Earth Science 7-Europe/Iceland 1

From SJS Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Links

Earth Science 7-Regions

Region Name

Europe and Iceland

Countries

  • Iceland
  • England
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Hungary
  • Portugal
  • Norway
  • Holland
  • Sweden
  • Finland
  • Switzerland
  • Austria
  • Ukraine
  • Belgium
  • Lithuania
  • Romania
  • Macedonia
  • Turkey
  • Greece
  • Denmark
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Poland
  • Ireland
  • Bulgaria
  • Slovenia
  • Croatia
  • Bosnia- Herzegovina
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Luxembourg
  • Belarus
  • Mont.
  • United Kingdon
  • Germany
  • Latvia
  • Czech Republic
  • Kosovo
  • Andorra
  • Slovakia
  • Estonia
  • Montenegro
  • Malta
  • Vatican City
  • Liechtenstein
  • Albania

[1]


Latitude and Longitude

Europe- 48° 41' 27" N / 9° 8' 26" E

[2]

Iceland- 65° 0' 0" N / 18° 0' 0" W

[3]

Elevation Range

Europe- Mt. Elbrus= 18,510 ft. (5,642 m) Caspian Sea= 92 ft. below sea level (–28 m)

[4]

Iceland- Atlantic Ocean= 0 m Hvannadalshnukur= 2,119 m

[5]

Large Bodies of Water, Rivers

Bodies of Water-

  • Caspian Sea
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Black Sea
  • White Sea
  • Baltic Sea
  • Sea of Azov
  • English Channel
  • Norwegian Sea
  • Bay of Biscay
  • Huna Bay
  • Denmark Strait
  • Bierdha Fjord
  • Faza Bay
  • Aegean Sea

Rivers-

  • Danube
  • Dnieper
  • Don
  • Elbe
  • Loire
  • Oder
  • Po
  • Rhine
  • Rhone
  • Shannon
  • Tagus

[6] [7] [8]

Major Topographic Features

Europe-

  • Alps
  • Apennines
  • Atlantic Highlands
  • Balkan Mountains
  • Carpathian Mountains
  • Caucasus Mountains
  • Great Hungarian Plains
  • Kjolen Mountains
  • Massif Central
  • Mesata
  • North European Plains
  • Pyrenees
  • Scandinavian Shield

[9]

Iceland-

  • Drangajokull Glacier
  • Langjokull Glacier
  • Hofsjokull Glacier
  • Vatnajokull Glacier
  • Myrdalsjokull Glacier
  • Eyjafjallajokull Glacier
  • Oraefajokull Mountains

[10]

Bordering Oceans

Europe- Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean

Iceland- Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Ocean

Climate Zone

Cfb(Marine West Coast) on the Köppen Climate Chart [11]

Average Monthly Temperature high/low (in Centigrade)

England Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature 3.85 3.95 5.85 7.65 10.85 13.6 16.0 15.85 13.4 10.1 6.5 4.7 9.35
Avg. Max Temperature 6.6 6.9 9.3 11.7 15.4 18.1 20.6 20.5 17.5 13.6 9.5 7.4 13.1
Avg. Min Temperature 1.1 1.0 2.4 3.6 6.3 9.1 11.4 11.2 9.3 6.6 3.5 2.0 5.6



Ireland Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature 3.95 4.15 5.6 7.2 9.9 12.4 14.5 14.15 12.0 9.3 6.15 4.75 8.85
Avg. Max Temperature 6.7 7.1 8.9 11.1 14.2 16.5 18.4 18.1 15.7 12.5 9.2 7.5 12.2
Avg. Min Temperature 1.2 1.2 2.3 3.3 5.6 8.3 10.6 10.2 8.3 6.1 3.1 2.0 5.2



Scotland Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature 1.9 1.95 3.9 5.7 8.65 11.05 13.1 12.9 10.55 7.85 4.7 3.1 7.25
Avg. Max Temperature 5.0 5.2 6.9 9.3 12.8 14.9 16.9 16.6 13.9 10.8 7.4 5.7 10.5
Avg. Min Temperature -0.2 -0.1 0.9 2.1 4.5 7.2 9.3 9.2 7.2 4.9 2.0 0.5 4.0



Wales Temperature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg. Temperature 3.9 3.85 5.5 7.2 10.25 12.7 15.0 14.75 12.5 9.65 6.5 4.8 8.9
Avg. Max Temperature 6.5 6.6 8.6 11.0 14.5 16.8 19.1 18.8 16.2 12.8 9.3 7.4 12.3
Avg. Min Temperature 1.3 1.1 2.4 3.4 6.0 8.6 10.9 10.7 8.8 6.5 3.7 2.2 5.5



Average Precipitation

England Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Precipitation(mm) 84.3 60.1 66.6 56.9 55.2 62.9 54.2 66.8 73.4 83.7 83.5 90.5 838.7
Days with Precipitation Less Than One mm 13.4 10.4 12.1 10.1 9.8 9.8 8.5 9.4 10.2 11.8 12.5 13.1 131.2



Ireland Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Precipitation(mm) 119.1 86.6 93.5 70.6 68.1 72.1 73.3 90.9 94.5 114.6 110.6 118.5 1112.4
Days with Precipitation Less Than One mm 17.8 14.1 16.4 12.4 12.6 12.4 13.1 13.9 14.4 16.4 16.7 16.9 177.0



Scotland Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Precipitation(mm) 170.6 123.6 138.7 86.3 79.1 85.2 92.2 107.5 139.8 162.8 166.0 169.7 1521.4
Days with Precipitation Less Than One mm 18.6 14.8 17.3 13.0 12.2 12.7 13.3 14.1 15.9 17.7 17.9 18.2 185.8



Wales Precipitation Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Precipitation(mm) 158.6 114.0 118.8 85.9 80.7 86.2 78.4 106.0 124.0 153.2 156.8 173.3 1435.9
Days with Precipitation Less Than One mm 17.4 13.4 15.1 11.7 11.5 11.4 10.3 12.2 13.0 15.8 16.7 17.1 165.5


[12] [13] [14] [15]


Factors that Affect the Climate

Latitude Latitude affects the climate because when you go to a higher latitude, the tempeture drops, making the region colder than a region in a lower latitude.Europe is close to 60 degrees North latitude, in the mid-latitudes low pressure area.

Elevation, Proximity to Water, and Topography Elevation affects the climate because when you get into higher altitudes, the tempeture and the air pressure drops.The proximity to water affects the climate because when you are closer to water the temperature tends to be more steady and doesn't change as rapidly than a region not near to water. This occurs because water and land have different cooling and heating rates.Next to Mt. Elbrus, it would be colder and drier because it is at a higher elevation and has a lower air pressure. Next to the Caspian Sea, it would warmer and moister because it is next to a body of water. Since Europe is near the Mediterranean Sea, the temperature would be colder and it would be humid because it is near the poles.

Prevailing Winds Wind pushes warm or cold air into a region. It can also push storms or clear weather into a region.

Currents The North Atlantic Drift Current is an ocean current that transports warm waters to latitudes higher than any other ocean.

High and Low Pressure Systems The Alps is a major topographic feature that affects the climate and prevailing winds. It affects the prevailing winds by forcing the warmer air from the lower area into a higher area. It affects the climate because it is accompanied by precipitation.

Vegetation Vegetation would also affect the climate. In urban areas, there is often concrete, but vegetation absorbs less heat, so therefore vegetation makes the urban areas cooler.


[16]


Geology

Minerals

Europe

Oil: Romania, Great Britain, and Ukraine

Coal: France, Spain, Germany, and Poland

Lead and Zinc: Spain, Poland, and Italy

Uranium: France

Bauxite: Hungary and Slovakia

Copper: Poland and Ukraine

Iron: Sweden and Finland

Silver: France

[17] mineral-map.jpg

[18] iceland-mineral-map.jpg

Rock Types

Europe

flysch: [flish] a sedimentary sequence consisting of marine deposits of dark, thinly bedded, fine-grained marls, sandstones, shales, clays, and muds.

Flysch: an extensive, late Cretaceous to Oligocene sedimentary formation bordering the Swiss Alps and associated with the Alpine orogeny.

Insubric line: boundary between the European and Adriatic plates.

marl: a calcerous clay or mixture of clay and particles of calcite and dolomite, usually derived from shell fragments.

massif: a large block of rock or other structural feature within an orogenic belt that is usually older and more rigid than the surrounding rocks.

molasse:

  • a sedimentary sequence deposited during the Miocene period in southern Germany, subsequent to the rising of the Alps; composed primarily of soft, green sandstone associated with marl and conglomerates
  • any similar sedimentary sequence

nappe: a large, sheetlike rock unit that has been transported some distance forward over other rocks, either by thrust faulting, recumbent folding, or both. (what would be called a thrust sheet in the Western U.S.)

The Alps: The Alpine chain of western Europe resulted from the subduction of Tethyan oceanic crust followed by a continent-continent collision between Africa and Europe. The mountain belt contains slices of sediment and continental crust scraped off of both the European and African margins, as well as ophiolites. These nappes are at most only a few kilometers thick each, but have produced pronounced crustal thickening as a whole. The Alpine orogeny was very complex and occurred in several phases from the middle Cretaceous to the Neogene, of which the collision between Europe and Africa was only one. Much of the earlier deformation has been overprinted in the Alps by the later mountain building in the Tertiary. [19]

Europe Geological Map

590px-Europe_geological_map-en.jpg [20]

Iceland

Iceland lies on the geologic rift between the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. It also lies above a hotspot, the Iceland plume, which is believed to have caused the formation of Iceland itself. The result is an island of volcanism and geothermal phenomena such as geysers. The eruption of Laki in 1783 caused much devastation and loss of life and affected Europe. In the period 1963 to 1967 the new island of Surtsey was created on the southwest coast by a volcanic eruption. [21]

  • Gabbro
  • Dolerite
  • Diorite
  • Rhyolite
  • Granophyre
  • Granite

[22]

Iceland Geological Map

Iceland_Mid-Atlantic_Ridge_Fig16.gif [23] ice_map1.gif [24]

Mining Resources

Europe

  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Iron and Steel
  • Iron Ore
  • Lead and Zinc
  • Nickel
  • Platinum- Group Metals
  • Diamond
  • Phosphate Rock
  • Potash
  • Coal
  • Natural Gas
  • Petroleum
  • Uranium

[25]

Iceland

  • Aluminum
  • Diatomite
  • Pumice
  • Scoria
  • Salt
  • Sand
  • Basalt
  • Rhyolite

[26]

Tectonic Plates

Plates:

Europe: Eurasian Plate

Iceland: North American Plate and Eurasian Plate


Boundaries:

Europe: Divergent Boundary on the west side and Convergent Boundary on the south side

Iceland: Divergent Boundary right in the middle


Active or Passive Margins:

Europe: Passive Margin- on the northwest side, it is a divergent boundary in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

Active Margin- on the south side, it is the convergent boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Arabian Plate

Iceland: Active Margin- right in the middle there is a divergent boundary, it is also the place where the Mid-Ocean Ridge rises above the surface

[27]

Volcanoes

Europe:

Germany:

  • Vogtland volcanic area
  • Laacher See
  • Kaisertuhl

Armenia:

  • Aragats
  • Ghegam
  • Porak
  • Dar- Alages
  • Tskhouk
  • Karckar

Italy:

  • Eolian Islands, Stromboli
  • Lipari
  • Volcano Amiata
  • Vulsini
  • Monte Albano
  • Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields)
  • Vesuvius
  • Ischia
  • Etna
  • Campi Flegrei Mar Sicilia
  • Pantelleria

Turkey:

  • Akyarlar
  • Kenger
  • Sandal
  • Kula
  • Karadag
  • Karapinar
  • Hasan Dagi
  • Gollu Dag
  • Acigol- Nevsehir
  • Erciyes Dag
  • Koruhuyugu
  • Karaca Dag
  • Nemrut Dag
  • Suphan Dag
  • Kars
  • Girekol
  • Tendurek Dag
  • Ararat

Greece:

  • Sousaki
  • Methana
  • Milos
  • Nisyros
  • Kolumbo
  • Santorini

Portugal:

  • Azores Corvo
  • Flores
  • Graciosa
  • Terceira
  • San Jorge
  • Fayal
  • Pico
  • Sete Cidades
  • Faja de Cima
  • Agua de Pau
  • Furnas
  • Madeira Madeira

Spain:

  • Canary Islands, Lanzarote
  • Fuerteventure
  • Gran Canaria
  • Tenerife
  • La Gomera
  • La Palma
  • El Hierro
  • Olot Field


The earliest known documentation of volcanism is an Anatolian wall painting of a nearby cinder cone eruption around 6200 BC; the vigorous record of Etna goes back to 1500 BC; and the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, with the burial of Pompeii, continues to serve today as an object lesson in volcanism. The region has given us the first documented "new mountain," Monte Nuovo, in 1538, the first "new island" at Santorini, in 197 BC, and the word "volcano" itself. [28]

Mount Vesuvius (composite volcano), towering over the Bay of Naples, is one of the most dangerously active volcanoes present today. The magma related to this volcano is andesitic magma. A close competitor is the Mount Etna (composite volcano), located on the coast of Sicily, near Messina and Catania. The magma related to this is andesitic magma.Mount Stromboli, in Stromboli, Italy is another active volcano in Italy. Stromboli is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. It is a shield volcano associated with basaltic magma.[29][27]


Iceland:

  • Theistareykjarbunga- basaltic magma
  • Krafla- basaltic magma
  • Fremrinamur- basaltic magma
  • Askja- andesitic magma
  • Lysuhóll- rhyolitic magma
  • Ljósufjöll- basaltic magma
  • Snaefellsjökull- andesitic magma
  • Hofsjökull- basaltic magma
  • Langjökull- andesitic magma
  • Tungnafellsjökull- andesitic magma
  • Kverkfjöll- andesitic magma
  • Kerlingarfjöll- andesitic magma
  • Bárdarbunga- andesitic magma
  • Prestahnukur- basaltic magma
  • Loki-Fögrufjöll- rhyolitic magma
  • Grímsvötn- rhyolitic magma
  • Esjufjöll- andesitic magma
  • Hengill- basaltic magma
  • Grímsnes- basaltic magma
  • Öraefajökull- andesitic magma
  • Torfajökull- andesitic magma
  • Krísuvík- basaltic magma
  • Brennisteinsfjöll- basaltic magma
  • Vatnafjöll- basaltic magma
  • Reykjanes- rhyolitic magma
  • Tindfjallajökull- rhyolitic magma
  • Katla- basaltic magma
  • Eyafjallajökull- andesitic magma
  • Vestmannaeyjar- andesitic magma

Mount Hekla(composite) is an active volcano in Southern Iceland. It is associated with andesitic magma.

Iceland has many volcanoes due to a large volcanic hot spot sitting on a mid- ocean ridge [30]

Earthquakes

Europe:

Europe has many earthquakes. The Earthquakes tend to occur around Greece, Spain and Italy. There are fault lines near, which contribute to the earthquakes. Only 33 earthquakes exceeded the magnitude of 5.0 between 1981 and 2002, and the largest event is the 1997, September 26, Umbria-Marche earthquake. On April 6, 2009, an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude shook central Italy, killing 299 people. September 7, 1999, an earthquake of 6.0 magnitude shook Athens, Greece, killing 143 people. May 11, 2011, two earthquakes of 4.4 and 5.2 magnitudes shook Murcia, Spain, killing 10 people. Significant earthquakes include the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, Portugal earthquake on November 1,1755. Seismologists today estimate that the Lisbon earthquake had a magnitude in the range 8.5–9.0 on the moment magnitude scale. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 100,000 people, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. On December 28, 1908 from about 05:20 to 05:21 an earthquake of 7.2 on the magnitude scale occurred centered on the city of Messina, Sicily. The ground shook for 30 to 40 seconds, and the destruction was felt within a 300 km radius. Moments after the earthquake, a 12 m tsunami struck nearby coasts causing even more devastation.

[31] [32] [33] [34] [35]




map_plate_tectonics_world_med(1).gif [36]

References

  1. http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/extmedia?id=ar186660&st=europe&em=mp000070
  2. http://www.travelmath.com/continent/Europe
  3. http://www.travelmath.com/country/Iceland
  4. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001763.html
  5. http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/highlow.htm
  6. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm
  7. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/euriv3.htm
  8. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/is.htm
  9. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/euland4.htm
  10. http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/lgcolor/iscolor.htm
  11. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/climate_max.htm
  12. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/england.html
  13. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/n_ireland.html
  14. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/scotland.html
  15. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/areal/wales.html
  16. http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/north-atlantic-drift.html
  17. http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-mineral-map.htm
  18. http://www.mapsofworld.com/iceland/iceland-mineral-map.html
  19. http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geo527/Alps/geology.html
  20. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Europe
  21. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Iceland#External_links
  22. https://notendur.hi.is/oi/iceland_excursion.htm
  23. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Iceland#External_links
  24. https://notendur.hi.is/oi/iceland_excursion.htm
  25. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2007/myb3-sum-2007-europe-eurasia.pdf
  26. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2007/myb3-2007-ic.pdf
  27. 27.0 27.1 Perry's Handbook, Sixth Edition, McGraw- Hill Co., 1984.
  28. http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/europe.html
  29. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/active-volcanoes-in-europe.html
  30. http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/iceland.html
  31. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-02/28/c_13191133.htm
  32. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Athens_earthquake
  33. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13368599
  34. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1755_Lisbon_earthquake
  35. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Messina_earthquake
  36. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth501/content/p2_p4.html