Unit 2: Physical

Geography

What makes Earth

a living planet?
What color do you
see the most?
Blue= Water, Water
=Life

Bodies of Water
Oceans and Seas
71% of the
earth is covered
by salt water
What are the
major oceans?
Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian and
Southern

Oceanic Landforms
Continental
Shelf: From the
edge of a
continent to the
deep part of the
ocean.
Ridges,
valleys,
canyons,
plains and
mountains
all exist on
the ocean
floor...

Hydrologic Cycle
The continuous circulation of water between
the atmosphere, the oceans and the earth.

Make your own

Hydrologic cycle
In your notes, create your own

version of the hydrologic cycle.

Does not have to look like the
example.

Lakes, Rivers and

Streams
Bodies of
fresh water

Ground Water

Water that sits in

the rock of the
earth. The water
table is the level
at which the rock
is saturated, or
full.

Landforms
Relief: The
geographic
feature that
separates one
landform from
another. It is
the difference
in elevation
from the lowest
point to the
highest.
4 types of Reliefs: Mountains, hills, plains
and plateaus

Other Landforms:
Please turn to pgs 34-35 in your
textbook

Choose 8 landforms to write into your

notes (They must at least includeoasis, cliff, steppe, & plateau)

When finished, turn to your neighbor

and discuss if youve ever seen one or

more of your 8 types of landforms...

How the Earth is

Shaped...

Our earth is MOVING!!

Tectonic Plates
Enormous moving pieces of the
earths lithosphere

Types of Plate
Movement

What Happens
When the Plates
Move??
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are
measured using
the Richter
Scale. The
scales begins at
1 and has no
upperwas
limit...
What
the
9.5-Valdivia
Chile

largest
earthquake ever
recorded?

Tsunami: Sometimes
earthquakes cause a major
wave that hits the coast

Volcanoes
Magma, gases, and water gather under
the earths mantle. Eventually, they
push their way out...

Ring of Fire: A zone around the

rim of the Pacific ocean where
most of the worlds volcanoes are
located.

Erosion...
Please turn to pg 43 in the World
Geography Textbook

Take notes on the 3 types Erosion

What type of erosion is most likely
to occur here in the greater
Houston area?

Vegetation
Please turn to pg 66 in the World
Geo Textbook

Read and take notes on the 3 types

of vegetation.

What are their characteristics,

Where are they located? (this
should be in with your notes)

Seasons
The tilt of the

earth is what
causes seasons
to occur (Spring,
Summer, Fall &
Winter)

Solstice: Longest
and shortest
days of the year

Equinox: Equal
day and night

Weather
Weather: The condition of the atmosphere
at a particular location and time.

Climate: Weather conditions at a particular

location over a long period of time.

Whats the difference between weather

and climate?

Give an example

Weather Extremes

Hurricanes: A storm that forms over

warm tropical ocean waters (Typhoons in

Asia)

Tornadoes: A powerful funnel-shaped

column of spiraling air

Blizzard: a heavy snowstorm with winds

of more than 35 miles per hour

Droughts: a long period of time without

rain fall

Floods: When water spreads over land

not normally covered in water

Factors that Affect

Climate
5 factors that affect climate:
Wind Currents
Ocean Currents
Zones of Latitude
Elevation
Topography
Nino: The warming of waters off the west coast
El
of South America (a natural change in climate)

Questions
1. From the 5 weather extremes

name the one that Houston has yet

to experience.

2.

How does location affect

climate?

Climate Regions
(brief descriptions)

Tropical Wet: Little variation in

temperature, always hot and rainy

Tropical Wet & Dry: Rainy season in the

summer, and a dry season in the winter

Semiarid: Typically found around deserts

or interior of continents, small amount of
rain

Desert: receive less than 10 inches of

rain a year (can be hot or cold)

Climate Regions
(brief descriptions)

Mediterranean: Dry & hot summers,

winters are cool & rainy

Marine West Coast: Cloudy, foggy &

rainy, near an ocean

Humid Subtropical: Long summers of

heat and humidity

Humid Continental: mid-latitude

interiors of the northern hemisphere,

various temperatures

Climate Regions
(brief
descriptions)
Subartic: Huge variations in
temperature, long freezing season

Tundra: Flat, treeless land surrounding

the Artic Circle

Ice Cap: Snow, ice and permanently

freezing temperatures

Highlands: Rugged mountain areas

Questions
3. Which climate zone does
Houston fall into?

4. Discuss with your neighbor

which climate zone you would

prefer to live in and why.