Geography- Chapter 1

Lithosphere

The solid part of the earth

Physical Geography

The study of Earth and it's resources ( the World as God made it)

Human/Cultural Geography

The study of humanity as they live on Earth and uses it's resources

Length, discharge, drainage area, navigability

4 comparisons for rivers

Equator

0 degrees latitude

Prime Meridian

0 degrees longitude

International Date Line

180 degrees longitude

Aquifer

A body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater.

Volcano

A cone-shaped hill or mountain created by molten material that rises form the interior of the earth to the surface

Relative Location

A point or place in relation to another point or place

Tributary

A stream or river that flows into a larger river

Earthquake

A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along faults or by volcanic activity

Delta

A triangular area where a river divides before entering a larger body of water

Origins of rivers

Advantages of mountains for human habitation

Wide level areas of land, silt

Advantages of plains for human habitation

Distortion

All maps have some ____________

Ptolemy

Believed in the geocentric theory: earth centered world veiw

Keeping the earth cool, sea life habitat, and food provider

Benefits of Oceans

Drinking water, irrigation, and transportation

Benefits of rivers

Galileo

Confirmed the heliocentric theory and published a book about it; recant his statement after being bought to the church

Hipparchus

Created a grid pattern to determine location

Folding

Created when 2 plates that make up the earth's crust collide and when they are forced together, they bend and curve; mountain building

Fault

Deep cracks in the earth's surface where plates meet

Absolute Location

Describes the location of a place based on a fixed point on earth usually by using latitude and longitude

Copernicus

Devised a model of the universe with the Sun at the center, and not earth; didn't publish a book about his theory because of the Roman Catholic Church

Bad for growing food, traveling, and communication

Disadvantages of mountains for human habitation

None

Disadvantages of plains for human habitation

Poor soil, desert

Disadvantages of plateaus

Geocentric Theory

Earth-centered view of the universe

Changed the earth greatly

Effects of the Great Flood

Mercator

First to create a world map using grid lines; stretched along the poles and accurate around the equator; Greenland was larger than South America

External forces

Forces that break and wear away at the earth

Internal forces

Forces that build the earth up

Condensation

Gas to liquid

Creation Mandate

God's command in Genesis 1:28 requiring that man "subdue" or have stewardship over the earth.

Evaporation

Liquid to gas

Transpiration

Liquid to gas off vegetation

Outer Core

Liquid; iron and nickel

Eratosthenes

Measured the circumference of the earth; first to use the word geography; claimed the earth was a sphere

Mantle

Molten rock known as magma

2.5%

Proportion of fresh water to salt water

29%

Proportion of land on earth's surface

97.5%

Proportion of salt water to fresh water

71%

Proportion of water on earth's surface

Precipitation

Rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground.

Humus

Rich, dark organic material formed by decay of vegetable matter, essential to soil's fertility

Lines of Latitude

Run East to West; measure North to South; parallels; an example is the Equator

Lines of Longitude

Run North to South and measure distance East to West; meet at poles; meridians; examples are the Prime Meridian and the International Date Line

Bodies of water

Seas, oceans, and gulfs

Inner Core

Solid; made of iron and nickel

Geography

Study of the earth

Heliocentric Theory

Sun-centered view of the universe

Atomosphere

The air around the earth

Weathering

The breakdown of rock by water, plant roots, ice, temperature changes, acid, and mineral crystals

Hydraulic Cycle

The continuous circulation of water among the atmosphere, the oceans, and the earth.

Continental drift

The hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations

Biosphere

The living part of the earth

Erosion

The natural breakdown of earth's surface; wind, wave, and glacial

River source

The point where a river begins

River mouth

The point where a river empties into a larger body of water

Cartography

The science of mapmaking

Plate Tectonic Theory

The theory that the lithosphere is broken up into large plates that move and then rejoin; considered the unifying theory of geology

Hydrosphere

The water part of the earth

Ring of Fire

The zone of seismic and volcanic activity that coincides in with the margins of the Pacific Plate

Crust

Thin outer layer