Difference between revisions of "Earth Science 7-5 South America"
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== Plate Tectonics == | == Plate Tectonics == | ||
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'''Earthquakes''' | '''Earthquakes''' | ||
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+ | South America has many earthquakes. These tend to occur along the western Chilean border. 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. | ||
== References == | == References == |
Revision as of 11:58, 18 April 2012
On this page we will be showing our research on South America.
Contents
- 1 Links
- 2 Region Names and Countries
- 3 Latitude and Longitude Ranges
- 4 Elevation Range(Highest and Lowest Spots)
- 5 Large Bodies of Water and Rivers
- 6 Major Topographic Features
- 7 Bordering Oceans
- 8 Climate Zones
- 9 Climate Factors
- 10 Average Monthly Temperatures
- 11 Average Monthly Precipitation
- 12 Effects on South America's Climate
- 13 Major Rock Type Formation
- 14 Major Minerals
- 15 Plate Tectonics
- 16 References
Links
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
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Bolivia [25]
Brazil [26]
Chile [27]
Columbia [28]
Ecuador [29]
French Guiana [30]
Guyana [31]
Paraguay [32]
Peru [33]
Suriname [34]
Uruguay [35]
Venezuela [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
Volcanoes
Earthquakes
South America has many earthquakes. These tend to occur along the western Chilean border. 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.
References
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_soa.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 South America. Map. Google Earth. Google.com, 3 Nov. 2011. Web.
- ↑ http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/highlow.htm
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://school.eb.com/all/comptons/article-9272828?query=south%20america%20rivers&ct=null
- ↑ http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/sa.htm
- ↑ http://school.eb.com/all/eb/art-3438?articleTypeId=1
- ↑ http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/climate_max.htm
- ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/555844/South-America/41770/Factors-influencing-climate
- ↑ Earth Science Textbook published by McDougal Littel
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S22W043+1102+83743W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S12W077+1102+8462807G1
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N04W052+1202+0004935G2
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S16W068+1102+85201W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S27W064+1102+87129W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S34W058+1102+87585W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S22W043+2100+83743W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S12W077+2100+84628W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N04W052+2100+81405W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S16W068+2100+85201W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S27W064+2100+87129W
- ↑ http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S34W058+2100+87585W
- ↑ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/climate/El_NinoPublic.pdf
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o-Southern_Oscillation
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_South_America
- ↑ http://http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_2.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_3.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_4.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_5.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_6.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_7.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_8.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_9.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_10.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_11.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_13.htm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/othernationgeomaps/ss/South-America-Geologic-Maps_14.htm
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6080232.stm
- ↑ http://geology.about.com/od/rocks/ig/igrockindex/rocpicandesite.htm
- ↑ http://www.nsm.buffalo.edu/courses/gly481-581/McGuire05_2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html
- ↑ http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/statistics/worldStatistics.html
By Christian Maines, Jake Greenberg, and Nina Lahoti.