Mapping Earth’s Surface
Exploring 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 Surface
Exploring 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 Surface
Exploring 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 Surface
Exploring 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 Surface
Exploring 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 Surface
Exploring 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 Surface
Exploring Earth’s Surface:
Section Review:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What three factors determine the topography of a
region?
What are the most common types of landforms?
Which is larger, a mountain belt or a mountain
system?
In which of Earth’s spheres would you find a cloud? A
Mountain? A lake? A Tree?
How are mountains and plateaus similar? Different?
Mapping Earth’s Surface
Exploring Earth’s Surface:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What three factors determine the topography of a
region? Elevation, Relief, and Landforms
What are the most common types of landforms?
Plains, Mountains, and Plateaus
Which is larger, a mountain belt or a mountain system?
Mountain Ranges and Systems form a Mountain Belt
In which of Earth’s spheres would you find a cloud?
Atmosphere A Mountain? Lithosphere A lake?
Hydrosphere A Tree? Biosphere
How are mountains and plateaus similar? Both have
high elevations Different? Relief is different