Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

•Louisiana Purchase – 1804 – Lewis and Clark•Topography – shape of the land (flat, sloping, hilly, mountainous) determined by elevation, relief, and landforms.•Elevation – height above sea level of a point on the earth’s surface.•Relief – difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points of an area.•What is the difference between elevation and relief?

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

•Landforms – a feature of topography formed by the processes that shape the earth’s surface. (all landforms have elevation and relief)

•Landform region – large area of land where the topography is similar.

•There are three main types of landforms: plains, mountains, and plateaus

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

•Plains – a landform made up of flat or gently rolling land with low relief.

• Ex. #1 Coastal – low elevation and relief

•Ex. #2 Interior – low relief but elevation varies

•Ex. #3 Great Plains – Texas to Canada

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

•Mountains – landform with high elevation and high relief; normally part of a mountain range (shape, structure, age)

•Mountain Ranges are normally part of a mountain system, which are part of a mountain belt.

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

•Plateaus – a landform that has high elevation and a level surface.

•Rarely perfectly smooth on top.

•What types of landforms have low relief?

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

•Earth’s four spheres: lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere•Lithosphere – Earth’s solid, rocky outer layer (Continents; islands) and extends under the ocean floor•Atmosphere – mixture of gases that surround the planet (most – nitrogen & oxygen)•Hydrosphere – Earths oceans, lakes, rivers, and ice (includes salt and fresh water) (2/3 earth- oceans)•Biosphere – All living things on earth; goes into other spheres.

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

1. What three factors determine the topography of a region?

2. What are the most common types of landforms?

3. Which is larger, a mountain belt or a mountain system?

4. In which of Earth’s spheres would you find a cloud? A Mountain? A lake? A Tree?

5. How are mountains and plateaus similar? Different?

Section Review:

Mapping Earth’s SurfaceExploring Earth’s Surface:

1. What three factors determine the topography of a region? Elevation, Relief, and Landforms

2. What are the most common types of landforms?

Plains, Mountains, and Plateaus

3. Which is larger, a mountain belt or a mountain system?

Mountain Ranges and Systems form a Mountain Belt

4. In which of Earth’s spheres would you find a cloud? Atmosphere A Mountain? Lithosphere A lake? Hydrosphere A Tree? Biosphere

5. How are mountains and plateaus similar? Both have high elevations Different? Relief is different