Vocabulary sc geography The Land

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  Scientists explain the formation of the United States by the theory of continental drift
  

Theory of Continental Drift

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  Theory scientist use to explain the formation of the landscape
  

North America

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  North America first appeared out of the sea through the movement of tectonic plates below the earth’s surface
  
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  North America then became part of one huge continent known as Pangaea
  

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  SC is divided into 6 geographical regions:
  
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  Coastal Zone,
  
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  Outer Coastal Plain,
  
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  Inner Coastal Plain,
  
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  Sandhills,
  
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  Piedmont,
  
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  and Blue Ridge.
  
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  SC is a small state, it ranks fortieth among the 50 states in size
  

Southern Atlantic Coast

Name the 3 sections of the Coastal Zone.

Grand Strand

Santee Delta

Barrier Islands

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  Stretches along the Southern Atlantic Coast
  
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  185 miles long and reaches 10 miles into the interior
  
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  Divided into 3 sections:
  
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    Grand Strand
    
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    Santee Delta
    
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    Barrier Islands, these islands protect the coast of the state
    

Where was rice and indigo grown during colonial times?

Why was much of the soil in the Coastal Plains worn out in the nineteenth and early twentieth century?

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  Largest landform region
  
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  Divided into 2 section:
  
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    Outer Coastal Plain: 30-50 miles wide, the rivers in this region and rise and fall with the tide, inland swamps and savannas. This is where the rice and indigo was grown in colonial times.
    
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    Inner Coastal Plain: rich land for farming and growing cotton, however, in Nineteenth Century the soil was worn out due to heavy cotton production
    
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    130-250 feet above sea level, contains Carolina Bays’ contains the richest soil in SC
    

Columbia

Pine Forests and Fruit Orchards

What were the “clay eaters” known as?

sandlappers

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  Extends along the Fall Zone
  
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  The Fall Zone is an area that divides the state into the Up Country and the Low Country
  
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  Contains red soil (clay) or sand that has washed down from the mountain; poor farm land
  
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  Today, pine forests and fruit orchards grow successfully here
  
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  Includes Columbia (capital of SC) because it is in the center of the state
  
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  Until the 1940’s poor farmers lived there. Many had dietary diseases and ate clay or sand.
  
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  They were known by outsiders as “clay eaters” or sandlappers
  

Piedmont

Granite

A granite deposit

List 3 examples of Mondadnocks in SC.

King’s Mountain

Forty Acre Rock

Paris Mountain

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  Pied= foot; mont = mountain
  
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  Piedmont means foot of the mountain or foothills
  
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  Hilly region that contains 1/3 of the state.
  
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  Has rapidly flowing rivers that have to come down hill, so they were good for hydroelectric factories
  
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  Granite, the state stone, can be found in this region because the Piedmont has Monadnocks or granite deposits.
  
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  Some of the Mondadnocks in SC are King's Mountain in York County, Forty Acre Rock in Lancaster County, and Paris Mountain in Greenville County
  

Blue Ridge

What mountain chain is the Blue Ridge area a part of?

Appalachian

Why is the Blue Ridge not good for farming?

Coldest and Wettest region

Name the highest peak and waterfall in SC.

Sassafras Mountain

Whitewater Fall

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  Contains 500 square miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains -- part of the Appalachian Mountains(near Greenville, SC)
  

Mountains

• Coldest and wettest region in SC--Contains the highest peak in SC,

Sassafras Mountain

• Also contains the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi

River, Whitewater Falls

What river system is located in the northeast part of SC?

What two characteristics describe the rivers once they reach the Fall Zone?

They become broad and carry rich soil deposits

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  There are 3 major river systems in SC
  
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    Savannah River System (on the border between SC and GA)
    
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    Santee River System (middle of the state) & largest river system in SC
    
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    Pee Dee River System (Northeast part of the state)
    
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    The Rivers in the Up Country are narrow and swift
    
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    At the fall zone, they become broad and carry rich soil deposits
    

Subtropical

When does SC get the most rain?

Ferbruary-July

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  SC has a humid, subtropical climate
  
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    Long summers with temperatures close to 100 degrees
    
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    Mild winters with temperatures rarely reaching 0 degrees
    
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    Abundant rain; mostly in February and July
    
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    Hurricanes affect this area: hurricane season runs June- November, though SC sometimes gets them in May and December
    

What month and year did Hurricane Hugo hit SC?

Where was the most destructive earthquake in SC History?

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  Tornadoes sometimes occur along the edges of hurricanes and tropical storms.
  

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  In August 1893 the Great Sea Island Storm struck Savannah, Beaufort, the barrier islands, and Charleston. As many as 2,000 people were killed.
  
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  Hurricane Hugo hit SC in September 1989, and it was the most destructive hurricane in SC history.
  
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  When Hurricane Hugo hit the coast from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, people died and a lot of people were left homeless.
  
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  There was 5 billion dollars of property damage that stretched from the coast all the way inland to Sumter and Rock Hill
  

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  Earthquake tremors occur regularly in the Low Country
  
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  The most severe was the Charleston Earthquake of 1886. It destroyed 2,000 buildings