Physical Geography Study Notes
Introduction to Physical Geography
Page 1: Introduction
Overview of the course on physical geography.
Page 2: Note Taking Instructions
Students are encouraged to make a copy of the notes and fill them in as the lesson progresses.
Page 3: Geological Timeline
Earth's Age: The Earth was created approximately 4.6 billion years ago, indicating a vast period in geological history.
Major Geological Eras:
Precambrian (4.6 billion years ago)
No free oxygen present initially; atmospheric oxygen began to increase over time.
Paleozoic Era:
Cambrian Period (542 million years ago)
Ordovician Period (444 million years ago)
Silurian Period (419 million years ago)
Devonian Period (416 million years ago)
Carboniferous Period
Permian Period (299 million years ago)
Mesozoic Era (251 million years ago): Known for the age of dinosaurs.
Triassic Period (252 - 201 million years ago)
Jurassic Period (201 - 145 million years ago)
Cretaceous Period (145 - 66 million years ago)
Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago to present): Contains modern human history.
Tertiary Period and its epochs (Paleocene, Eocene, Miocene, Oligocene at 65 million years to 23 million years ago).
Quaternary Period (1.8 million years ago to present): Contains the Holocene and Pleistocene epochs.
Page 4: Geological Timeline Events
Timeline includes important milestones in the evolution of life:
First Human Ancestor: 5.3 million years ago.
First Modern Man: 200,000 years ago (not directly mentioned but infers significant recent history).
First Birds, Mammals, Dinosaurs: Emergence times noted in the Mesozoic Era.
Extinctions at the end of Mesozoic Era and broader Paleozoic Era.
Page 5: Representing Geological Timeline
Visual representation of Earth's formation:
100 yards representing 4.6 billion years.
Each yard equating to approximately 46 million years gives a tangible measure of Earth's history.
Page 6: Geological Timeline Activity Instructions
Preparation for physical representation activity of geological time, requiring:
Materials: Adding machine tape, pencil, ruler, calculator, teamwork.
Page 7: Geologic History
Earth's structure is divided into:
Crust: The outermost layer.
Mantle: Beneath the crust, involvement in plate tectonics.
Core: Consisting of inner and outer sections.
Page 8: Earth's Interior Song
Introduction of a mnemonic device (song) to help remember details:
Crust is moving due to plate tectonics.
Mantle is described as plastic.
Core is dense and metallic.
Page 9-29: Geological History and Plate Tectonics
Geological Eras
Precambrian Era: Origin of life; Canadian Shield formation.
Paleozoic Era: Development of diverse life; Pangaea formation.
Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras: Predominance of birds and mammals; glacial periods.
Plate Tectonic Theory:
Movement of Plates: Plates resting on mantle move 1-2 cm/year.
Alfred Wegener’s Continental Drift:
Evidence includes the jigsaw fit of continents, fossil records across continents, mountain similarities, and glacial history.
Plate Boundaries:
Divergent: Plates moving apart, creating features like mid-ocean ridges.
Convergent: Plates colliding; can create mountain ranges, trenches.
Transform: Plates sliding past each other without significant vertical motion.