Transcript NaturalProcesses

NCEA Level 3 Geography
AS 3.1:
Analyse
natural
processes
in
the context
of
a
geographic
environment
What are Natural Processes?
Natural processes – naturally occurring sequences of
related events or actions that operate to create, and then
modify or change, natural phenomena.
Natural phenomena – landscape features or things that
can be seen or observed in a geographic environment.
Up the Hill!
Categories of Natural Processes
• Natural processes can be categorised based
on where/how the processes originate, and
how the processes operate. Examples of
these categories include:
• Geological processes:
•  these originate within the
earth
•  operate to build up the land
•  includes specific tectonic
processes of folding, faulting
and volcanic activity
• Climatic processes:
•  these originate in the earth’s
atmosphere
•  includes specific processes
such as air movement and
orographic rainfall
•  natural processes that
relate to the development of
vegetation patterns
•  includes specific
processes of plant
succession, altitudinal
zonation and vertical
stratification
• Soil development
processes:
•  natural processes that
relate to the development of
soil patterns
•  includes specific
•
•
•
•
•
 natural processes that occur due to
the action of running water
 includes specific stream flow
processes such as saltation,
suspension and traction, mass
movement (e.g. slumping) and
depositional processes (e.g.
meandering)
Marine processes:
 natural processes that occur in
marine environments, mostly due to the
action of moving water.
 includes the specific coastal
processes of wave action, hydraulic
pressure, abrasion, corrosion and
saltation.
Key Vocabulary
• Coast
• Process
• Elements
• Phenomena
• Interaction
• Activity - ‘think, pair, share’
• Try to come up your own
definitions of the terms to
the left.
• Compare your definitions
with the ones on the next
slides.
Definitions
• Coast: a zone of interaction of the land and the
sea at the margins where the two meet.
• Process: sequence or series of related actions or
activities that produces a change, development or
progress towards some end state.
• Element(s): essential components or features of a
process; elements of a process interact with each
other to and create the process.
Definitions (cont.)
• Phenomena: features, things, activities or
•
landforms, such as a beach or volcano.
Interaction: how different elements of a
process, or how different processes in an
environment affect, interrelate and link with
one another.
Activity
• Working in small groups (2-3), consider the image on
the following slide.
• Use what you see in the image to brainstorm a list of:
➡Processes that are operating
➡Elements that are present
➡Phenomena you can see
➡Interactions that are occurring
Map Work
• Use the image on the next slide and an atlas to locate &
label the following on the handout map:
➡Auckland
➡Hamilton
➡Whiritoa
➡Pacific Ocean
➡Tasman Sea
Pacific Ocean
Tasman Sea
Natural Processes Create
Geographic Environments
• The Earth’s surface
can be divided into
different areas or
regions, which vary in
terms of size: some are
very large, while others
are much smaller.
• Some regions are
defined artificially such
as political boundaries.
•This type of activity is
a cultural process.
•Can you think of some
other examples?
• Another method uses the natural
features found there, or the dominant
natural processes occurring there.
•Such regions are known as
geographic environments. For
example:
•Tongariro National
Park can be
described as a
volcanic environment
due to the impact of
volcanic processes on
the area.
•Whiritoa Beach can
be described as a
coastal environment
due to the impact of
coastal processes
on the area.
•Can you think of
some other
examples?