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READ THIS FIRST: THESE ASSIGNMENTS HAVE CHANGED!
Each student MUST do Exercises 1 and 2, Extra Credit 1 (Stormy Weather) and 2 (Volcanoes and Earthquakes) are OPTIONAL. These can earn you extra credit to improve your grades (up to ten percentage points) on your first miderm (ExCr 1) and second midterm (ExCr 2) .
EXERCISE 1-- WHERE ARE YOU?READ INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY: To help you think about location, place, movement, region, earth-human relationships, this is a trivia treasure hunt that will help describe where you are living now, and where SSU is in relation to the rest of the world. Use your textbook (glossary, on-line resources) to help you understand some of the terms. Please include your sources of information as much as possible. Work in teams, but do your own work. Check the index of your text. Use the topographic maps, atlases, and soil survey books on reserve in the Map Library, STV 3065. You may also find resources on the web, however these tend to be less reliable. Please use the HARD COPY Map Library resources. Map Library hours have not yet been set for Fall Semester -- See hours on the door. Ask Prof. Freidel or Administrative Coordinator VaLinda Kyrias (Dept. Office) to get in at other times.
1. What are the Geographic Coordinates for SSU?
(always state Latitude first, then Longitude, in degrees, minutes, and seconds; always include hemispheres, e.g. N, W, E, S)
2. If you drilled a hole straight through the earth from here, (assuming this was possible, which it isn't), where would your hole come out? Give Geographic Coordinates:
How did you calculate this?
3. What type of climate is found at SSU? What is the Köppen Classification? As we study weather and climate, think about why the climate is the way it is here. Use California Patterns in the Map Library to answer this, or state your web source (URL). Be careful to find Mean Annual measurements, not a range of temperature or precipitation.
Mean Annual Precipitation:
Mean July Temperature:
Mean January Temperature:
Other description (e.g. foggy night & mornings, how seasons vary, etc.)
4. What is the topography like in the SSU area? How high is Sonoma Mountain? What is the elevation of campus? What is the local relief here (subtract SSU's elevation from the elevation of Sonoma Mountain)? Use the Cotati and Glenn Ellen 7.5' topo maps in the Map Library to answer this.
5. What is the dominant vegetation at SSU campus and surrounding areas? What do you think the natural vegetation would be? (Check out the Native Plant Garden on campus, if you have time.) Use the Atlas of California or California Patterns in the Map Library to answer this.
6. What kinds of soils do we have here at SSU? (Check the Soil Map in the Atlas of California or use the USDA Soil Survey for Sonoma County.)
7. What is the geology of Sonoma Mountain? About how old do you think it is? (Look at the Geologic map of Sonoma County)
8. What do you think has made the slopes of Sonoma Mountain so smooth and rounded over time? (That is, what Geomorphic processes have shaped Sonoma Mountain?) Check your textbook.
9. Where does Copeland Creek (on the north side of campus) flow from? Where are its headwaters? Is this a year-round creek or an intermittent creek? (Check the Glen Ellen and Cotati topo maps).
10. Putting it all together, how would you describe the physical setting for the SSU Campus? Do you think this a good setting for a university, why or why not?
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