CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHY –
EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE – SPRING 2009
BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY, DESCRIBE AND GIVE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE FOLLOWING TERMS/CONCEPTS
General Background
Location of California – latitude/longitude
Basic climatic systems
Population:
Areas of population clusters
Ethnic mix
California’s geographic perspectives:
General isolation from rest of U.S. due to deserts, mountains
Few natural deep harbors
Westward looking – trade with Circum Pacific nations
California’s Physiographic perspectives - dominated by mountains
Great Central Valley
Volcanic regions
Arid regions
California’s spatial distribution of water resources
Geologic History/Geologic Hazards
Age of California – source of materials
Timing of mountain-building events – Coastal Ranges – Sierra Nevada – Peninsular Ranges – Transverse Ranges
Geologic timeline for California
Plate tectonics
Theory
Crustal Plate movement
Layers of the earth
Boundary interaction: Convergent – Divergent – Transform)
Types of landforms created along each boundary
Volcanoes? Earthquakes? Mountain-building
Southern California’s tectonic plate? Northern California’s tectonic plate?
Dividing line – “fault”? Type of activity possible?
Earthquakes:
Northridge, 1994 Earthquake. Loma Prieta, 1989, Whittier Narrows, 1987, Sylmar 1971
Types of earthquakes – type of fault movement
San Andreas Fault: earthquakes along this fault? Expected movement?
Volcanoes: Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, Shastina, Medicine Tablelands, Long Valley Caldera (Mammoth)
Amboy Crater
Tsunami: likely occurrence? Possible cause?
Floods: which Rivers? Likely location – northern or southern California? Difference between Northern
and Southern California river systems during major rain storms/flood conditions?
Landform Provinces – Natural Resources
Resources: Oil, gold, water, natural gas: location – use – capacity
Mountain ranges: Name and identify each mountain range in California- location – type of material (igneous,
sedimentary, meta-sedimentary, meta-igneous) – formation – age - climatic consequences
Glaciation – location – rock type - classification
Valleys – name and identify – processes leading to formation - resources
Mojave Desert: Resources – location – tectonics – vegetation – elevation – uniqueness - resources
Sierra Nevada: Formation and age – type of rock material – “Spalling” – Yosemite National Park problems - resources
Trans-Sierra: geologic history – mineral resources
Death Valley – geologic formation and age – resources – history (cultural) – economic value
Large Pleistocene Lakes in eastern California: names – sources – depths – climatic changes – glacial melt/runoff
Mountain ranges that dominate southern California: Transverse Range and Peninsular Ranges – ages – rock types –
formation – climatic consequences
Coastal Plains – location of suburban and urban centers – agriculture
Northern and Southern California Rivers: ephemeral – year-round
V. Drake
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CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHY
QUIZ 1 MAPPING STUDY GUIDE
Be prepared to locate and label the following places/ features/regions on assorted maps of
California
GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS
Southern California
Sierra Nevada
Northeast
Mojave Desert
San Francisco area
Central Coast
Central Valley Colorado Desert
Trans-Sierra Northwest
PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES AND GEOMORPHIC REGIONS
Lake Tahoe
Peninsular Ranges
Mt. Shasta
Coastal Ranges
Owens Lake
Los Angeles Lowland
Klamath Mountains Lassen Peak
Cascade Mountains
Transverse Ranges
Mono Lake
Salton Sea
Basin and Ranges
Shasta Lake
San Joaquin Valley
Sacramento Valley
COUNTIES OF CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
San Bernardino
San Diego
Imperial
Kern
Santa Barbara
San Francisco
Monterey
FAULTS IN CALIFORNIA
San Andreas Fault
Garlock Fault
Hayward
V. Drake
Riverside
Inyo
Ventura
Modoc
Elsinore Fault
Big Pine Fault
San Jacinto Fault
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Orange
Humboldt
Tulare
Fresno
Newport-Inglewood Fault
Owens Valley/Sierra Nevada Fault