Lab 1 2301 celeste belanger
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Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics
GEG2301: Geomorphology
Lab 1: Introduction to Google Earth
Due date: September 22
rd
at 16:00 on Brightspace
Weight: 5%
The purpose of this lab is to introduce you to Google Earth, get you looking at various
landscapes across the planet, and connect what we have seen so far in lectures to imagery
available on Google Earth.
You are encouraged to do some searching for answers in lectures, readings and on the internet.
If you do use external sources, please cite them by denoting where you got the information
from. Ideally these sources are peer reviewed. Citing them in parentheses is fine for this
exercise, like this (Smith, 2020).
Note
:
a)
You must use the standalone version of Google Earth Pro (not one embedded within a
web browser)
b)
Please answer all questions directly in this document and upload the assignment in PDF
format
c)
No late assignments will be accepted
A.
Using and converting latitude and longitude
1.
What city is located at 45°25’ N, 75°41’W? (1 point)
Ottawa, Ontario
2.
Convert the coordinates in question 1 into decimal degrees. (1 point)
Latitude: 45.4167° N
Longitude: -75.6833 W
3.
What are the coordinates for Canberra, Australia in decimal degrees (1 point)? Use an
appropriate number of decimals (1 point).
Latitude: -35.3081° S
Longitude: 149.1244° E
4.
How many degrees of longitude are there between Santiago, Chile and Moscow,
Russia? (1 point)
There are approximately 108.27° of longitude between Santiago, Chile and Moscow,
Russia
5.
How many degrees of latitude are there between Santiago, Chile and Moscow, Russia?
(1 point)
There are approximately 89.20° of latitude between Santiago, Chile and Moscow, Russia
B. Measurements
1.
What is the distance on Earth’s surface (in km) between Santiago, Chile and Moscow
Russia? (1 point)
14,317 km
2.
Describe the orientation of the line from Santiago to Moscow. Which direction is the line
going? (1 point) Does the compass bearing along the course of the line change? If so,
how?
(1 point)
The line from Santiago, Chile to Moscow, Russia travels in a northeast direction. This
means it goes from the southwestern part of South America to the western part of
Russia in a generally northeastern direction.
The compass bearing along this line’s path will vary as you go along it. As you leave
Santiago, the first bearing will be roughly north-northeast. The bearing will progressively
change as you go farther down the line, becoming north-northwest as you get closer to
Moscow.
3.
What is the distance (in km) between Ottawa and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia? (1 point)
9,631km
4.
Describe the orientation of the line from Ottawa to Ulaanbaatar. Which direction is the
line going? (1 point) Does the compass bearing along the course of the line change? If
so, how? (1 point)
The line from Ottawa to Ulaanbaatar would generally go in a northwest to southeast
direction. The compass bearing along the course of the line changes from roughly
northwest to southeast as you move along it.
5.
If you took a flight from Ottawa, Ontario to Reykjavik, Iceland then to Anchorage, Alaska,
how many kilometers would you have flown? (1 point)
9,273km
6.
What is the area of the lake (in km
2
) located at 56.721°N, 96.416°W? (1 point)
17km2
C. Geomorphology on Google Earth
1.
The Grand Canyon is located at approximately 36°N, 112°W.
a.
What type(s) of rock do you expect to find here (sedimentary, igneous, or
metamorphic)? (1 point)
Sedimentary
b.
What features make you think this? (2 points) Feel free to include a picture/
screen grab in your answer.
There is layered strata indicating the presence of
sedimentary rocks. These layers appear as horizontal or inclined bands of
different colours and textures along the canyon walls. There is also varied rock
types within the layers that can be discerned through colour variations ans
textural differences visible in the imagery.
2.
Tectonics 1
a.
What feature is located at 56.663°N, 161.344°E? (2 points)
Shiveluch volcano in Russia.
b.
What type(s) of rocks do you expect to find here? (1 point)
Igneous rocks such as Basalt, Andesite, Volcanic Breccia and more.
c.
Why is the area surrounding this feature brown and then green? (2 points)
The surrounding the area of this feature is brown because they are regions with
less vegetation or bare ground. This could be due to recent volcanic eruptions
which make it difficult for vegetation to grow. The green areas signify regions with
vegetation which could include forests, grasslands or other types of plant cover.
These areas have favourable conditions for plant growth and could also have
vegetation that has managed to thrive despite the volcanic activity.
d.
What type of plate boundary is near this feature? (2 points)
Shiveluch Volcano is situated near convergent plate boundary, where the two
plates are moving toward each other (NASA, 2008).
e.
What plates are involved? (2 points)
The Okhotsk Plate to the west and the Pacific Plate to the east (NASA, 2008).
3.
Tectonics 2
a.
What type of plate boundary is Iceland on? (1 point)
Divergent plate boundary (British Geological Survey, 2017).
b.
What plates are involved? (1 point)
North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate (British Geological Survey, 2017).
c.
What type(s) of rock is Iceland made of (sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic)?
(1 point)
Iceland is composed of mainly igneous rock with sedimentary rock
accounting for 8-10% of the island (Icelandic Institute of Natural History, 2023).
d.
Name two pieces of geomorphic evidence to support your claim. (2 points)
Volcanic Mountains and Plateaus such as Heckle, Katla and Sneafellsjokull.
These features are volcanic activity and the prevalence of igneous rocks.Another
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feature in Iceland is Basalt Columns and Lava Plateaus which are the result of
the cooling and contraction of basaltic lava flows. This feature also provides
another indication of igneous rocks. (Icelandic Institute of Natural History, 2023)
4.
Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika are in Africa.
a.
What plate(s) are involved? (1 point)
African Plate and Somali plate
b.
What type of plate boundary are these lakes on? (1 point)
Divergent boundary
c.
How is this boundary similar to Iceland? (2 points)
Both boundaries are divergent, meaning the tectonic plates are moving away
from each other in both regions. These boundaries also both produce volcanic
activity. In Iceland, the boundaries leads to the upwelling of magma, resulting in
volcanic eruptions (Icelandic Institute of Natural History, 2023).
In Africa, the
boundaries contribute to the formation of volcanic features and mountains in the
region. (National Geographic: Rift Valleys, 2023).
d.
How does this boundary differ from Iceland? (3 points)
The African boundary spans from Ethiopia to Mozambique, including East African
countries, while the Icelandic boundary is entirely within Iceland, and island
nation in the North Atlantic Ocean. The African boundary is a continental rift,
where a continent is slowly splitting apart whereas Iceland, situated on the Mis-
Atlantic Ridge boundary between two oceanic plates represents the spreading of
the ocean floor. (National Geographic: Rift Valleys, 2023).
e.
What will these lakes look like in 50 million years? (2 points)
As the lakes are
located on an active continental rift, the rift is expected to continue to widen and
deepen. As the rift widens, the landmass on either side of the rift will move farther
apart. (National Geographic: Rift Valleys, 2023).
5.
Mt. Everest tectonics
a.
What are the coordinates (in three dimensions) of Mt. Everest in decimal
degrees, including elevation? (1 point)
Latitude: 27.9881°N
Longitude: 86.9250°E
Elevation: 8849 meters
b.
What mountain range is Mt. Everest part of? (1 point)
Himalayan mountain range
c.
What type of plate boundary is this mountain range? (2 points)
Convergent plate
boundary with the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate
d.
What type(s) of rocks are found here (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic)? (2
points)
All three types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) are
found in Mt. Everest. There is granite (igneous) found on the lower slopes of Mt.
Everest, limestone (sedimentary) is found on the summit pyramid and garnet and
schist (metamorphic) found at the base of Everest (Montana State University,
2012).
e.
In 100 years will Mt. Everest be higher or shorter? Explain. (2 points)
In 100
years, Mt. Everest will become higher due to tectonic processes as the Indian
plate slips under the Eurasian plate, it uplifts the Himalayas (NPR: Lauren Frayer,
2020)
6.
Hawaii, like Iceland, is in the middle of the ocean, but it is geomorphologically distinct in
several ways. In what ways are these islands different, and why are they different? (5
points) (Hint: discuss why Hawaii is a chain of islands, but Iceland is only one, what is
the tectonic setting of each location, what do these islands have in common, where you
would expect to find younger and older rocks on these islands)
Hawaii is a chain of islands because it is associated with a hotspot, whereas Iceland is
situated along the Mis-Atlantic Ridge. The hotspot in the center of the Pacific Plate is
what gave rise to the Hawaiian Islands. The plate is moving, but the hotspot is stationary.
As a result, the series of islands that make up the Hawaiian Island chain were
constructed as the plate passed over the hotspot. (National Ocean Service, 2023).
Iceland on the other hand is not associated with a hotspot, its geological features are
influenced by both divergent and transform plate boundaries. Both regions share a
volcanic origin as they are built upon extensive volcanic activity and volcanic features
dominating their landscapes. In Hawaii, you would expect to find older volcanic rocks in
the northwest (Kauai)( and younger in the southeast (O’ahu)(City of Honolulu, 2020). In
Iceland, you would find older rocks in the northeast and northwest and younger in the
southern areas of the island (W.W Norton & Company, 2008)
7.
The Andes and Himalayas are similar and different. Explain these similarities/
differences:
a.
The Himalayas are surrounded by land, but the Andes are coastal. (2 points)
The
Himalayas are landlocked and located in South Asia, spanning several countries
and the Andes are coastal and run along the western edge of South America,
paralleling the Pacific Ocean.
b.
There are volcanoes in the Andes, but not in the Himalayas. (2 points)
The
Himalayas do not have active volcanoes. They primarily result from tectonic
collision of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian plate, leading the the uplift and
formation of high mountain ranges. The Andes have numerous active volcanoes
due to the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate,
leading to volcanic activity (California Institute of Technology, 2008).
c.
Both mountain chains have glaciers on their peaks (2 points)
Both the Himalayas
and the Andes have glaciers on their peaks. In the Himalayas, glaciers are a
major source of freshwater. Glaciers in the Andes are crucial for supplying water
to rivers and communities in the region.
d.
The headwaters of the biggest rivers in the world are in these mountains. Why?
Name at least one prominent river originating in each mountain range. (3 points)
They are the biggest because the snow and glaciers in the mountain ranges that
melts and flows down to sea level. The Himalayas has the Ganges river and the
Andes has the Amazon river (Ganges River basin, National geographic, 2023)
e.
Where do people live in each of these mountain ranges?(2 points)
People in the Himalayas tend to live in the valleys and foothills, where conditions are more
habitable. An example of this is the major city of Kathmandu, Nepal (Adventure Nation, 2016).
The Andes live at varying elevations, with some communities situated at high altitudes. An
example is Lima, Peru (Britannica, M. Tulio Velasquez, 2023)
f.
This landform surrounds parts of each of these mountain ranges because the
mountains block moisture from getting here. Provide the names of one of these
features in both regions. (2 points)
Himalayas: Tibetan Plateau
Andes: Atacama Desert
8.
Find a part of the world that interests you. Describe the plate boundaries, rock types
present, and any other unique geomorphic features. Include the coordinates for your
area in degrees, minutes, seconds. (8 points)
Sydney, Australia
Latitude: 33° 52’ 03” S
Longitude: 151° 12’ 46” E
Sydney is situated within the Australian Plate, a significant tectonic plate. Despite not being
located on an active plate boundary like some other places, the Australian continent has a
complicated geological past, which contributes to its ongoing geological activity. Australia’s , in
general, in located far from active plate boundaries like subduction zones or transform faults in a
stable continental interior (NSW, 2023). Sydney consist of sedimentary and igneous rocks. The
Sydney Basin, is rich in sedimentary deposits which includes sandstone, shale, coal and more.
With volcanic activity in the distant geological past, igneous rocks are also present (Geology of
Sydney Harbour, Australian Museum, 2022). Sydney’s natural harbour, Sydney Harbour (Port
Jackson) is one of the city’s most recognizable geomorphic characteristics. The shoreline of the
harbour is complex, with several bays, coves and headlands. Around tis harbour line is the well-
known Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sydney is also renowned for its
stunning sandstone formations. A notable geological feature that adds to the city’s distinctive
topography is the Sydney Sandstone (Sydney Basin, Australian Museum, 2018).
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D.
BONUS (Hint: north is up on all bonus maps)
1.
BONUS: What country is this? (2 points)
West Australia
2.
BONUS: What country is this? (2 points)
Japan
3.
BONUS: What country is this? (2 points)
Somalia in the horn of Africa