Earth’s landmasses nn
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Earth’s Earth’s LandmassesLandmasses
• Islands – small landmasses completely surrounded by water
• Four – number of major landmasses on Earth; Eurasia and Africa, North and South America, Antarctica (2x the size of the US; first known exploration occurred in 1901) , Australia (only continent that is single country; sometimes referred to as the island continent)
• Continent – landmass that measures millions of square km and rises a considerable distance above sea level; each has at least one large area of very old rock exposed at its surface (this area is called a shield)
• Seven continents on the Earth – Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, N and S America, and Antarctica
TopographyTopography
• Scientists refer to the shape of the Earth’s surface as its topography
• The Earth’s topography is made up of different kinds of landscapes
• A landscape is the physical features of the Earth’s Surface found in an area
• Each type of landscape has different characteristics
• Elevation – height above sea level (high or low)
• Relief – difference in region’s elevation
Three Main Types of Landscape Three Main Types of Landscape RegionsRegions
• Mountains – natural landforms that reach high elevations
• Have narrow summits or tops, and steep slopes, or sides
• These landscapes have very high relief
• All mountains did not form at the same time
Mountain FormationMountain Formation
• Fault-block Mountain – result from the folding and breaking of the Earth’s surface
• Volcanic Mountain – created when hot magma from the Earth’s interior breaks through the Earth’s surface
• Mountain Range – roughly parallel series of mountains that have the same general shape and structure
• Mountain System – a group of mountain ranges in one area
• Mountain Belt – a larger group of mountains composed of mountain ranges and systems
Folded Mountains
• Formed when rock layers are squeezed from opposite sides and rock layers buckle and fold
• Example: The Appalachian Mountains
Unwarped Mountains
• Formed when rocks are pushed up by forces inside earth
Fault-Block Mountains
• Made of huge tilted blocks of rocks that are separated from surrounding rock by faults.
• Example: Sierra Nevada Mountains in California
Volcanic Mountains
• Begin when molten material reaches the surface through a weak area of the crust. The materials pile up, one layer on top of another, until one cone-shaped structure forms.
• Example: The Hawaiian Islands
Some of the Some of the World’s Famous World’s Famous
MountainsMountains
• Aconcagua, Andes Argentina• 6569 m, Highest Mountain in Western
Hemisphere
• Cotopaxi, Andes in Ecuador• 5897 m, Highest active volcano in the world
• Elbert, Colorado• 4399 m, Highest mountain in Rockies
• Everest, Himalayas (Nepal-Tibet border)• 8848 m, Highest mountain in the world
• K2, Kashmir• 8611 m, 2nd highest mountain in the world
• Kanchenjunga, Himalayas (Nepal-India border)• 8598 m, 3rd highest mountain in the world
• Logan, Yukon• 5950 m, Highest mountain in Canada
• Mauna Kea, Volcanic Island in Hawaii• 4205 m, Highest Island Mountain in the world
• Mauna Loa, Volcanic Island in Hawaii
• 4169 m
• McKinley, Alaska• 6194 m, Highest mountain in North America
• Mitchell, North Carolina• 2037 m, Highest mountain in the Appalachians
• Mont Blanc, France
• 4807 m, Highest mountain in the Alps
• Mt. St. Helens, Cascades in Washington
• 2549 m, Recent active volcano in the US
• Pikes Peak, Colorado• 4301 m, most famous in the Rocky Mountains
• Rainier, Cascades in Washington
• 4392 m, Highest mountain in Washington
• Vesuvius, Italy• 1277 m, only active volcano on the mainland of
Europe
• Whitney, Sierra Nevada in California
• 4418 m, Highest mountain in California
PlainsPlains
• Flat land areas that do not rise far above sea level
• They are areas of low relief
• Characterized by broad rivers and streams
• Coastal Plains – Low flat areas along the coasts
• Coast – a place where the land meets the ocean
• Interior Plains – low, flat areas found inland on a continent
PlateausPlateaus• Broad, flat areas of land that rise more
than 600 m above sea level
• They are not considered mountains because their surfaces are fairly flat
• Many plateaus of the world are dry, nearly desert areas
• Often used for grazing