Latitudes and Longitudes
What are the latitudes and longitudes?
Latitudes: All parallel circles from the equator up to the poles are called parallels of latitudes. Latitudes are measured in degrees. Longitudes: The vertical lines running north-south, join the two poles.
What are the 4 lines of latitude and longitude?
Four of the most significant imaginary lines running across the surface of Earth are the
Equator,
Tropic of Cancer,
Tropic of Capricorn,
Prime meridian
INTRODUCTION TO FIELD WORK
What is Field work?
Field work is the process of observing and collecting data about people, cultures, and natural environments. Field work is conducted in the wild of our everyday surroundings rather than in the semi-controlled environments of a lab or classroom.
Fieldwork is the placement of students in real-world situations in which to learn about specified content. Examples can include botanical data gathering in a field, library research, student teaching, etc.
Fieldwork can employ a number of different data sources and methods for collecting this data. These can include participant observation and the taking of field notes, informal and/or formal interviews, video-recording, sketching and the reviewing of local documentation.
Field Work Tools
Fieldwork tools can range from simple items like pencils and notebooks to more specialized equipment like soil samplers or weather instruments. Examples include
measuring tools (tape measures, rulers, clinometers),
observation tools (cameras, binoculars, magnifying glasses),
sampling tools (soil augers, core samplers), and
data recording tools (notebooks, tablets, GPS devices).
Specific tools depend on the field of study, but common tools also include
hand tools (shovels, trowels, hammers),
safety gear (first aid kits, hard hats), and
communication devices (radios, phones).
Field Sketches
Field work sketches of sites are visual records, often simplified drawings, used to document and analyze landscapes or specific areas during fieldwork. They help to capture details that might be missed in photographs and provide a personal, interpretive record of the observed environment. These sketches often include annotations, labels, and notes to clarify features and observations.
Primary Source of Geographical Data
In geography, a primary source is an original document or material created during the time or event being studied, providing firsthand information. Examples include field notes, maps, satellite images, census data, and photographs taken at the location of interest. These sources offer direct evidence about geographical phenomena and are crucial for research and analysis.
Secondary Source of Geographical Data
In geography, a secondary source is information that has been compiled, interpreted, or analyzed by someone who did not directly experience or collect the original data. These sources are often one or more steps removed from the primary event or data and can include textbooks, journal articles, documentaries, and maps created after the fact.
Gathering Information Through Surveying - counting and measuring.
Examples:
1. Counting Individuals or Objects: number of a plant species; number of car brands, number of wild dogs; etc
2. Counting Events or Occurrences: number of dry days, number of rainy days, number of earthquakes, number of births in a day, etc
3. Measuring horizontal and vertical distances and angles, using tools like tapes, theodolites, and GPS
Interviews and Questionnaires
An information gathering interview, also known as an informational interview, is a conversation where you seek advice and insights about a specific career field or industry from someone working in that area. It's not a job interview, but a chance to learn about their experiences, challenges, and advice for those interested in the field.
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a set of questions used to gather information from individuals. It's a tool for collecting data on various topics, such as attitudes, experiences, or opinions, and can be used in surveys, research studies, or to collect feedback. Questionnaires can be administered in different formats, including paper-based, online, or through interviews.
Strand 2.1 Earth Physical Landforms
Key learning outcome: Demonstrate knowledge and skills about major land features and the processes involved in the formation and distribution of different physical features
SLO:1. Describe the structure of the Earth
Plate Tectonics and the structure of the Earth
Tectonics is a theory that tries to explain how the Earth is structured and what it is made up of. The human race has never been to the center of our own planet so scientists have had to use various pieces of evidence to show the structure of the Earth. Below is an idealized diagram of the Earth's interior (middle bit). The Earth formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago following a huge explosion of a star. The materials that make up our earth slowly gathered together due to gravity, to create a ball of hot molten material. This material has slowly cooled over geological time, forming a crust at the Earth's surface of rocks. These rocks are fractured into huge segments called Tectonic plates.
These tectonic plates are moving about very slowly, pushed and shoved around from underneath by currents within the mantle called convection currents. Beneath the crust temperatures starts to rise as you descend into the second of the Earth's zones, the Mantle, a zone of molten Silicates and other minerals. The Earth does have a solid core of Iron and Nickel, which is solid despite temperatures of 3700°C because of the intense pressure there.
The Earth's crust is divided up into chunks of solid rock called tectonic plates. they vary in size and the Earth's surface can be likened to that of a boiled egg which has been cracked. The major plates include the Pacific, Eurasian, African, Antarctic, North American and South American, and the Indo Australian. There are other smaller plates however, such as the Philippines and Cocos plates. The plates are made up of different materials, and there are 2 broad types:
Continental crust is thicker, older and lighter, and is composed mainly of Granite. It is 22 mi (35 km) thick on average and less dense than oceanic crust, which accounts for its mean surface elevation of about 3 mi (4.8 km) above that of the ocean floor. Continental crust is more complex than oceanic crust in its structure and origin and is formed primarily at subduction zones at destructive plate margins.
Oceanic crust is younger and heavier, and is mainly composed of basalt and Gabbro. it is mainly formed at constructive margins or spreading mid ocean ridges.
Types of plate margin
Volcanoes and earthquakes mainly occur along plate boundaries where magma can escape from the earth’s mantle or where stresses build up between 2 plates rubbing together. An exception to this includes Hawaii, which is found in the middle of the Pacific plate over a hot spot. Examples of plate margin types are linked to the map.
