MS Studies - Madison County Schools
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Transcript MS Studies - Madison County Schools
Unit I: Mississippi Geography
Coach Johnston
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Location – every place has a specific location on earth.
Place – every place has physical (natural) and cultural
(man made) characteristics.
Human-Environment Interaction – how humans use and
interact with the environment.
Movement – the ways we are linked with regions,
cultures, and people beyond our immediate environment
Regions – Regions are defined as areas with similar
characteristics
Four Geographical
Regions
Delta
Hills
Piney Woods
Gulf Coast
MS has a humid subtropical climate.
Summers are hot and winters are cool.
State is humid and has ample rainfall
MS climate & rainfall helped create an agricultural
state
Avg. Temp. in MS is 62°F
Highest Ever 115°F
Lowest Ever - 19°F
Avg. Precipitation is 52’’ per year
60’’ on the Gulf Coast
T-Storms are frequent and can result in flooding
Lightning is a problem in MS
Tornadoes – measured on the Fujita Scale (F1-F5)
Hurricanes – measured by the Saffir-Simpson Scale
(1-5)
Earthquakes – low chance, but NW MS does sit
near the New Madrid Fault
Fujita Scale
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Hurricane Katrina
Atmosphere – The Earth’s gases.
Lithosphere – all of the Earth’s land.
Hydrosphere – all of the Earth’s water.
Biosphere – all of the Earth’s life.
Surface Water – trapped in lakes, ponds, rivers,
oceans, etc.
Groundwater – below the earths surface.
Aquifers – when groundwater accumulates & is
brought to the surface through springs or wells.
MS River makes up most of MS’s western border. The river
is 2,438 miles long.
MS River drains the interior of the U.S. between the Rocky
& Appalachian Mts.
MS has 9 major river systems
Yazoo, Big Black, Homochitto, & Bayou Pierre-Coles Creek Rivers
drain into the MS
Noxubee-Tombigbee, Pearl, Amite, Pascagoula, & Biloxi-WolfJourdan rivers drain into the south.
Reservoirs are used as flood control measure.
They capture and hold flood waters.
MS has 6 major Reservoirs
1. Pickwick Lake
2. Arkabulta Lake
3. Sardis Lake
4. Enid Lake
5. Grenada Lake
6. Ross Barnett Reservoir
MS Rivers
MS Rivers Drainage
MS is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain
All lands in MS are fairly low elevation
The highest point in MS is Woodall Mountain (806 ft above sea
level)
MS has 10 landform regions
Tombigbee Hills
Black Prairie
Pontotoc Ridge
Flatwoods
North Central Hills
Loess Hills (Bluff Hills)
Yazoo Basin (Delta)
Jackson Prairie
Pine Hills (Piney Woods)
Gulf Coastal Meadows
Black Prairie
Tombigbee Hills
Jackson Prairie
Flatwoods
North Central Hills
Pontotoc Ridge
Loess Bluff
Yazoo Basin (Delta)
Pine Hills (Piney Woods)
Coastal Meadow
MS has historically
been an agricultural
state.
MS has 4 general soil
regions.
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2.
3.
4.
Hills
Alluvial Plain (Delta)
Loess Hills
Black Prairie
MS has very few minerals
Petroleum and Natural Gas in South
Gravel & Sand
Limestone
Fire Clay
Biota describes the Flora & Fauna of a region
Flora
MS is 55% forested
Magnolias, Oak, Hickory, Pine, Gum, Cypress
Fauna
MS has squirrels, white-tailed deer, rabbit, raccoons,
opossums, foxes
Freshwater and saltwater fish & migratory birds.
MS Forest Types
MS has 4 major Ecoregions
1. Coastal Meadows
2. Hilly Coastal Plain
3. Loess/Bluff Hills
4. Alluvial Plain
Coastal Meadows
Mainly flat plains, barrier islands, marshes, lagoons, swampy
lowlands
Hilly Coastal Plain
½ of MS Land. Forest, Pasture, & Crops
Loess/Bluff Hills
Forest & Cropland. Portions great for Agriculture
Alluvial Plain
Fertile Soil. Large wetland system. Levees control flooding