Geography Vocabulary - Unit 1 Review
Geography Test Notes: Sustainable Physical Canada
TOPIC 1 – Liveability and Sustainability
· Definitions:
o Liveability is all of the characteristics that contribute to a community’s quality of life.
o Sustainability is living within our means and using our resources wisely so they will last for future generans.
o Carrying Capacity is the ability to support a population without environmental damage.
Difference and relation: of liveability and sustainability
Liveability means the quality of life and well-being of the people in a place or community. It means having access to things like healthcare, education, housing, and food. Sustainability is making sure that we use the Earth's resources at a rate that will make sure they last for future generations. While sustainability is also living with rules and limits to conserve resources, it also can mean that we have to make sure that people with low liveability have access to resources.
A community with a high liveability and good sustainability is very important and achievable. Sustaining a high liveability also requires using a number of resources, that will not improve sustainability. We need to sustain the quality of life for everyone. If certain communities have a high liveability and consume a lot of resources, futures generations might not have resources left. The world is very unbalanced, as some communities have a very high liveability, using more resources than they need, whereas some communities have a very low liveability and not even resources.
· Important things in a livable community (most important to least important)
o Safety, Healthcare, Education, Affordable, Good Infrastructure
o Good jobs, Low unemployment, Accessible, Stable
o Happy, Attractive Physical features, Welcoming, Interesting population, opportunities to develop relationships, desirable features.
· Things not on the list to consider:
o Sustainable climate
o Electricity
o Weather/climate
TOPIC 2 – Measuring liveability and sustainability
· Human development index
o Measure of 3 key aspects of a country’s standard of living: economy, health, and education
o Consider differences within countries.
· Ecological footprint
o Used to measure the demands that individuals place on the natural environment.
· Gross domestic product per capita
o Measuring the health of a country’s economy
o Value of all the goods and services produced in a country, divided by the country’s population.
· Environmental performance index
o Produced by the United Nations
o Provides an overview of how successful countries are at solving environmental problems, including disease control, water management, biodiversity protection and carbon emissions reduction
TOPIC 3 – Continental Drift Theory
· Who, what, when?
o Alfred Wegener proposed the continental drift theory in 1915, when he published “The Origin of Continents and Oceans”
o A super-continent called Pangaea began breaking apart about 200 million years ago
o Pangaea means “all lands.”
o His theory was highly criticized and even ridiculed
o The main objection – he could not prove how the continents moved across the globe
o It was…Plate tectonics, geologist John Tuzo Wilson provided the foundation of our understanding of how continents move, sperate and crash into each other
· The theory
o Continents drifted to their current positions by moving through the oceanic crust much like icebreakers moving through ice
o His evidence was : fit of the continents, fossil evidence, rock types and structures and climatic evidence
· Fit of the continents
o The modern continents fit together quite well along the edges of their continental shelves (like a jigsaw puzzle)
· Fossil Evidence
o Fossils of pre-historic animals are found in South America and Africa
o If the animal was a good enough swimmer to cross the Atlantic, then its remains should be widely distributed, they are not
· Rock Types and Structures
o Mountain ranges with similar age, rock types and structures are found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean
· Climatic Evidence
o Evidence of glaciation in areas that are now tropical
o Areas covered by these glacial features suggest that the continents were once joined
· Theory Proven
o Earth like an egg
o White shell – the lithosphere
o Egg white – mantle, zone of the magma
o Yellow yolk – core, center of the earth
o The lithosphere is broken into 7 major plates, 8 secondary plates and more than 60 minor plates
o Constantly in motion and continually change in shape and size
TOPIC 4 – Plate tectonics
· Divergent movement
o Occurs when two plates move apart
o Happens in a mid-ocean range
o Both plates get larger
o Most of world’s volcanoes occur along divergent plate boundaries
· Convergent movement (continental and continental)
o Plates smash into each other, massive layers of rock forced upwards
o Process created many of the world’s mountain ranges
· Convergent movement (continental and oceanic)
o Rocks that make up deep ocean plates are denser than continental plates
o The heavier oceanic plates slides underneath the continental plate
o This is called subduction
· Transform movement
o Neither plates are larger or smaller
o Plates move in roughly parallel but opposite directions
o Happens quite smoothly with many small earthquakes
TOPIC 5 – Earthquakes and Tsunamis
· Earthquakes
o Convection currents in the mantle cause continental plates to move around the surface of the planet
o When a plate is locked, potential energy builds up
o The hypocentre is the point below the surface where an earthquake starts
o A “P” wave is a primary wave and felt as a sudden jolt
o An “S” wave are secondary waves that come after the P-waves and are felt as a sustained side to side shaking
o Rayleigh waves – create a rolling, up-and-down motion
o Love waves – cause the ground to twist from side to side
· Tsunamis
o 90% of tsunamis are caused by earthquakes
o On march 11, 2011 a magnitude of 9.0 earthquake struck Japan and caused a massive tsunami, which killed 18,000 people, 6000 injured, cost $235 billion
o Cascadia fault puts west coast of Canada and northwestern united states at risk of tsunami
o Tsunami process – vilent shift of the bed of the ocean (earthquake) – subduction (one plate drops below another) – the plate that moves upwards pushes the water upwards (35 billion gallons)
o Tsunami wave approaches shoreline, shoreline get thinner and thinner and pushes the water up higher and higher
o Tsunamis can stretch or hundreds of miles (100s of miles in length, from front to back), vs 100 feet for normal waves
o Carries a huge amount of energy, approx.. 600 miles per hour or 1000 km per hour
o Nothing can stop it, not much resistance in the ocean to slow it down, so it moves super fast through the ocean
o Reduce/prevent damage – signs, creating strong and more durable buildings, creater deeper foundations in the buildings, don’t rebuild in areas that are known to be at risk of tsunamis
· Ring of Fire
o Path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes
o Majority of earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes take place here
o Approx. 40,000 km (24,900 miles)
o Traces boundaries between several tectonic plates – Pacific, Jan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American and Philippine
TOPIC 6 – Glaciation
· Evolution
o Peaked 20,000 years ago
o Took thousands of years to farm
o Glaciers advance and get larger, then retreat and get smaller
o Glacier ice is thousands of metres thick
o Can move and change the landscape
o Existence of year-round ice on the landscape
o Two types – continental and alpine
o Form when snowfall exceeds snowmelt year after year, accumulates incrementally and pressure increases
o Glaciation is the process of ice advancing and covering large areas of land
· Alpine
o Smaller glaciers that are found in mountainous regions
o Movement mainly due to gravity
o Some still exist in Rocky Mountains, Himalayas
o Pressure underneath glacier plus gravity = moving glacier
· Continental
o Large glacier that covers a large area of land mass or an entire continent
o Moves due to their own weight
o Only two left in the world – Greenland and Antarctica
o Varies in thickness from hundreds of feet to 3 km deep
o Clean away all soil and vegetation and dramatically reshape the landscape and ecology of large regions
o Dramatically affected the landscape of Canada during the last major ice age
o Antarctica and Greenland: largest ice sheet cap on earth
o Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide
· Landforms created by glaciation
o Fourth glacial advance wiped out all evidence of the previous three advances
o Glacial remains are evident in Western Canada
o Continental glaciation can smooth out surface of mountainous areas
· Impact of Glaciation
o Erosion – removal of materials
§ Giant earth-moving machines, scraping away soil and rocks
§ Little or no soil today
§ Eroded land in the north
o Erosion – changes to drainage patterns
§ Completely changed the drainage patterns in rivers, streams and lakes
§ New lakes formed in rock basins that filled with water
§ Northern Canada has more lakes than it is possible to count
o Deposition by ice: materials deposited directly by ice are not sorted by size, mixture of loose sediments and rocks of all sizes
o Deposition by ice – till plain
§ Small hills and valleys
§ Formed from rock and sediment
o Deposition by ice – moraines
§ Moraines are deposits of till that form at the edges
§ Example: the oak ridges moraine
o Deposition by water: immense about of ice and it warms, you get an immense about of meltwater
o Deposition by water – moving water
§ Moves glacial debris on a massive scale
§ Move heavy particles like gravel and rock
§ When the water slows, it deposits these particles based on weight
§ Result is the materials have been sorted by size
o Deposition by water – still water
§ Meltwater rivers flow into meltwater lakes
§ Little movement, lightest materials like silt and clay particles are deposited
§ Very flat, have deep, rich soils and are often prime farmland
TOPIC 7 – Fort McMurray
Physical Features
Trees, plants, creek/river, water, dry air, lots of wind, hot climate
Local effects
Homes were burned down
Roads, trees, buildings, stores, and communities were destroyed
Gas stations were burned, which makes it hard for people to leave, as they might not have enough fuel
Fire burned closely to the road
Many belongings were left and destroyed in the fire
Separation of family members
Loss of property and jobs
Huge repair and building cost
Health impact, smoke in lungs
Canada effects
Lots of money, time and resources must go to rebuilding the community
Many people from around Canada (such as firefighters) went to help
Many provided support for the many evacuees
Law enforcement to help people evacuate
Many communities took shelter
Burned down a lot of the environment
Wildfires produce a lot of greenhouse gasses
Many places have lots of wind and smoke
Other provinces went to help
Negative economic impact
Prevention for the future
More warning before a wildfire (unusual weather behavior, lots of wind, no rain in the forecast)
Earlier notice from meteorologists
Extinguish fires thoroughly to prevent any risks of fires
Follow evacuation rules
People should prepare before a wildfire (fill up gas tank for evacuation, suitcases)
Have an emergency kit ready
Educate people about the signs of a wildfire and what to do during them, for future wildfires
Spray homes in the line of fire to prevent them catching fire
Smoke detectors on each floor in your home
TOPIC 8/9 – Landform Regions and Subregions of Canada
· Canadian Shield
o Process
§ Land is wore down by erosion, especially glaciers
§ Glaciers modified the shape of the shield
§ Convergent moment Initially tectonic plates collided to push rocks up
§ It appears as it is today because of glaciers
§ 4 sets of glaciers that went over the Canadian shield
o Physical Features
§ Nearly flat, rounded hills of rock
§ Trees
§ Lots of lakes and rivers
§ Minerals and metals: Igneous and metamorphic rocks (lead, gold, nickel, copper, zinc, etc.)
§ Thin soil on top of rock
§ Not good water drainage as Shield is rock
o Population
§ Almost completely uninhabited (not populated)
§ Low population density
§ Most live in the Southern Part
§ Can be pretty cold, so the Southern has nicer weather, more temperate
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Mining companies are attracted to this region, although not much farming takes place due to very thin soil
§ Towns and cities are built on top of mineral deposits
§ Some fishing
§ Tourism (hiking, boating, photography, cottage-goers)
· Western Cordillera (Highlands)
o Process
§ Interaction of the Pacific and North American plate led to uplifting of the region into several mountain ranges
§ Convergent movement
§ Glaciers carved out the valleys
o Physical Features
§ Tall, rugged mountains
§ Geologically young
§ Glaciers in the Northern and elevated areas of the region
§ Valleys, tree, rivers
§ Warmer, more plants
o Population
§ Less populated in some regions more north, colder
§ Most populated and dense in towns like Vancouver
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Tourist towns such as Banff and Jasper
§ Skiing, snowboarding and hiking
§ Show off scenery and beauty of mountains
§ Lots of business
§ Farming
· Innuitian Mountains (Highlands)
o Process
§ Formed by Mesozoic era by movement of North American plate
§ North American plate pushing northward
§ Younger mountains, not as worn down
§ Much younger than Appalachian Mountains
o Physical Features
§ Mountains are barren
§ Trees cannot survive, and prevent tree growth
§ Mineral deposits
§ Very cold climate
§ Innuitian mountains are younger and less eroded
§ No greenery or lakes
o Population
§ Not very populated because of cold climate and lack of resources
§ Not many roads which makes it hard to transport in and out
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Not many activities take place here
§ Cold climate, remote location
§ Minerals have been found, but cannot be mined because of a remote location
· Appalachian Mountains (Highlands)
o Process
§ Tectonic folding forced layers of rock upwards (convergent) § North American plate collided with plates of Europe and Africa § Millions of years of erosion has worn the peaks of the Appalachians § Weight of glaciers forced plate downwards |
o Physical Features
§ Rolling hills and mountains § Oldest highland region in Canada § Lots of trees and grasses § Fertile soil |
§ Smaller mountains
o Population
· Moderate population, doesn’t get super cold but nice summers |
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Lumber/Forestry § Fishing § Mining § Farming § Tourism |
§ Paper industries
· Hudson Bay-Artic Lowlands (Lowlands)
o Process
§ Formed by glacial debris and sediment
§ Bedrock of these regions was formed by eroded material of the shield being deposited by the seas which covered parts of Canada
o Physical Features
§ Relatively flat § Frozen ground § Hard to grow agriculture § Ground remains frozen in many areas year-round § No tall trees, low level vegetation |
o Population
§ Low population from very cold climate
§ Not many resources or transportation
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Fishing
§ Mining (coal and natural gas)
· Interior Plains (Lowlands)
o Process
§ Shaped by glaciation
§ Lakes were formed from glacial movement pushing fertile soil forwards, leaving it behind, forming interior plains
§ Lakes such as Lake Winnipeg were formed
o Physical Features
§ Fertile and deep soil
§ Growth of many crops, especially in Prairie region
§ Lakes and rivers
o Population
§ Moderate, colder in the north
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Farming
§ Agriculture
§ Saw manufacturing
§ Oil and gas
· Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands
o Process
§ Great lakes were squeezed out of the landscape by glacial movement
§ Created by faulting (two plates moving apart left a valley in between), and the space in between was flooded, creating the St. Lawrence river
§ Glaciers moved and flattened the soil
§ Divergent movement
o Physical Features
§ Flat and made up of sedimentary rocks left by glaciers
§ Lots of lakes and rivers
§ Warm climate
§ good and fertile soil
§ Valleys, hills
o Population
§ 50% of Canada’s population live in this region
§ High population, most dense
o Economic and/or recreation activities
§ Agriculture and farming
§ Large cities for trade on the major waterways
§ 70% of the countries manufacturing takes place here
§ Tourism