TEXAS ECOREGIONS

Effects of Weathering, Erosion and Deposition

WHAT IS AN ECOREGION?

 Ecoregion and moisture a major ecosystem with distinctive geography, characteristic plants and animals, ecosystems, and receiving uniform solar radiation  Sometimes called an ecological region or bioregion  Smaller than a biome

IN THE NATURAL WORLD, ENVIRONMENTS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY: 

Types of soil



Precipitation



Temperature



Land features



Vegetation



Animal wildlife

FACTORS AFFECTING OUR ECOREGIONS

: 1.

Weathering – chemical and physical break down of rocks into sediment 2.

Erosion – the movement of sediment from one place to another 3.

Deposition – the placement of sediment after being carried from place of origin

1. PINEY WOODS

 Due to abundant precipitation and abundant vegetation that holds the soil in place, there is very little erosion.

 Thick vegetation near rivers inhibits river erosion.

2. OAK WOOD & PRAIRIES

   Has gently rolling hills and lightly wooded plains. This area generally receives a moderate amount of rainfall that helps shape the land.

Trees and grasses prevent large amounts of soil erosion due to water and wind.

  

3. BLACKLAND PRAIRIE

These areas have nutrient-rich soils and receive good amounts of rainfall through the year.

If the land is clear-cut of natural vegetation for construction, nutrients can easily be eroded .

If the land is used for farming and it is not managed well, nutrients will be quickly used up.

4. GULF COAST PRAIRIES

   Wave action, a cause of weathering, erosion and deposition, is constant along the Texas Coastline. Sediments are weathered and eroded along beaches and carried out into the ocean to form sand bars and islands.

When rivers, like the Brazos enter the Gulf of Mexico sediment being carried by the river stop moving and get deposited causing a delta.

5. COASTAL SAND PLAIN

   Soil in the region is primarily sand-based.

If there isn’t enough vegetation to keep the soil in place, rainfall received can cause severe erosion.

Catastrophic events such as hurricanes can increase wave erosion and deposition.

6. SOUTH TEXAS BRUSH COUNTRY

   The area is known as “Brush Country” due to the shorter trees and many shrubs.

Overgrazing way.

of the land has allowed nutrient rich topsoil to erode Rocky, dry soil cannot support grasses, trees can thrive because of their deeper root system.

7. EDWARDS PLATEAU

  

Erosion

has left most of the region with very shallow soils (less than 10 inches) lined with

limestone

rock layers.

High amounts of

rain

a short amount of time can cause flash

flooding

.

in Rainwater mixes with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and soils to form carbonic acid, which acts to dissolve away limestone.

8. LLANO UPLIFT

     The soil is not as prone to flooding because it allows water to

infiltrate

very easily.

The region is described as rough,

hilly

terrain.

Enchanted Rock-Exfoliation has caused the rock to “peel” in sheets. This was caused by contracting and expanding during heating and cooling in the temperature.

The weathering of sedimentary rock has exposed the granite dome underneath Other types of mechanical weathering present – plant roots

9. ROLLING PLAINS

 Soils in this area are most

fertile

and sought after for

crop

production.

 Periods of increase in of

erosion drought

and then sudden

rainfall

causes large amounts and deplete the soil of

nutrients

.

10. HIGH PLAINS

 “ Texas Panhandle”-

Largest

and most completely

flat

areas of it size in the world!

  The region extends to the Palo Duro Canyon-the nation’s 2 nd largest

canyon.

Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water Fork of the Red

erosion

from the Prairie Dog Town

River

.

 The water

deepens

canyon by

moving

downstream. Wind the sediment and water erosion gradually

widen

canyon the

11. TRANS PECOS

     Rain does not fall evenly over the area. “

Desert portion”

of Texas.

The weathered

Erosion

and

bedrock

in this area have a large amount of calcium.

deposition

in the area creates soil which has high amounts of calcium called

caliche

.

Home of the Texas, Guadalupe Peak. Elevation is 8,749 feet.

tallest

mountain in Pines and Oaks dominate the

tree

species.

Soils are

shallow Weathering

and

rocky.

continues to play a role in are developing soil and will for thousands of years to come. Soils in the canyon bottoms and valleys

deeper

as a result of

deposition.

12. MARINE ENVIRONMENT

   Marine topography refers to the shape the land along coastlines, but they occur also in significant ways underwater. The effectiveness of marine habitats is partially defined by these shapes, including the way they interact with and shape ocean currents.

Marine topographies include coastal and oceanic landforms ranging from coastal estuaries and shorelines to continental shelves and coral reefs.

Our Next Step:  Analyzed the characteristics of the ecoregions of Texas  Investigated processes that change the surface of the Earth  Explored how the process of weathering, erosion, and deposition have affected the environments in Texas ecoregion.