Difference between revisions of "Earth Science 7-5 South America"

From SJS Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(→‎Links)
Line 386: Line 386:
  
 
==Major Rock Types==
 
==Major Rock Types==
 +
Sedimentary:
 +
We get sedimentary rocks from the rivers and lakes in South America such as the Amazon River and Lake Maraciabo.
 +
 +
Igneous:
 +
We get igneous rocks in South America from the many volcanoes along the Chilean border.
 +
 +
Metamorphic:
 +
We get metamorphic rocks in South America from the mountains along the Chilean border.
  
 
==Major Minerals==
 
==Major Minerals==

Revision as of 12:56, 22 February 2012

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


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

Brazil produces the most minerals and natural resources out of all of the South American countries. [25]

Links

Earth Science 7-Regions

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://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/statistics/worldStatistics.html


By Christian Maines, Jake Greenberg, and Nina Lahoti.

Retrieved from "http://wiki.sjs.org/wiki/index.php?title=Earth_Science_7-5_South_America&oldid=19448"