Why do we have different Landscapes on Earth?

Regents Earth Science With Ms. Connery How can we “picture” the features of the landscapes without even going there?

If you create a landscape, then maybe we can figure it out! Using your 3-D cardboard landscapes, what real world features do you observe?

LANDSCAPE #1 LANDSCAPE #2

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...... REMEMBER

SIDE VIEW, PROFILE, CROSS-SECTION VIEW all mean the SAME THING! REMEMBER

BIRDS’ EYE VIEW, AERIAL VIEW, MAP VIEW all mean the SAME THING! Can you see how profiles (side views) and contour lines (map view from above) relate? How do we describe landscape features on maps? Elevation means height above sea level Sea level is the starting point (datum) for measuring elevation and = 0 Contour lines connect point of equal elevation in a landscape Contour lines don’t cross because on place can’t equal 2 elevations! Steep gradients are shown by closely spaced contour lines Gentle gradients are shown by widely spaced contour lines Vocabulary: Landscapes built up by and plate tectonics from below and W-E-D from above

 landscape  weathering (w)  lowlands (plains)  erosion (E)  plateaus  deposition (D)  mountains  stream: v-shape valley  topography  glacier: u-shape valley  gradient  plate tectonics  profile  contour lines  bedrock  contour interval  sedimentary  elevation  igneous  sea level  metamorphic What are landscapes & what causes them?

Landscapes are the land surface features (topography) of a region.

Landscapes result from the above and below-ground processes that create or destroy the bedrock located in that region. 3 main categories of landscapes are…

 Plains (lowlands) – low elevation & flat

 Plateaus – high elevation & generally flat. Can be continuous or dissected (broken up) by stream valleys

 Mountains – high elevation and originally sharp jagged peaks. But, these could be worn down now by erosion (like Appalachians). Water Lowlands Plateaus Mountains

MOUNTAINS - Jagged peaks like those in the Adirondacks P.S, the Adirondacks are not the Appalachian Mtns! MOUNTAINS are usually linear ridges like the Taconics (eastern NY) & Appalachian Mountains in eastern US Taconic Mountain ridge in NY Taconic Mountains The “Palisades” have the only igneous rocks in NYS – located along the Hudson River MOUNTAINS can also be young, high, and jagged (peaked) mountain chains like the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal which are still forming Allegheny Plateau – plateaus are generally high and flat Plateaus can be dissected by streams and carved by glaciers like in the Catskill (Allegheny) Plateau Catskills are not mountains – they are part of Allegheny Plateau Shawangunk Conglomerate cliffs in the Catskills Tug Hill Plateau

Plateaus can have rounded ice-gouged valleys like those in the Finger Lakes For scale - The Great Lakes & Finger Lakes from space Letchworth Gorge on Allegheny Plateau (humid climate)

Flat mesas like those in New Mexico Deep & steep river canyons that dissect plateaus, like those of Canyonlands National Park in Arizona (arid climate) Glacial cirque in the Rocky mountains of British Columbia,Canada Rounded glacial valleys like this serious “half pipe” in Canada St. Lawrence Lowlands – plains are low and flat Erie-Ontario Lowlands Glacial outwash – mass movement of unsorted sediments from Canada to Long Island We have them all in NYS! Sedimentary Igneous Metamorphic

Let’s see how landscapes relate to the bedrock below the surface in NYS. Find this ESRT! Let’s get familiar with the rocks and mineral resources of New York State.

 Today, rock types that go with the landscapes

 Rock ages will come later

Now add the bedrock to your definitions…

 Plains (lowlands) – low elevation & flat means sedimentary bedrock below

 Plateaus – high elevation & generally flat means sedimentary bedrock below. Can be continuous or dissected (broken up) by stream valleys

 Mountains – high elevation and sharp individual peaks means igneous and metamorphic bedrock below Let’s look at some maps showing landscapes across the US and compare them to our Allegheny Plateau

Station #1 - ______Station #2 - ______Max elev_____ft min elev_____ ft Max elev_____ft min elev_____ ft Describe map feature: Describe map feature:

Station #3 - ______Station #4 - ______Max elev_____ft min elev_____ ft Max elev_____ft min elev_____ ft Describe map feature: Describe map feature:

Station #5 - ______Station #6 - ______Max elev_____ft min elev_____ ft Max elev_____ft min elev_____ ft Describe map feature: Describe map feature: Which picture does this map show?