DEVELOPING A PHYSIOGRAPHIC MAP OF NORTH AMERICA By Michael C. Horn and Dana Van Burgh Abstract The concept of physiographic provinces has great value in enabling students to develop a general concept of the geology of North America. Unfortunately, many earth science texts no longer include any information concerning the provinces. That sin of omission can be rectified using this activity. The Geophysics of North America (GNA) program makes it possible for students to view and manipulate a map of the topography of North America or segments of the continent. In this exercise the student draws the physiographic provinces on an outline map based on viewing color coded elevation maps of North America and the United States and then detailed maps and profiles of quarters of the continent. As a final step toward improving their maps, they view maps of selected small areas and profiles of those areas. The exercise not only introduces the student to physiographic provinces but also demonstrates how scientists gradually improve knowledge of a topic by more restricted and detailed research. Title: Developing a Physiographic Province Map of North America using the Geophysics of North America CD-ROM Disc 2061 Theme: Using Models, Patterns Major Concepts:Topography, Making and using a profiles, Observing patterns Processes: Mapping, Constructing profiles Attitudes: Observing patterns, changes, Discipline: Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Social Studies Grade Level:Jr. High - High School Key Word Search: profiles, topography, contours, physiography, physiographic provinces BACKGROUND INFORMATION The purpose of this activity is to have students develop a general physiographic province map of North America using information found on the color coded elevation maps of North America and the United States from the GNA CD-ROM disc. The students will then improve the accuracy of their map by the investigation of quarters of the North American map. Following this, the students will be asked what additional information is needed to improve their maps. The ideal answer will be that they will need to do additional sampling to fill in the missing portions of their maps. This will be accomplished by looking at profiles of selected regions on their North America map. The physiographic provinces activity can be used at various places in an Earth Science curriculum. For example, it could be used to introduce landforms or as a closing activity following a unit on landforms. This activity can be divided into several segments to match student needs, time availability course content, and class ability. We selected this activity because the concept of the physiographic provinces has been eliminated from most new textbooks. We feel that it is a necessary component of the Earth Science curriculum because it is a way for the student to bring together the many different topics covered in a typical course of study. If students develop a basic understanding of the landforms in physiographic provinces, travel will become a learning experience for them. OBJECTIVES Content: The student should be able to produce a simple physiographic province map of North America using color coded elevation maps of North America, United States and selected profiles taken from these maps. Process: Observation and manipulation of data, Profiling (Modeling), Analysis, Comparisons, Interpretation, Hypothesizing MATERIALS:JEdI CD-ROM B Disc Teacher Notes: Before beginning this activity it is imperative that you complete the GNA tutorial found on the JEdI B disc. The activities start after the completion of this tutorial. Please note that the images can be saved to the hard drive or to a floppy disc. Make two copies of the outline map of North America for each students. PROCEDURE Note: Press [Enter] or [Return] after each command. TUTORIAL 1. Insert the JEdI B disc into the CD-ROM drive. With the C:\> prompt, type L: and strike [Enter]. 2. Type CD GNA and then GNA. 3. Press any "key." 4. Main menu. 5. Select "Tutorial." 6. Complete tutorial. This is a "slide show" which will not allow any command of the functions other than advancing one frame ahead with a key stroke. 7. At the end of the tutorial, ":\GNA>" will appear on the screen. SELECTING AN IMAGE 1. Type in GNA and a title screen will appear. 2. Press any key. 3. Main menu screen will appear. 4. Select "VIEW DATA (IN EGA GRAPHIC MODE)." 5. A menu bar will appear. 6. Select "Image." 7. Image Selection will appear. 8. Select "Topography (U.S.-Land/Coast)." 9. Palette will appear. 10. Select "System Default." 11. Menu bar will appear. SELECTING AN AREA 1. Select "Area." 2. Select "New." 3. Select "WINDOW." 4. The image of the United States will appear on your screen. DOING THE ACTIVITY 1. You are now ready to start the activity. 2. Students will be supplied with two copies of an outline map of North America (Fig. 1 [F9]) without political boundaries. They will need a pencil with an eraser. Tell the students to write lightly on their maps because they will modify their maps as more information becomes available. 3. Scientists start with an idea and gradually improve upon it. The students will start working with a large topographic image of the United States and North America. End the activity using maps showing increased detail. 4. Using the image of the United States that is color coded for elevation, have the students sketch the outlines of apparent landform divisions that they can see on the USA image. Be sure to tell them that they are putting in the physiographic divisions not the political divisions. EXPANDING THE ACTIVITY 1. Change to the North American Topography map. 2. From the screen which is labeled "COMBINED 30 SECOND TOPOGRAPHY & BATHYMETRY COVERAGE," strike [Enter]. 3. Strike "I" for Image and then select "Topography (N. America)." Accept the system default for Palette and then select "A" for area. 4. Select "New" for the area and "Window Image." The image which will be displayed is labeled "5 MINUTE TOPOGRAPHY/BATHYMETRY COVERAGE." 5. Now have the students extend their patterns and coverage of landforms to Mexico, Canada, and Alaska. 6. This is a good place to ask the students what the patterns show and how these boundaries differ from the political boundaries. You might also have several of them draw their boundaries on a transparency and discuss why they placed their boundaries where they did. NARROWING THE SEARCH - ALASKA AND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES: 1. Call up the North America Topography map and use the Enter Limits command to select the image. 2. Using the below data, enter the coordinates for the image. (Coordinates shown in Activity Book.) 3. Have the students improve the detail of their maps using the elevation information found in this image. THE SEARCH CONTINUES: OTHER QUADRANTS 1. Repeat this process for the following images: America - West and America-East map. (Data table shown in Activity Book.) 2. If two computers are available, it would be helpful to keep the GNA image of North America on the screen so that students can compare their quarter images to it. 3. Have several of the students put their maps on a transparency so that they can explain what they are doing and why they did it that way. CONSTRUCTING PROFILES Note: Be sure that you are in the Topography (U.S> -Land/coast) image. (Except for the Alaska image.) To locate small area maps from the GNA disc, select the areas by using the "ENTER LIMITS" option of the "AREA" option of the GNA menu. To use the "ENTER LIMITS" option, type in the values for upper and lower latitude, right and left longitude, pressing [Enter] after you type each one. The maximum area limits containing data are 0 to 90 degrees North latitude and 170 degrees East to 10 degrees West longitude. 1. The next step is to make a profile for each of the quadrant images which was made in the previous section. 2. The Alaska profile is accomplished by accessing the image of Alaska (see Appendix A [F9]). 3. At the menu of GNA, select "Area," select "New" and then select "Enter Limits." 4. Enter the latitudes and longitudes for the Alaska image (Appendix A [F9]).After entering these coordinates, strike G to access the image. 5. When the image is displayed, depress the Control (CTRL) key and then strike the P key. A cross-hair marker will appear on screen, which you can move using the arrow keys. 6. The latitude and longitude position of this cross-hair marker will also appear on the screen. The + and - key can be used to increase and decrease the step sizes in this process. 7. Move the cross hair marker until is is located at "60.50 N" and "171.83 W (-59 meters)" and strike [Enter] to anchor the marker. 8. Now move the marker to "61.50 N" and "121.16 W (183 meters)" and strike [Enter]. Please note that this profile can be drawn across lines of latitude, across lines of longitude, or across both at the same time. 9. After striking [Enter], the program will display a profile along the two marker points. Discuss the profile. Indicate to the students the line that the profile follows on the map. Have the students discuss the limitations of the profile. This is the first information the students have received which gives them a clue concerning the vertical. Have the students add the symbols for mountains to their map. 10. Now construct similar profiles from the Alaska image. Also access the America-West and America-East images and construct profiles from these. A NARROWER SEARCH 1. Smaller search areas can be accessed and their profiles can be drawn using the following steps. 2. Return to the GNA menu. 3. Select "Image, Topography (U.S.-Land/coast)." Select the system default for palette and then select "Area." 4. Under the area select "New," and then either select the "Window Image" or "Enter Limits". If you know the approximate latitudes and longitudes of the area then enter limits is a faster way of accessing the image. 5. Show the students small scale sample areas and their profiles. The information for some small scale sample areas is located in the appendix along with sample topographic data and profiles for the areas. Have the students guess where the samples might fit into North America and/or the United States. The students can use the information gained from the small scale samples to add details to their physiographic province map. Impress on the students that it is very important to look at small areas to get details they need to finish their maps. REFINING THE STUDENTS' MAPS 1. Give the students a clean copy of the outline map of North America (Fig. 1 [F9]) and have them redo their physiographic province maps. The provinces are easier to see if they color them with colored pencils but this is not necessary. 2. Compare the student produced maps with a physiographic province map. QUESTIONS 1. What is the value of the physiographic province concept? 2. How can we use information about physiographic provinces? 3. How were physiographic province boundaries determined? 4. Were they surveyed like a state line? 5. Where do physiographic province boundaries and political boundaries match? 6. Why? 7. Now the provinces can be viewed on satellite images but when they were established that technology did not exist. How were the areas originally determined? 8. Explain how physiographic provinces are an example of the broad thinking necessary to geology. 9. Relate a knowledge of physiographic provinces to travel. 10. Write a one-sentence description of the topography of the U. S. from coast to coast. REFERENCES Atwood, Wallace Walter, Physiographic Provinces of North America; 1940 Hack, John T., Landforms of the United States; 1986 Lobeck, Armin Kohl; Physiographic Diagrams of the United States; 1950 U.S.G.S. National Atlas: Relief: Sheet Number 56,Physiography: Sheet Number 59 SOURCES AND RESOURCES 1. Electromap World Atlas CD-ROM disc 2. Geophysics of North America CD-ROM disc Data for Images Used in This Activity 1. ALASKA 2. CALIFORNIA 3. FLORIDA 4. IDAHO 5. PENNSYLVANIA 6. WASHINGTON 7. WYOMING