South America: relief, its formation and modern landscapes

Unique in their geological structure are without exception all the continents on our planet, including South America. The relief of this locality is divided into two parts: a mountainous terrain and a plain with large lowlands. Thanks to this structure of the earth's crust, this continent has become the greenest on the planet and the wettest, but in parallel with the tropical forests here there are the most arid desert valleys and very high snow peaks. Well, let's consider in more detail what is the relief of South America and how it is related to the climate of this area.

Geology and its fundamentals

It is known that lithospheric plates form the basis of all terrestrial landscapes . In some places, they diverge, which makes depression. In others, overlap each other, forming mountains and hills. This phenomenon is not devoid of South America. The relief of the mainland is divided into the West and the East. The first is represented in the form of mountains and arid valleys, the second is continuous plains with lowland plots.

The reasons for this difference are in the history of the formation of the Earth. The eastern part of the continent is on the oldest plain platform, which is unshakable. The western part is at the junction of the continental plate and the oceanic plate, which still seem to be piling against each other. Thanks to this process the Andes were formed and continue to form - the longest mountain range in the world. It can be concluded that the relief of South America in the western part is still being formed. The height of the mountains constantly rises, while the volcanic processes and earthquakes do not subside.

East and its plains

This geological area occupies most of the continent of South America. The relief here, as we have said, was formed billions of years ago, and now it is firmly anchored on a single lithospheric plate, which is seismically stable. In general, the east of the continent consists of six parts. A larger part of the territory is occupied by the Brazilian and Guiana highlands. They are located on the shields of the South American lithospheric plate. On the plates are three lowlands: La Plata, Amazon and Orinoco. The last component of the relief is Patagonia. It is a stepped plateau, whose height rises to 2000 m. It is in the southeast of the continent, in the possessions of Argentina.

The climate of the eastern plains

The forms of the relief of South America in the eastern part are such that there are no mountains or high hills. Therefore, winds and cyclones from the Atlantic freely penetrate to the land, irrigating it with rains, rewarding with fogs and dense clouds.

Above this territory is a zone of low pressure, which is "fed" by the Atlantic trade winds. As a result, the maximum amount of precipitation in the world falls here. Thanks to them, the Amazon canals, the largest river in the world, are so full of water. And they are surrounded by impassable tropical jungle, inhabited by unique evergreen plants.

The structure of the West

This part of the continent is very narrow, and at the same time as if stretched from north to south. It is still being formed, because almost every year earthquakes happen, and once in 10-15 years volcanoes erupt. Here the relief of the mainland South America is divided into two parts: the Andes mountains and the flat Atacama desert. The length of the ridge is 9000 kilometers - it is the longest in the world. The highest point is Mount Aconcagua, its height is 6962 meters. This ridge is not only a watershed, but also a barrier to Pacific cyclones. Cold winds from the Antarctic currents that pass here reach only the hills of Atacama, not falling into the interior of the continent.

Climatic data

The Andes occupy the entire western coast of the continent of South America. The terrain is divided into three parts: North, Center and South. The first of them is the wettest - here is the atmospheric dynamic minimum. The amount of precipitation a year sometimes reaches 7,000 mm, and on average 4000 mm. The middle part of the Andes is the widest (up to 500 km), and the pressure here is gradually increasing. The amount of precipitation a year is up to 1500 mm, sometimes there are droughts up to 500 mm. Temperatures are more severe at both the foot and in the high zone zone. This is due to the fact that nearby is Atacama - the most arid desert in the world. In some of its parts, rains and fogs have not existed for 400 years. The southern Andes are the driest. The temperature drops here are maximum, and sometimes reach 40 degrees. The amount of precipitation is 250 mm.

Landscapes of South America

The geological structure of any continent as a whole determines its animal and plant world, creates a landscape of the terrain. The landscapes that we can meet in South America are incredibly diverse, and every corner of this continent remains unique, as there are no more such beauties anywhere.

So, the eastern coasts that are washed by the Atlantic are gently sloping beaches. Gradually, they move into small hills (a typical example is Rio de Janeiro). In other parts of the continent the terrain is completely flat (Buenos Aires). In the center of the continent the level is lowering, which contributes to the formation of a wooded area and numerous rivers. This is the famous South American jungle and Amazon. The West appears in the form of high mountains covered with perennial snows and glaciers. Closer to the shores of the Pacific Ocean, they pass to the hills, where the earth literally cracked from years of drought. Here often there are canyons from rocks of a reddish shade, which only in spring are covered with grasses and flowers, and in the summer they turn into a windy desert.

Results

We briefly examined what it is, the relief of South America. 7th grade is the period when children study in detail the structure of various continents of our planet. In order for them to learn the material, it is best to provide illustrations of each individual section of the continent so that the brain can connect general information with visual images.