato, used with permission.

4. Death Valley National Monument, California
This is another picture of California. What landforms do you notice here?
Death Valley National Monument in California.
Photo source: Earth Science World ImageBank, © Brian Law

5. Region 1 – Chile/Western coast of South America
Here is a photograph from Chile, South America. It is a place called “El Tatio”.
Photo Source: US National Park Service --

6. Region 2 – Pacific Northwest
This is called Crater Lake. It is in the state of Oregon in the Pacific Northwest.
Photo source: USGS --
Photo courtesy USGS, by W.E. Scott.

7. Region 3 – Japan Here is one photograph of Japan, Region 3.
Photo source: Volcano World, University of North Dakota, used with permission:

8. Region 4 – Mariana Islands
This is a photograph of an island called Asuncion. What do you notice about the island?
Photo source: Volcano World, University of North Dakota, used with permission; USGS photo by Frank Trusdell --

9. Region 5 – Himalayas
This is a photograph of a place called Kantega. It is one of the highest points in the world. It is located in the Himalaya Mountains in Asia.
Photo courtesy Alan Arnette ©, used with permission.

10. Region 5 – Himalayas
It looks like there are mountains in the Himalayas, covered with lots of snow and ice. Do you know anyone that likes to climb mountains? Let’s find out what its like to climb mountains, like those in the Himalayas, that are really high.

11. Region 6 – Iceland
This is a photograph of part of Iceland. Iceland is not named because it is entirely covered with ice, but it does have some…
Photo source: USGS, by M. Chapman.

12. Region 6 – Iceland
You know, some people think lots of snow and ice is very pretty to look at. Sometimes, though, bad things can happen when it keeps snowing and snowing and snowing… Let’s watch one more short movie clip about a town in Iceland that had too much snow.

13. Region 7 – Sumatra, Indonesia and Andaman Islands
This is a picture of an island near Sumatra – part of Indonesia. Does anyone know about an event that happened near Sumatra a few years ago? It was a very large natural disaster.
This photo is of an island called Anak Krakatau and was taken in 1960.
Photo source: Volcano World, University of North Dakota, used with permission.

14. Region 8 – Alaska
This is a photograph of the highest point in the United States. It is called Mount McKinley and is in the state of Alaska. The Native American name for it is “Denali”.
Photo source: National Park Service, by Karen Ward.