Impact of Geography on Central and South America

Impact of Geography on Central and South America​

• Describe how natural disasters and weather events impact living conditions in Central and South America

• Identify the role tectonic plates play in earthquakes

• Analyze the argument for and against South American deforestation

Objectives/Goals

• Deforestation

• Infrastructure

• Richter Scale

• Tsunami

​Vocabulary

• Earthquake

• Leeward

• Seismic Waves

• Windward

​Essential Question: How does geography affect Central and South America?

Open Ended

Where in the World is Comet?

Clue 1: This location is located along the Guaitara River, Columbia.

Clue 2: This location's name is Spanish for flagstone.

Clue 3: Many Christians from around the world pilgrimage to this location.

Clue 4: This location is home to a 'shrine' found by Friar Juan de Santa Gertrudis.

Clue 5: Some Christians believe that an image of the Virgin Mary appeared without human interaction.

Where is Comet?

​Earthquakes: powerful shakes of the Earth's surface due to the movement of tectonic plates

• Impact of Earthquakes

  • Damage to Roads and Buildings (Infrastructure)

  • Landslides

  • Tsunamis: giant waves

  • Volcanic activity

• Measuring Earthquakes

  • Richter Scale: measures the intensity of earthquakes

  • Seismic Waves: the waves of energy that pulse through the Earth during an earthquake

  • May 22, 1960: Chile, largest recorded earthquake in the world

    • Tsunamis: mainland Hawaii, Honshu, the Phillippines, and Los Angeles

      • 35 feet tall wave, 231 dead and a major loss of infrastructure

Impact of Earthquakes

• Physical Geography

  • Mountains, Valleys, Volcanoes and Fertil Plains

  • Shape the landscape (Andes Mountains - the collision of tectonic plates

• Adapting to Living with Earthquakes

  • Building and Infrastructure Safety

    • Flexible steel frames

    • Base Isolation Systems

  • Early Warning systems

    • Emergency Preparedness Plans

    • P-wave sensors detect P-waves

    • Evacuation Simulations and Drills

    • Classroom Education

  • Improved Prediction Methods

    • Mathematics and models to predict potential seismic activity

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Natural Disasters​

• Tsunamis: large, fast-moving waves caused by earthquakes

• Flooding: heavy rainfall brought by the weather condition El Nino

• Landslides: the movement of earth, rock, and debris down a slope

• Drought: prolonged periods of low rainfall; can be made worse by heat waves

• Hurricanes: large, tropical storms with a rotating center; high winds, and heavy rain

Earth's Biggest Storms: Tropical Cyclones

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​Amazon Rainforest

• World's largest rainforest; 2.72 million square miles, 40% of South America

• Biodiversity of Trees

  • Furniture: Teak, Mahogany and Rosewood

  • Oils, Gums, and Resins: cosmetics, paints, rubber, and shampoo

  • Medicine: malaria, diabetes, and arthritis

  • Food: vanilla, acai berries, cashews, Brazil nuts

  • Spices: cinnamon and pepper

​Deforestation: the cutting down of trees

• Causes: logging, mining, urbanization, agriculture, ranching

• Impacts of Deforestation

  • Wildfires

  • High levels of carbon monoxide poisoning

  • Soil Erosion

  • Loss of Biodiversity

  • Loss of animal habitats

  • Loss of Indigenous land

• Conservation: protection of the rainforest

  • Protect areas of logging

  • Re-planting trees

  • Government Policies

Open Ended

What is one thing you could do to help protect the rainforest?

Rural to Urban Migration

• Urbanization: the movement of people from a rural (countryside) setting to an urban (city) setting.

• Push and Pull Factors of Urbanization

  • Jobs; higher wages

  • Entertainment

  • Lack of healthcare

  • Lack of education

  • Better Infrastructure: basic structures and facilities (buildings, roads, bridges, power supplies, sewers, healthcare)

• Concerns with Migration

  • Loss of agriculture jobs

  • Loss of traditional ways of life

  • Overcrowding in cities

  • Strain on infrastructure

​Weather Patterns

• El Niño and La Niña impact the weather patterns around the world

• El Niño: when the surface of the waters of the Pacific Ocean becomes warmer than usual

  • Changes in wind patterns

  • Shifts in Rainfall and Temperatures

  • Warmer, drier winter in the Northern half of the US

  • Colder, wetter winter in the Southern half of the US

• La Niña: when the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean become cooler than usual

  • Changes in wind patterns

  • Shifts in Rainfall and Temperatures

  • Cold, wetter weather in the Northen half of the US

  • Warm, dry weather in the Southern half of the US

​Rainshadow Effect

• Leeward Side: side facing away from the prevailing winds

• Windward Side: side of the mountain exposed to the side

• Atacama Desert: Leeward Side; driest place on earth

Open Ended

Select one vocabulary word from today's lesson and use it in a sentence to describe how it impacts the geography of Central and South America.

Word Bank: deforestation, earthquake, infrastructure, leeward, Richter Scale, seismic waves, tsunami, windward