Geography Lecture Notes

Introduction to Geography

• Study of the Earth and everything related to it
  • Our relationship to space, solar system, climate, rocks, vegetation, animals, and people
• People aspect involves culture and politics

Geography's Division

• Physical Geography: Study of the physical environment
• Human Geography: Study of humans and their interaction with environment

Subdivisions

• Physical Geography

  • Mathematical geography
  • Climatology
  • Geomorphology
  • Biogeography
  • Soils geography

• Human Geography

  • Social geography
  • Economic geography
  • Historical geography
  • Cultural geography
  • Political geography

• Special disciplines at Long Beach City College include Astronomy, Geology, Biology (not Pedology)

• Classes offered related to both halves of geography

Focus on Physical Geography

• Concerned with Earth's physical processes and features

Specialties in Physical Geography

• Meteorology: Study of weather (not meteors)
• Climatology: Study of climate
• Geomorphology: Study of Earth's shape and features (hills, valleys, mountains)
• Biogeography: Study of living organisms
• Soil Science: Study of soil
• Hydrology: Study of fresh water (excluding ice)

Study of Physical Geography

• Known as the spatial science
• Themes in Physical Geography
  • Location: How to locate places
  • Place Characteristics: Understanding place features
  • Spatial Distributions and Patterns: e.g., Rainforests location
  • Spatial Interactions: e.g., El Niño phenomenon's global impact
  • Earth Changes: Natural and human-induced changes (e.g., climate change)

Importance of Studying Earth

• Earth is currently the only place we can live

Earth's Surface vs. Moon's Surface

• Both composed of rocks made of minerals
• Earth Landforms: Hills, valleys, mountains, plains, canyons, cliffs, beaches
• Moon Landforms: Mainly craters

Formation of Craters

• On Earth: Mostly volcanic origin
• On Moon: Impact craters from space rocks
• Impact Craters on Earth: Less common, atmosphere burns small meteoroids

Misconceptions About Meteor Impacts

• Movies exaggerate burning in atmosphere
• Larger rocks still impact Earth's surface

Notable Meteor Events

• Russian meteor event with large energy release

Summary

• Earth and Moon comparison helps understand landform formation
• Real craters on Earth and their formation to be discussed further