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

Vegetation or biogeographical processes: ¬ 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 processes of laterisation, podzolisation, leaching, tephra deposition weathering and organism activity

Fluvial processes: ¬ 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 Activity - ‘think, pair, share’ 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?