Lost!?!?!? No Fear! Maps are Here!

Maps are extremely important if you do not know where you are going. However, there are more than just road maps. Different types of maps can tell you different types of things. In class we learn about a couple of different types of maps and their functions.

Choropleth Map: a map that shows a certain thing for a state or region by assigning a different color shade that represents the amount of the thing the map is showing.

This choropleth map, to the right, shows the number of hazardous waste sites per each state in the U.S. The key at the bottom designates a color and the amount of hazardous waste sites that correspond to that color.




Dot Density Map: a map that uses dots to represent where something occurs. For example, the maps that Verizon uses in their commercials are examples of dot density maps.



The map to the left is a dot density map showing the locations of Florida's Citrus Production for a specific year. Each dot is equal to 200,000 boxes of citrus from the area the dot is located on the map.






Proportional Symbols Map: a map that indicates the amount of something by using a symbol and the symbol changes size to show the amount for a particular region.

The map to the right shows how many Wal-Marts there are for each state. The bigger the circle, the more the Wal-Marts located in the state.


Isopleth Map: an isopleth map is similar to a choropleth map, but it uses contour lines to show something instead of breaking the colors up by state or county.

The map to the left shows the average temperature for the U.S. during a certain time period. The lines show where the temperature occurs, as well as the different color that designates the average temperature.

ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS, EVERYBODY!!!

Rocks make up our earth, and they are found everywhere.

Igneous Rocks: formed by the cooling of lava.

Granite is a type of igneous rock. When I was a child, I accidentally thought that my birthstone was granite. not garnet. When we had rocks put down in our drive way I was excited that it was my birthstone, however I was confused that it was not red like my the stone in my birthstone ring. I later found out that I had confused the two stones. Granite is actually a stone make form feldspar, mica, and quartz. Granite can be a pinkish, or even a black and white color or multi-colored rocks. It has a speckled effect to it.
                                       

Sedimentary rocks are formed by participles that are deposited at the earths surface. Many of these sedimentary rocks are formed by other pieces of other rocks. Sedimentary rocks compose the crust of the earth, and you can find many natural resources such as coal and drinking water within sedimentary rocks. Below is an example of a sedimentary rock formation. The Delicate Arch found in Utah is composed of a sedimentary rock called sandstone.

I have had the opportunity to see for myself these beautiful sandstone arches found in the American Southwest and they are truly amazing and a wonder to see. These formations of rocks are one of my favorite due to the sheer mass and beauty that they hold in them.

The last type of rock is Metamorphic rock. Like its name suggest, metamorphic rocks are formed by the change of the original rock form. The original rock is heated extremely so that it physically and chemically changes. Marble is a type of metamorphic rock that is commonly used in sculpture and even in household structures. Marble's parent rock is limestone or dolostone.

Soil is also a hugh part of what makes up our earth. You can determine what type of soil is in a particular place by used in a soil triangle. There are 12 different types of soils found around the world. Soil is classified by its physical texture. 

I feel like a Pirate with this Barometer

I highly doubt that pirates actually used barometers, but barometers are used to measure the atmospheric pressure.

The following picture shows a barometer that is filled with liquid. 

We made homemade barometers that would measure the atmospheric pressure. The following picture shows how the barometer worked. We used a small glass bowl with a balloon over the top with a straw cut to a point tapped on top                                     of the balloon.                                         When there was high atmospheric pressure, the ballon would be pulled into the glass and the straw would rise; when there was low atmospheric pressure, the balloon would inflate and the straw would point downward. 

The following is the data collected from the calibration of the homemade barometer.

The following graph depicts the data that we collected. 

What do You Get When You Put a Rose in the Wind? A WIndrose Plots!

Wind rose plots help see wind patterns and which way the wind blows and how hard and fast for different periods of time. Looking at different wind rose plots for the same place during different years can help determine if and how the wind patterns have changed from year to year. They can also help determine which way the wind blows mostly for a certain place.

The following shows a wind rose plot for 1988 and following that 1990 for Atlanta.

1988

1990

                           

 These two wind rose plots are two years apart, but we can see that the wind patterns have stayed relatively the same for the entire year.

Below you can see the wind rose plot for Atlanta 1990 overlaid on a google earth image of the airport. You can see visually which directions the wind moved over the actual area that the wind rose plot reports data for.