Landforms, Water, and Natural Resources

1
Landforms, Water, and Natural Resources
CHAPTER 4

• Section 1 Landforms
• Section 2 The Hydrosphere
• Section 3 Natural Resources

2
Objectives
Section 1Landforms

• What physical processes inside Earth built up the
  land?
• What physical processes on Earths surface wear
  down the land?
• How do these physical processes interact to
  create landforms?

3
Plate tectonics create landforms
Section 1Landforms

• Earths crust is made up of moving plates, which
  spread, collide, and slide laterally past each
  other.

• Spreading plates form oceanic ridges undersea and
  rift valleys on land.
• Colliding plates cause trenches and volcanoes
  undersea and mountains on land.
• Plates sliding laterally cause fractures and
  earthquakes.

4
Forces on Earths surface
Section 1Landforms

• Weathering and erosion shape the land.
• weatheringslow and hard to detect includes
  chemical and physical processes
• erosionmovement of surface materialby water,
  wind, and icewears down land

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Tectonics and surface forces interact
Section 1Landforms

• Landforms are created through a combination of
  forces.
• For example, a mountain range is formed by
  tectonics, then weathered and eroded to create
  valleys, alluvial fans, deltas, and other
  landforms.

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Objectives
Section 2The Hydrosphere

• In what forms and where do we find water on
  Earth?
• What are the causes and effects of floods?

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Water on Earth
Section 2The Hydrosphere

• Forms
• saltwater97 percent of worlds water
• freshwatermost frozen in ice caps less than 1
  percent in vapor and liquid form
• Where liquid fresh water is found
• surface waterin rivers, lakes, estuaries,
  wetlands
• groundwaterstored in soil and water table

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Floods
Section 2The Hydrosphere

• Causesheavy rains, sudden snow melts human
  activity may contribute
• Effectserosion, loss of vegetation, death and
  destruction

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Objectives
Section 3Natural Resources

• Why are soil and forests important resources?
• What are the concerns about water quality and air
  quality?
• What are some of the ways minerals are used?
• What are the main energy resources, and how are
  they used?

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Importance of soil and forests
Section 3Natural Resources

• Soil is crucial for food production.
• Forests protect soil from erosion, provide
  species habitats, and yield useful products.

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Concerns about air and water quality
Section 3Natural Resources

• air pollutionthreatens air supply, creates acid
  rain, damages the ozone layer, may contribute to
  global warming
• water pollution threatens clean water supply,
  contributes to shortages

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Minerals
Section 3Natural Resources

• Minerals are used in many processes and products,
  including construction, jewelry, and
  manufacturing.
• Examples building materials, airplanes, cans,
  glass.

13
Energy resources
Section 3Natural Resources

• Energy resources include fossil fuelscoal,
  natural gas, petroleumand uranium.
• Uses
• uraniumenergy for nuclear power
• coalheat source power for steam engines, mills,
  electricity generation dye making
• petroleumlamp fuel gasoline, diesel and heating
  fuel asphalt, petrochemicals
• natural gashome and industrial heating fuel