Earth Science 7-5 South America

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On this page we will be showing our research on South America.

Links

Earth Science 7-Regions

Region Names and Countries

The region we are researching is South America. There are 15 countries in South America:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, the Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.[1]

Latitude and Longitude Ranges

Latitude:

12˚N-55˚S


Longitude:

81˚W-35˚W [2]

Elevation Range(Highest and Lowest Spots)

Highest Point:

Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m


Lowest Point:

Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on Peninsula Valdes)[3]

Large Bodies of Water and Rivers

The Amazon River

The Amazon River is the largest river in South America. It covers about one third of the continent. This river drains 58 billion gallons per second. [4]


The Paraguay River

The Paraguay River is the fifth largest river in South America. It is 1,584 miles long and drains into the Paraná River. [4]


Lake Maracaibo

Lake Maracaibo is the biggest natural lake in South America. Although it's very shallow (115 feet), it covers about 5,150 square miles of land. [4]

Major Topographic Features

These are the main topographic features of South America:

The Amazon Basin, the Andes Mountains, the Angel Falls, the Atacama Desert, the Brazilian Highlands, the Brazilian Shield, Cape Horn, the Guina Highlands, the Llanos plains, the Pampas plains, the Pantanal wetlands, Patagonia (a stretch of barren land), and the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago.[5]

Bordering Oceans

South America is bordered by two oceans: The Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.


The Pacific Ocean and South America-

The Pacific Ocean borders the left side of South America. It touches Columbia, Equador, Peru, and Chile.[6]


The Atlantic Ocean and South America-

The Atlantic Ocean borders the right side of South America. It touches Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and a bit of Chile.[2]

Climate Zones

South America is composed of Am (tropical monsoonal), Af (tropical rainforest), Cwa (humid subtropical), Aw (tropical savanna), Cfc (marine west coast), and Csc (mediterranean, with dry and cool summer season) climate zones according to the Köppen Climate Zone map. [7]


Climate Factors

There are several factors that control the features of South America’s climate. The first is the subtropical high-pressure air masses over the South Atlantic and South Pacific and their seasonal shifts in position, which determine both the patterns of wind circulation and the location of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), which brings rain to South America. The second is the presence of cold and warm ocean currents along the Pacific and Atlantic sides of South America, respectively.[8] Another factor of South America's climate is the Andes mountain range. On the windward side of the mountain range, moist air from the Pacific ocean is forced to rise and condense. The condensed air often creates precipitation. The now dry air flows over the mountains, making the climate on the leeward side of the Andes mountain range hot and dry. The water from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans makes coastal parts of South America have mild climates, because water's temperature range is small. South America is very warm near the equator, but further towards the poles, it is cold. The temperature near the Andes mountain range is colder because of the mountains' high elevation. The South American rain forests contain a lot of vegetation, which can release water vapor into the air through transpiration, creating precipitation. Also, the vegetation can affect the ammount of heat the land absorbs. Prevailing winds cause the intertropical convergence zone, which often makes the equatorial parts of South America humid and warm.[9]

Average Monthly Temperatures

South America is composed of many regions with different average monthly temperatures, so we have picked cities from each climatic region to show their average monthly temperatures.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature (°C) 26.0 26.2 25.6 24.1 22.4 21.1 20.7 21.2 21.6 22.3 23.4 24.9 23.3

[10]

Lima, Peru Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature (°C) 21.2 22.0 21.7 20.2 17.8 15.9 14.9 14.8 15.0 16.0 17.3 19.3 18.0

[11]

Cayenne, French Guiana Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature (°C) 25.8 25.9 26.1 26.2 26.1 25.9 26.2 26.8 27.2 27.1 26.7 26.2 26.4

[12]

La Paz Bolivia, Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature (°C) 9.9 9.7 9.8 9.4 8.5 7.3 6.9 7.9 9.0 10.2 10.9 10.4 9.2

[13]

Santiago, Chile Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature (°C) 26.9 25.9 23.8 20.0 16.5 13.2 13.0 15.3 18.7 22.4 25.0 26.9 20.6

[14]

Buenos Aires, Brazil Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature (°C) 23.5 22.7 20.6 16.7 13.3 10.4 10.0 11.1 13.2 16.0 19.3 22.0 16.6

[15]

Average Monthly Precipitation

South America is composed of many regions with different average monthly precipitations, so we have picked cities from each climatic region to show their average monthly precipitation.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Precipitation (mm) 135.1 123.9 133.9 108.6 77.5 51.5 44.7 45.5 61.9 82.0 99.7 137.1 1101.1

[16]

Lima, Peru Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Precipitation (mm) 1.2 0.9 0.7 0.4 0.6 1.8 4.4 3.1 3.3 1.7 0.5 0.7 19.7

[17]

Cayenne, French Guiana Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Precipitation (mm) 385.4 330.2 397.4 430.9 545.9 398.6 202.7 108.0 42.3 49.7 126.5 298.5 3316.5

[18]

La Paz, Bolivia Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Precipitation (mm) 129.7 105.2 71.9 47.1 13.4 6.1 8.5 14.4 29.3 40.0 50.4 93.4 610.3

[19]

Santiago, Chile Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Precipitation (mm) 102.8 98.1 91.0 32.4 15.7 8.2 4.1 4.2 12.4 33.8 62.8 82.6 549.1

[20]

Buenos Aires, Brazil Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Precipitation (mm) 93.0 81.3 116.9 89.9 76.6 63.7 59.1 65.0 78.3 96.6 88.8 95.9 1005.2

[21]

Effects on South America's Climate

El Niño

El Niño is the coupled ocean atmosphere phenomenon along the coast of Ecuador and Northern Peru in South America often characterized by:

  • Abnormally warm sea surface temperatures from the

date line (180W) east to the South American coast

  • Changes in the distribution of tropical rainfall from

the eastern Indian Ocean east to the tropical Atlantic

  • Changes in sea level pressure throughout the global

Tropics (low-index phase of the Southern Oscillation)

  • Large-scale atmospheric circulation changes in

the Tropics and portions of the extratropics in both hemispheres. [22] This is also known as La Niña-Southern Oscillation or ENSO.[23]


The Pacific and Atlantic Subtropical Highs

The Pacific and Atlantic subtropical highs are semi-permanent high pressure systems caused by the equatorial Hadley cells in South America. These air masses are warm and dry. [24]


The South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ)

The South Atlantic Convergence Zone factors rainfall in in the southern subtropics and is created by the moisture convergence in between the South Atlantic high pressure zone and the continental thermal low pressure zone. Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag


Bolivia boliviageomap.gif [25]


Brazil brazilmap.gif [26]


Chile chilemap.gif [27]


Columbia colombiageomap.gif [28]


Ecuador ecuadorgeomap.gif [29]


French Guiana frenchguianamapthumb.gif [30]


Guyana frenchguianamapthumb.gif [31]


Paraguay paraguaygeomap.gif [32]


Peru perugeomap.gif [33]


Suriname surinammapthumb.gif [34]


Uruguay uruguaygeomap.gif [35]


Venezuela venezuelageomap.gif [36]


Major Rock Type Formation

Sedimentary

Sedimentary rocks form from the sediments compacted in rivers and lakes in South America such as the Amazon River and Lake Maraciabo. The build up of the sedimentary rocks eventually changed the course of the Amazon from the east-west one to the current west east one. [37]

Igneous

Igneous rocks in South America form from the cooling and hardening of lava and magma in and around the many volcanoes along the Chilean border. The rock Andesite gets its name from the Andes mountains . [38]

Metamorphic

Metamorphic rocks in South America often form from the subduction of the Nazca plate along the Chilean coastline. [39]

Major Minerals

The major minerals found in South America are iron ore, silver, zinc, lead, copper, and nickel. [40]

Brazil produces the most minerals and natural resources out of all of the South American countries. [41]

Plate Tectonics

Plates

South America lies on the South American plate, and the South American plate borders the African plate, the North American plate, the Caribbean Plate, the Nazca plate, the Scotia plate, and the Antarctic plate.


Boundary Types

The South American plate shares, most importantly, a subduction boundary with the Nazca plate. The two plates have collided and formed the Andes mountains. The South American plate also shares a subduction boundary with the Caribbean plate, an uncertain/complex boundary with the Scotia plate, a divergent boundary with the African plate, an uncertain/complex boundary with the North American Plate, and an uncertain/complex boundary with the Antarctic plate.


Margin Types

The entire western coast of South America is an active margin because it is along a subduction boundary. The northwestern and southwestern coasts of South America are also along subduction boundaries, so they are active margins as well. The eastern coast of South America is a passive margin because it is not along a plate boundary of any kind.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag


Earthquakes

South America has many earthquakes. Like the volcanoes, these tend to occur along the western Chilean border.[42] Within the past 20 years, these are the earthquakes greater than magnitude 6.0 that have occurred in the Chile area: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in 1985, a magnitude 7.7 in 2007, a magnitude 7.1 in 1998, a magnitude 6.8 in 2003, a magnitude 6.7 in 2007, a magnitude 6.6 in 2004, a magnitude 6.6 in 2002, a magnitude 6.5 in 2009, and a magnitude 6.3 in 2008. Historically, there were two major earthquakes in the South America region: A magnitude 9.0 in 1868 (killed 25000) and a magnitude 7.8 in 1939 (killed 28000.) For a list of significant earthquakes in the Chile region, visit this website: [1][43]


Earthquakes in This Year

On Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 03:50:16 UTC, an earthquake occurred offshore of Valparaiso, Chile at 32.701°S, 71.484°W, with a magnitude of 6.7. On Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 11:36:03 UTC, another earthquake occurred in central Peru at 14.804°S, 71.464°W, with a magnitude of 5.6.[44] On Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 06:34 UTC,a major earthquake occurred off the central coast of Chile at 35.909°S 72.733°W, with a high magnitude of 8.8. The highest Mercalli Intensity detected was MM IX. [45] Thirteen earthquakes were found in the last week [4/15/2012-4/21/2012], not including two deep underwater earthquakes on the ocean floor.


Types of Rock and the Relationship to Tectonic Activity

Much of the igneous rock South America is Andesite. This lava comes from volcanoes formed by tectonic activity near the South America plate. Andesite's name originates with the Andes mountains in South America.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_soa.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 South America. Map. Google Earth. Google.com, 3 Nov. 2011. Web.
  3. ↑ http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/highlow.htm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://school.eb.com/all/comptons/article-9272828?query=south%20america%20rivers&ct=null
  5. ↑ http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/sa.htm
  6. ↑ http://school.eb.com/all/eb/art-3438?articleTypeId=1
  7. ↑ http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/climate_max.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/555844/South-America/41770/Factors-influencing-climate
  9. ↑ Earth Science Textbook published by McDougal Littel
  10. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S22W043+1102+83743W
  11. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S12W077+1102+8462807G1
  12. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N04W052+1202+0004935G2
  13. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S16W068+1102+85201W
  14. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S27W064+1102+87129W
  15. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S34W058+1102+87585W
  16. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S22W043+2100+83743W
  17. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S12W077+2100+84628W
  18. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N04W052+2100+81405W
  19. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S16W068+2100+85201W
  20. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S27W064+2100+87129W
  21. ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S34W058+2100+87585W
  22. ↑ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/climate/El_NinoPublic.pdf
  23. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o-Southern_Oscillation
  24. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_South_America
  25. ↑ http://http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_2.htm
  26. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_3.htm
  27. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_4.htm
  28. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_5.htm
  29. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_6.htm
  30. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_7.htm
  31. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_8.htm
  32. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_9.htm
  33. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_10.htm
  34. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_11.htm
  35. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_13.htm
  36. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_14.htm
  37. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6080232.stm
  38. ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/rocks/ig/igrockindex/rocpicandesite.htm
  39. ↑ http://www.nsm.buffalo.edu/courses/gly481-581/McGuire05_2.pdf
  40. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html
  41. ↑ http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/statistics/worldStatistics.html
  42. ↑ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/south_america/density.php
  43. ↑ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/historical_country_mag.php#chile
  44. ↑ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/region/S_America.php
  45. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Chile_earthquake


By Christian Maines, Jake Greenberg, and Nina Lahoti.

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