Geography Exam Study Notes for the Academic Course
Version A of the notes
Landforms
Formation of Canada
step 1: hot volcanoes were located where the North American Canadian area is
step 2: erosion eroded away the tops of the volcanoes making them shorter
step 3: more erosion literally combined the volcanoes into one mass of rocky land
step 4: the mass of land is now a hard smooth plate, the Canadian Shield
step 5: the Atlantic plate crashed into the east side of Canada and the area of subduction formed the Appalachian mountains
step 6: erosion moved sand and dirt into the pacific ocean and the atlantic ocean
step 7: the Pacific plate collided with the west side of Canada, forming the Rocky Mountains
step 8: the water between the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian shield drained south forming the Interior Plains
step 9: glaciers formed the Great Lakes
Canadian Shield - rich in rocks and very hard
Appalachian - old rock and minerals, worn down smooth
Western Cordilleras - rocky and mountainous fertile land for large trees
Interior Plains - Flat and fertile
Great Lakes - low and south but provides temperate climates
How old is the earth?
Ecological footprint in measured in hectares and is the amount of energy used to support one’s lifestyle
Plate Tectonics
Plate Movement
>< Convergence <> Divergence
= Slipping and Sliding
Rock Cycle
Area of Subduction: an area of land forced upwards by the collision of another plate
Rivers
Young River has a V shape
Old rivers are wider and deeper
Oxbow lakes form when a river changes its path
Floods bring sediments up to make levees
Glaciers
Form when ice is stored for a long time.
Alpine glacier formation: when the amount of water coming down is less than the amount of ice being collected
Continental glacier formation: when the area of land is relatively cold and less sunlight is hit
Snouts form and move dirt around creating new landforms
Oak ridges, great lakes formed by glaciers
Ice may be left behind and melts to form lakes
Erratics formed by scratching in glaciers against other rocks
Erosion
Wind Erosion: Wind brings dirt and erodes land
Chemical Erosion: corrosive or liquids remove soluble material
Most southern point in Canada is Pelee
Climate
Climate: refers to the long term patters of precipitation and temperature over a certain region
Factors affecting Climate
Latitude
Ocean Currents
Winds
Elevation
Relief
Near Water
Latitude: the farther away from the sun, due to the angle of the earth, sunlight is distributed unevenly
Ocean Currents: hot and cold air from the currents collide and bring precipitation
Energy principles apply to when the currents come
Winds: Prevailing winds bring hot air upwards and into the northern and southern parts of the earth. Convection cell property
Onshore/Offshore: thermal dynamics tell when and how the winds are going to go. Brings moisture and heat on or off land
Elevation: the higher you go, the colder it gets. Lack of particles to hold heat
Relief: the blockage on the mountain blocks moisture to one side
Demographics
Overpopulation
caused by baby boomers
leads to many problems such as high taxes, healthcare problems, and lots of demand as they age
leads kids today to expect to work hard to pay for those people
Suburbs: people live there because of Technology, Sociology, Emotion, Economy, and Environment
Pull factors/Push factors
Infrastructure: underlying backbone that tax payers contribute money to expect from their city. Big impact on economy and overall ability for the city to function.
Overpopulation: poverty/disease /\ population pyramid, poor
Developed nation: good healthcare \/ pop pyramid
not developed nation: /\ pop pyramid
Resources
Agriculture: refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry.
Forestry: Over cutting of forests affects many people and the growth of many other resources
Non Renewable: Resources that cannot be put back or naturally replaced
Renewable: Resources that can be naturally replaced
Natural Resources: Natural resources that come naturally from the ground
Mining: to get and extract resources like
Water:
Forestry:
Clear cutting: (tree)(tree(tree) > (cut)(cut)(cut) < very bad for sustainability Shelter cutting: (tree)(tree)(tree) > (tree)(cut)(cut)(tree) < relatively better for the environment Selective Cutting: (tree)(tree)(tree) > (tree)(cut)(tree)(cut) < very good for sustainability
Industries
Primary - works directly with materials
Secondary - manufacture products
Tertiary - services
Quaternary - knowledge and ideas to create solutions to problems
East Coast Fishing crisis
Overfishing
Advancement in technology
Natural changes
Destructive methods
Foreign Fishers
Mines
Open Pit
Strip
Underground