DOCSLIB.ORG

Essays on Infrastructure, Trade, and Politics in Developing Countries John S. Firth

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Essays on Infrastructure, Trade, and Politics in Developing Countries John S. Firth Essays on Infrastructure, Trade, and Politics in Developing Countries by John S. Firth B.A., University of Notre Dame (2010) Submitted to the Department of Economics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2018 ○c John S. Firth, MMXVIII. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Author................................................................ Department of Economics May 15, 2018 Certified by. Daron Acemoglu Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics Thesis Supervisor Certified by. Benjamin Olken Professor of Economics Thesis Supervisor Accepted by . Ricardo Caballero Ford International Professor of Economics Chairman, Departmental Committee on Graduate Theses 2 Essays on Infrastructure, Trade, and Politics in Developing Countries by John S. Firth Submitted to the Department of Economics on May 15, 2018, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics Abstract This thesis comprises three essays in empirical development economics. Broadly, the essays provide causal evidence on the effects of various barriers to trade, associated with infrastructure, law, and politics. Chapter 1 begins from the observation that transportation networks worldwide suffer from heavy congestion. To measure this congestion’s effect on the production side of the economy, I combine firm survey data with traffic data from Indian Rail- ways. Geographic variation in congestion comes from a recent wave of passenger trains which were planned according to certain rigid rules, making it possible to iden- tify the costs the additional traffic imposes on firms using the railways to ship goods. In estimating this “congestion externality”, the empirical strategy accounts for both direct and spillover effects of congestion. It also draws on a traffic model fromoper- ations research to disentangle a mean effect (congestion makes the average shipment slower) from a variance effect (congestion makes shipping times less predictable). In response especially to the unpredictability, firms simplify operations in several ways, leading to lower productivity and substantial revenue loss. While affected firms suffer, however, I draw on a general equilibrium model of competition to identify gains to their competitors. Policy implications of these results concern both the management of traffic on existing infrastructure, and the construction of new infrastructure. Chapter 2 (coauthored with Ernest Liu) provides a long-run perspective on the effects of trade costs on the geography of production. We consider India’s Freight Equalization Scheme (FES), which aimed to promote even industrial development by subsidizing long-distance transport of key inputs such as iron and steel. Many observers speculate that FES actually exacerbated inequality by allowing rich man- ufacturing centers on the coast to cheaply source raw materials from poor eastern regions. We exploit state-by-industry variation in the effects of FES on input costs, in order to show how it affected the geography of production. We find, first, that over the long-run FES contributed to the decline of industry in eastern India, pushing iron and steel using industries toward more prosperous states. This effect sinks in gradually, however, with the time needed to construct new plants serving as a friction 3 to industry relocation. Finally, we test for the stickiness of these effects, by studying the repeal of FES. Contrary to popular opinions of the policy and to agglomeration- based reasons for hypothesizing stickiness, we find that the effects of repealing FES are equal and opposite to those of its implementation. Still, due to changing locations of the processing of basic iron and steel materials, the resource-rich states suffering under FES never fully recover. Chapter 3 contributes to the debate on laws against foreign bribery. When gov- ernments pass laws to prevent their businesspeople from bribing foreign officials, how does this affect patterns of trade and foreign investment? A literature focusing on the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention claims that these laws direct international busi- ness toward less corrupt destination countries, with the effect of diverting business away from developing countries. I rebut this claim, using three empirical tests: (i) a baseline test building on previous work but accounting for the omitted role of OECD- level cooperation trends, (ii) an analysis of an initiative intensifying the Convention’s enforcement, and (iii) a test exploiting product-by-destination level variation in pre- Convention exposure to OECD exports. Together, these tests show that the redirec- tion of trade and investment following the passage of the foreign bribery laws was due not to the laws themselves, but to an underlying trend of increased political cooper- ation among OECD countries, as indicated by patterns in UN voting affinity. This cooperation is what simultaneously led OECD countries to pass measures such as the Convention, and to do more business with other OECD countries, which happen to be less corrupt on average than non-OECD countries. Thesis Supervisor: Daron Acemoglu Title: Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics Thesis Supervisor: Benjamin Olken Title: Professor of Economics 4 Acknowledgments I am deeply grateful to those who helped me through the long and sometimes difficult journey which led to this thesis. First and foremost, I thank my advisors, Daron Acemoglu, Ben Olken, and Abhijit Banerjee, for their incredible advice, encouragement, and mentorship. I feel very fortunate that they have invested so much in my development as an economist. Apart from my official advisors, several other professors at MIT provided in- valuable guidance, especially Esther Duflo, Rob Townsend, David Atkin, and Dave Donaldson. It has been a privilege to be part of such a vibrant and supportive group. My peers also played an integral role in my graduate school experience. For their help and friendship, I thank Sid George, Nick Hagerty, Greg Howard, Peter Hull, Donghee Jo, Gabriel Kreindler, Matt Lowe, Ernest Liu, Ben Marx, Rachael Meager, Yuhei Miyauchi, Scott Nelson, Arianna Ornaghi, Brendan Price, Otis Reid, Ben Roth, Ludwig Straub, Marco Tabellini, and Tite Yokossi. My inspiration to pursue a PhD and become an academic came during my under- graduate studies, and for this I especially thank Bill Evans, John Roos, Jim Sullivan, and Paul Weithman. I also thank Dan Keniston, Clément Imbert, and everyone at J-PAL South Asia who supported me in my first experiences with fieldwork. For help with the chapters on Indian Railways, I thank Arvind Subramanian, Rangeet Ghosh, and their colleagues at the Ministry of Finance. I am also grateful for the help and insights of many dedicated people working with the Indian Railways, including Shri Prakash, GK Mohanty, NM Rao, Vishy Shanker, Beji George, Ashwani Kumar, and Rajnish Kumar. Finally, I thank my parents, my siblings, and Anushka Shah, for the love and support which not only carried me through this thesis, but also kept it in perspective and made it all meaningful. 5 6 Contents 1 I’ve Been Waiting on the Railroad: The Effects of Congestion on Firm Production 15 1.1 Introduction . 15 1.2 Context and data . 26 1.2.1 Indian Railways . 26 1.2.2 Data sources . 28 1.3 Reduced form effects of congestion on firm revenue . 31 1.3.1 Basic empirical strategy . 31 1.3.2 Spillovers from diversion of traffic onto alternate routes . 34 1.3.3 Reduced form results . 36 1.4 The effect of shipping times: mean versus variance . 43 1.4.1 Model and empirical strategy . 43 1.4.2 Results of the shipping times IV . 47 1.5 Explaining the revenue loss: costs versus competition . 47 1.5.1 Model and empirical strategy . 48 1.5.2 Empirical application of the model . 54 1.6 Policy . 57 1.6.1 Traffic management on existing infrastructure . 57 1.6.2 New infrastructure . 60 1.7 Conclusion . 66 1.8 Tables and Figures . 68 1.9 Appendix . 90 7 2 Manufacturing Underdevelopment: India’s Freight Equalization Scheme, and the Long-run Effects of Distortions on the Geography ofPro- duction 117 2.1 Introduction . 117 2.2 Background . 121 2.3 Empirical analysis . 125 2.3.1 Long-run effect . 125 2.3.2 Transition path . 130 2.3.3 Stickiness . 134 2.4 Conclusion . 136 2.5 Tables and Figures . 138 2.6 Appendix . 153 3 Do Anti-Bribery Laws Affect International Trade and Investment? 159 3.1 Introduction . 159 3.2 Background . 160 3.3 Data and methodology . 162 3.4 Results . 164 3.4.1 Strategy 1: Baseline model, accounting for international coop- eration . 164 3.4.2 Strategy 2: Increased enforcement in Phase 3 of the OECD Working Group on Bribery . 169 3.4.3 Strategy 3: Product-level trade . 170 3.5 Conclusion . 172 3.6 Tables and Figures . 174 4 Bibliography 186 8 List of Figures 1-1 Histogram of line capacity utilization . 68 1-2 Route-wise average freight shipment times . 69 1-3 Sample from scraped website with data on train routes . 70 1-4 Goods shipped by rail in India . 71 1-5 Reduced form empirical strategy, accounting for spillover effects . 72 1-6 District-wise exposure to Duronto routes . 73 1-7 District-wise exposure to spillover routes . 74 1-8 Event study for effect of Durontos . 75 1-9 Mean and variance response to Durontos, as a function of pre-existing congestion . 76 1-10 Event study for the effect of Ddy × Td;y=y0 on revenue . 77 1-11 Effects of two hypothetical construction projects . 78 1-12 Effects of congestion on travel times . 115 2-1 The economic geography of India at the time of FES implementation 138 2-2 Historical trends in state manufacturing output .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cover and Final Landform Design for the B-Zone Waste Rock Pile at Rabbit Lake Mine
    Cover and final landform design for the B-zone waste rock pile at Rabbit Lake Mine Brian Ayres1, Pat Landine2, Les Adrian2, Dave Christensen1, Mike O’Kane1 1O’Kane Consultants Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 2Cameco Corporation, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Abstract. A detailed study was undertaken to evaluate various cover system and final landform designs for the B-zone waste rock pile at Rabbit Lake Mine in Can- ada. Several tasks were completed including physical and hydraulic characteriza- tion of the waste and potential cover materials and numerical modelling to exam- ine erosion and slope stability. Soil-atmosphere numeric simulations were conducted to predict net infiltration and oxygen ingress rates through several cover system alternatives. A seepage numerical modelling programme was com- pleted to predict current and future seepage rates from the base of the pile for al- ternate cover system designs. Several final landform alternatives were developed for the pile along with a preliminary design for a surface water management sys- tem. The potential impact of various physical, chemical, and biological processes on the sustainable performance of the final landform was also considered. This paper provides an overview of the investigations completed towards the develop- ment of a cover system and final landform design for the B-zone waste rock pile. Introduction Rabbit Lake Mine, owned and operated by Cameco Corporation, began operation in 1975, and is the longest operating uranium production facility in Saskatchewan, Canada. The operation is located 700 km north of Saskatoon (Fig. 1). Historic and current operations at this site include four open pits, one underground mine, sev- eral mine waste storage facilities, and a mill.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Did the Southern Gulf of California Rupture So Rapidly?—Oblique Divergence Across Hot, Weak Lithosphere Along a Tectonically Active Margin
    Why did the Southern Gulf of California rupture so rapidly?—Oblique divergence across hot, weak lithosphere along a tectonically active margin breakup, is mainly dependent on the thermal structure, crust- Paul J. Umhoefer, Geology Program, School of Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, al thickness, and crustal strength of the lithosphere when Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA; [email protected] rifting begins (e.g., Buck, 2007), as well as forces at the base of the lithosphere and far-field plate interactions (Ziegler and Cloetingh, 2004). ABSTRACT Continental rupture at its two extremes creates either large Rifts in the interior of continents that evolve to form large ocean basins or small and narrow marginal seas depending oceans typically last for 30 to 80 m.y. and longer before com- largely on the tectonic setting of the rift. Rupture of a conti- plete rupture of the continent and onset of sea-floor spreading. nent that creates large oceans most commonly initiates as A distinct style of rifts form along the active tectonic margins of rifts in old, cold continental lithosphere or within former continents, and these rifts more commonly form marginal seas large collisional belts in the interior of large continents, part and terranes or continental blocks or slivers that are ruptured of the process known as the Wilson Cycle (Wilson, 1966). away from their home continent. The Gulf of California and the Rupture to create narrow marginal seas commonly occurs in Baja California microplate make up one of the best examples active continental margins and results in the formation of of the latter setting and processes.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas
    OCS Study BOEM 2019-045 Proceedings: The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico OCS Region OCS Study BOEM 2019-045 Proceedings: The Gulf of Mexico Workshop on International Research, March 29–30, 2017, Houston, Texas Editors Larry McKinney, Mark Besonen, Kim Withers Prepared under BOEM Contract M16AC00026 by Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78412 Published by U.S. Department of the Interior New Orleans, LA Bureau of Ocean Energy Management July 2019 Gulf of Mexico OCS Region DISCLAIMER Study collaboration and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Agreement Number M16AC00026. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this report, go to the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website at https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Studies-EnvData/, click on the link for the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), and search on 2019-045. CITATION McKinney LD, Besonen M, Withers K (editors) (Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Corpus Christi, Texas).
    [Show full text]
  • Late Cambrian Hard Substrate Communities from Montana/ Wyoming: the Oldest Known Hardground Encrusters
    Late Cambrian hard substrate communities from Montana/ Wyoming: the oldest known hardground encrusters CARLTON E. BREIT, W. DAVID LIDDELL AND KRAIG L. DERSTLER Brett. Carlton E., Liddell, W. David & Derstler, Kraig L. 1983 10 IS: Late Cambrian hard substrate I JETHAIA communities from MontandWyoming: the oldest known hardground encrustcrs. Lethaia, Vol. 16, pp. 281-289. Oslo. ISSN 0024-1164. Hardground surfaces from the Late Cambrian Snowy Range Formation in MontanalWyoming are the oldest known non-reefal hard substrates exhibiting encrusting fossils. These surfaces range in age from Early Franconian to early Trempealeauan. Hardgrounds were developed on slightly hummocky to planar, truncated surfaces of glauconite-rich, carbonate, flat pebble conglomerates, which were deposited during episodes of storm scouring in shallow subtidal environments of the Montana/Wyoming shelf. Snowy Range hardgrounds are encrusted by a low diversity assemblage of fossils dominated by simple discoidal holdfasts of pelmatozoans, probably crinoids, and including small conical spongiomorph algae? and probable stromatolites. Macroborings (e.g. Trypanites) are notably absent from all hardground surfaces, although sharp-walled, vertical, cylindrical holes (borings?) occur in micrite clasts imbedded in certain flat pebble conglomerates. No evidence of faunal succession or microecologic partitioning of irregular surfaces was observed on these Cambrian hardgrounds. 0 Hardgrounds, epibionts, macrobor- ings, pelmatozoan echinoderms, paleoecology, Cambrian, MontanaiWyoming. Cariton E. Brett, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Rochesrer, Rochester. New York 14627; W. David Liddell, Department of Geology, Utah Stare University, Logan, Utah 84322; Kraig L. Derstler, Department of Geology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70122; 9th September, 1982. Hardgrounds afford a unique opportunity for pa- morph algae? and pelmatozoan echinoderm leoecological studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Sediment Exchanges Along the Coastal Margin of the Moray Firth, Eastern Scotland
    Journal ofthe Geological Society, London, Vol. 144, 1987, pp. 179-185, 8 figs., 2 tables. Printed in Northern Ireland Sediment exchanges along the coastal margin of the Moray Firth, Eastern Scotland G. REID' & J. McMANUS Department of Geology, The University, Dundee, Scotland 1 Present address: Department of Oceanography, University College of North Wales, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd LL.59 5EY, UK Abstrart: The Moray Firthis the largest of only three major coastal embayments on the East Coastof Scotland. The relationships between the offshore, coastal margin and fluvial sediments are examined in terms of processes and deposits. These suggest that the large post-glacial accretions of sediment infilling the inner firths are in part attributable to transport of material from the offshore zone. Since the fluvial input to the area appears tobe relatively small and much is retained on estuarine tidal flats it is likely that the offshore contribution is the most important constituent of the deposits of the coastal margin. The other major source is glacial and fluvioglacial material now being reworked by marine activity. Basis of Moray Firth study post-glacial sediments in such areas mayexceed 80 m in Incontrast tothe strongly dissected WestCoast, major thickness. Inthe outer MorayFirth seismicevidence coastal indentations along the East Coast of Scotland are suggests thinner post-and late-glacial accumulations locally limited to the three major embayments of the Forth, the withpatchy distributions resting upona moraine strewn Tay and the largerMoray Firth. Since the rocky stretches of surface (Chesher & Lawson 1983). coastline are sedimentologically relatively inactive,an understanding of the sedimentaryregimes of themajor inlets provides a key to understanding sediment exchanges Hydrographic regime across most of the coast of Eastern Scotland.
    [Show full text]
  • Landform Characterization with Geographic Information Systems
    Landform Characterization with Geographic Information Systems Jacek S. BI Abstract landforms therefore often include the way they were formed, The ability to analyze and quantify morphology of the sur- their composition, and the environment in which they were face of the Earth in terms of landform characteristics is es- formed. sential for understanding of the physical, chemical, and The ability to map landforms is an important aspect of biological processes that occur within the landscape. How- any environmental or resource analysis and modeling effort. ever, because of the complexity of taxonomic schema for Traditionally, mapping of the aspects of the environment has landforms which include their provenance, composition, and been accomplished through in situ surveys. The advent of function, these features are difficult to map and quantify us- aerial photography and satellite remote sensing have made ing automated methods. The author suggests geographic in- surveys of large areas easier to accomplish, although this technology still requires in situ verification and ground-tru- formation systems (GIS) based methods for mapping and classification of the landscape suqface into what can be un- thing. While remote sensing technology can provide tremen- derstood as fourth-order-of-relief features and include convex dous amounts of information about the surface of the Earth, it areas and their crests, concave areas and their troughs, open is incapable of providing all of the data needed. The most concavities and enclosed basins, and horizontal and sloping complete approach to mapping the distribution of various en- flats. The features can then be analyzed statistically, aggre- vironmental parameters requires an integrated approach that gated into higher-order-of-relief forms, and correlated with relies on remote sensing and geographically referenced field other aspects of the environment to aid fuller classification survey data, whether in cartographic or tabular format.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of the Beaches in the Regional Park of Salinas and Arenales of San Pedro Del Pinatar (Southeast of Spain) (1899–2019)
    International Journal of Geo-Information Article Evolution of the Beaches in the Regional Park of Salinas and Arenales of San Pedro del Pinatar (Southeast of Spain) (1899–2019) Daniel Ibarra-Marinas, Francisco Belmonte-Serrato, Gustavo A. Ballesteros-Pelegrín * and Ramón García-Marín Department of Geography, Campus La Merced, University of Murcia, 30001 Murcia, Spain; [email protected] (D.I.-M.); [email protected] (F.B.-S.); [email protected] (R.G.-M.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Coastal erosion is anissuewhich affects beaches all over the world and that signifies enormous economic and environmental losses. Classed as a slow phenomenon, the evolution of the coastline requires long-term analysis. In this study, old cartography and aerial photographs from various dates have been used to study the evolution of the coastline. The information has been processed with free software (QGIS) and for the calculation of sediment transport the Coastal Modeling System (SMC) software. The results show the accretion/erosion phenomena that occurred after the construction of the port in San Pedro del Pinatarin 1954 and which changed the coastal dynamics of a highly protected area. In some sectors, the beach has been reduced almost in its Citation: Ibarra-Marinas, D.; entirety, with retreat rates of up to −2.05 m per year and a total area loss of 66,419.81 m2 in Las Belmonte-Serrato, F.; Salinas beach and 76,891.13 m2 on Barraca Quemada beach. Ballesteros-Pelegrín, G.A.; García-Marín, R. Evolution of the Keywords: beach; coastal erosion; coastal construction; sediment transport; Posidoniaoceanica Beaches in the Regional Park of Salinas and Arenales of San Pedro del Pinatar (Southeast of Spain) (1899–2019).
    [Show full text]
  • GEO “Oceans and Society: Blue Planet” Initiative 2020
    GEO “Oceans and Society: Blue Planet” Initiative 2020 – 2022 Implementation Plan GEO Blue Planet Implementation Plan Version 2.0 – March 2019 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 1 2. Purpose and Activities ................................................................................................................ 2 Cross-cutting Activities ............................................................................................................... 4 Stakeholder Engagement and Societal Awareness Working Group ....................................... 4 Capacity Development Working Group .................................................................................. 7 Data Discovery, Access and Utilization Working Group........................................................ 7 Thematic Activities ..................................................................................................................... 9 Understanding Flooding on Reef-lined Island Coasts Working Group .................................. 9 Multi-hazard Information and Alert System for the Wider Caribbean Project ..................... 10 Water-related diseases Working Group ................................................................................. 11 Marine Debris Working Group.............................................................................................. 11 3. Background and Previous Achievements ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Concept Designs for a Groyne Field on the Far North Nsw Coast
    CONCEPT DESIGNS FOR A GROYNE FIELD ON THE FAR NORTH NSW COAST I Coghlan 1, J Carley 1, R Cox 1, E Davey 1, M Blacka 1, J Lofthouse 2 1 Water Research Laboratory (WRL), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Manly Vale, NSW 2Tweed Shire Council (TSC), Murwillumbah, NSW Introduction On the open coast of NSW, many options exist to adapt to the hazards of erosion and recession. Perhaps the most common historical approach to counter the erosion and recession hazard is to construct a seawall or revetment to protect the existing foreshore. Other alternatives include the construction of a submerged breakwater, assisted beach recovery and/or beach nourishment. For beaches with a littoral drift imbalance, the construction of one or more groyne structures is a further possibility. This paper presents two different concept designs for a long term groyne field at Kingscliff Beach. Background Information Case Study: Kingscliff Beach Kingscliff Beach, located at the southern end of Wommin Bay on the far north coast of NSW (Figure 1), is a section of the Tweed coastline with built assets at immediate risk from coastal hazards. Ongoing erosion in the last few years has resulted in substantial loss of beach amenity and community land. Storm erosion episodes between 2009 and 2012 severely impacted the Kingscliff Beach Holiday Park (KBHP). This section is also affected by moderate ongoing underlying shoreline recession (WBM, 2001). To manage the Kingscliff Beach foreshore (Figure 2) in the longer term, Tweed Shire
    [Show full text]
  • Machair3.Pdf
    • • a a • • • • tr77- (2.12-2,) ' qAPt 511-h (2-5-2.). Frontispiece Photo. Machair Group Meeting, Outer Hebrides, July 1978(Photo: D.S. Ranwell). á Natural Environment Research Council Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Sand Dune Machair 3 Report on meeting in the Outer Hebrides 14-16th July 1978 Edited by D.S. Ranwell (1980) Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, University of East Anglia, Norwich Printed ir England by NERC Reprogriphic Section Swindon © 1981 Published in 1981 by Institute of Terrestrial Ecology 68 Hills Road Cambridge CB2 ILA Dr. D S Ranwell, School of Biological Scien6es, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ 0603 (Norwich) 56161 Cover Drawing by Sid Lewis ,The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) was established in 1973, from the former Nature Conservancy's research stations and staff, joined later by the Institute of Tree Biology and the Culture Centre of Algae and Protozoa. ITE contributes to and draws upon the collective knowledge of the fourteen sister institutes which Make up the Natural Environment Research Council, spanning all the environmental sciences. The Institute studies the factors determining the structure, composition and processes of land and fresh- water systems, and of individual plant and animal species. It is developing a sounder scientific basis for predicting and modelling environmental trends arising from natUral or man-made change. The results of this research are available to those responsible for the protection, management and wise use of our natural resources. Nearly half of ITE's work is research commissioned by customers, such as the Nature Conservancy Council who require information for wildlife conservation, the Department of Energy, the Department of the EnvironMent and the EEC.
    [Show full text]
  • Lotsa Landforms! Grade Level: 6 Learning Outcomes: TEKS Strand(S
    Lotsa Landforms! Created by: Michelle Crane, 2014 This project is funded in part by a grant from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation. Grade Level: 6 Time Frame: Two 45 minute periods Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to: 1. Identify and describe examples of landforms, and 2. Explain the processes which created the landforms. Connection to the Curriculum: This lesson is intended to be used in a 6th grade World Cultures class. As written, it is meant to provide an introduction to basic landforms using generic examples. However, the lesson can be modified easily to be used to introduce important landforms within any particular region. TEKS Strand(s) Objective(s): (6) Geography. The student understands that geographical patterns result from physical environmental processes. The student is expected to: (A) describe and explain the effects of physical environmental processes such as erosion, ocean currents, and earthquakes on Earth's surface; Materials: For Student Use: Computer Lab One computer per student. See references for a list of suggested websites. Paper For Teacher Use: How to Create a Landform Power Point Computer with projector References: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA-Johnson Space Center. (n.d.). Earth Landscapes. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from Earth from Space: http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/efs/land.htm National Geographic. (n.d.). Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from National Geographic Education: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/?ar_a=1 Pidwirny, M. (2006). Models of Landform Development. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10q.html Strategies: This lesson has students using graphic organizers to organize their information.
    [Show full text]
  • WARREN HAMILTON US Geological Survey, Denver, Colo. Origin of The
    WARREN HAMILTON U. S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colo. Origin of the Gulf of California Abstract: The probable cumulative Late Cretaceous The California batholith of mid-Cretaceous age and Cenozoic right-lateral strike-slip displacement and allied crystalline rocks form the basement of along the San Andreas fault in central California is Baja California, southwestern Arizona, and north- 350 miles. The San Andreas and the allied faults western Sonora and probably extend along the into which it branches southward trend longi- coast of mainland Mexico; the Gulf apparently tudinally into the Gulf of California, and the bisects the crystalline belt longitudinally. seismicity of the region indicates that the fault These features suggest that Baja California system follows the length of the Gulf and enters initially lay 300 miles to the southeast, against the the Pacific basin south of Baja California. Crustal continental-margin bulge of Jalisco. The Gulf of structure of most of the Gulf is of oceanic type, so California may be a pull-apart feature caused by that an origin by structural depression of con- strike-slip displacement plus up to 100 miles of tinental rocks is not possible. cross-strike separation of the continental plate, Tectonic styles north and south of Los Angeles subcontinental materials having welled up into the differ greatly. To the north, the Coast Ranges ex- rift gap. The strike-slip motion has a tensional com- pose thick Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic sedi- ponent across the continental margin south of Los mentary rocks that were deposited in local basins Angeles but a compressional component to the and deformed tightly and repeatedly.
    [Show full text]