Study Guides

Prep AP/Geography

January 11, 2003

Chapter 1 Study Guide: Exploring Geography

Section 1: The Five Themes of Geography

1. Geography- the study of where people, places, and things are located and of the ways in which things relate to each other.

2. Absolute location- any place or thing exact position on the globe.

3. Equator- an imaginary line that circles the globe halfway between the North and South poles. The equator divides the world in two.

4. Hemisphere- a half of the earth; the Equator divides the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The Prime Meridian divides the Eastern and Western Hemisphere.

5. Latitude- imaginary lines that run parallel to the Equator; these lines measure distances North and South of the Equator.

6. Prime Meridian- an imaginary line running from North and South at 0*.

7. Relative location- the name of a term of how people usually describe a location; where it is located in relation to other places.

8. Formal region- areas in which a certain characteristic is found throughout the area.

9. Functional region- consists of one central place and the surrounding places affected by it.

10. How does the study of a place's human characteristics differ from the study of its physical characteristics? The studies of these two characteristics are extremely diverse. Mainly the study of human characteristics has to do with our economy. I like to think of it as everything we have done to the land. For example how many people live there, what are their techniques, what kind of government they are ruled by etc. The study of physical characteristics has to do with Mother Nature. I think of this as what the land was like before we inhabited it. For example physical features, climates, vegetation etc.

Section 2: Changes Within the Earth

11. Geology- the study of the earth's physical structure and history.

12. Core- the center of the earth that consists of very hot metal, of which is iron with some nickel.

13. Mantle- a thick layer of rock located around the core.

14. Crust- the rocky surface layer located with in the earth. The ocean contains the thinnest part of the crust, which is about 5 miles. Land contains the thickest part of the crust, which is about 22 miles thick.

15. Continent- Large land masses in the ocean.

16. Relief- the difference in landforms between the highest and lowest points.

17. Lava- the surface of molten rock.

18. Fold- the result that comes when rock layers bend or buckle.

19. Fault- breaks in the earth's crust.

20. Plate Tectonics- a theory in which the earth's outer shell is not one solid piece of rock. Instead the lithosphereÐ'--the earth's crust and the brittle, upper layer of the mantleÐ'--is broken into a number of moving plates.

21. Continental drift theory- a theory in which is said that there was once a single "supercontinent" called Pangaea. Wegener theorized that about 180 million years ago, Pangaea began to break up into separate continents.

22. Ring of fire- a circle of volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

23. What are two internal processes that create landforms? One of the processes includes volcanism, which involves the movement of magma inside the earth. Other internal forces include movements such as an earthquake that fold, lift, bend or break the earth's surface.

24. How can plate tectonic theory help explain the formation of the Andes and Himalayan Mountains? According to Plate Tectonic Theory when a continental plate meets a oceanic plate, the oceanic plate slides under to the mantle. The oceanic rock then melts deep in the earth. This process is known as subduction. Molten material produced in a subduction zone can rise to the earth's surface and cause volcanic mountain building and earthquakes on the continental plate. This process creates a mountain similar to the Andes. When both plates are continental, the plates push against each other, creating mountain ranges similar to the Himalayas. The tectonic theory exactly matches what happened to The Andes and the Himalayas.

Section 3: Changes on the Earth's Surface

25. Weathering- the breakdown of rock at or near the earth's surface into smaller and smaller pieces. There are two types of weathering mechanical and chemical.

26. Mechanical weathering- the actual breaking up or physical weakening of rock by forces such as ice and roots.

27. Chemical weathering- the process by which the actual chemical structure of rock is changed, usually when water and carbon dioxide cause a breakdown of the rock.

28. Acid rain- occurs when chemicals in the polluted air combine with water vapor and fall back to earth. This rain not only destroys forests and pollutes water, but also eats away the surfaces of stone buildings and natural rock formations.

29. Erosion- the movement of weathered materials such as gravel, soil, and sand.

30. Sediment- small particles of soil, sand, and gravel that is carried down the riverbed.

31. Loess- windblown deposits of mineral-rich dust and silt.

32. Glacier- huge slow-moving sheets of ice that form many years as layers of unmelted snow press together then turned to ice.

33. Moraine- ridge like piles of rocks and debris that are left behind by melted glaciers.

34. Which process Ð'- weathering or erosion Ð'- is easier to see actually taking place? Explain your answer. Erosion would be much easier to see taking place. Sometimes weathering can take millions of years; you cannot look out your window and see a mountain and the next day it turn into gravel. You can though, look out your window and see a side of a creek wash away in front of your eyes or over a couple of days. This is a form of erosion.

35. Look again at the photograph of Atlanta on page 37. Identify