Google Earth is an interactive 3D satellite image and virtual mapping software program that allows you to navigate to and view various locations on the planet from a bird’s-eye view. The program provides satellite images of the Earth’s surface and is interfaced with Google maps.
To navigate to different locations, you simple double-click on the location you wish to zoom in on, or you can type in location names or coordinates in the search menu at the top-right of the screen. In some areas you can enter ‘street view’ and navigate streets as though you were traveling in a vehicle along that road.
In this assignment you will use Google Earth to navigate to five different stream locations. Answer each of the questions about that location using the attached worksheet. Save the worksheet and submit it as an attachment to this assignment for grading.
Drainage Patterns
You learned about the various kinds of stream drainage patterns in the Drainage Networks & Patterns video in Connect. This assignment applies what you learned to the identification of drainage patterns in real-world contexts using Google Earth.
1. Use the Google Earth search menu to navigate to:
S 3 11.327 W 064 37.412
To do this, just type the above latitude and longitude coordinates into the search menu or copy and paste the text. At the bottom right of the screen you should see that the eye alt (the altitude at which you are viewing the landscape) is about 3425 ft. Use the zoom slider at the top right of the map to zoom out to an eye alt of approximately 1700 miles. Identify the dominate stream drainage pattern at this location and write this pattern on the answer worksheet.
2. Use the Google Earth search menu to navigate to:
N 39 25.343 W 078 32.391
Adjust the eye alt to approximately 20 miles. Identity the dominate stream drainage pattern at this location and write this pattern on the answer worksheet.
3. Use the Google Earth search menu to navigate to:
N 35 08.046 W 119 40.400
Adjust the eye alt to approximately 8000 ft. Identify the dominate stream drainage pattern at this location and write this pattern on the answer worksheet.
4. Use the Google Earth search menu to navigate to:
N 46 52.071 W 121 43.590
Adjust the eye alt to approximately 35 miles. Identify the dominate stream drainage pattern at this location and write this pattern on the answer worksheet.
Stream Type
In the Connect video Stream Components & Processes you learned about a particular type of stream and its floodplain features. This question applies what you learned to the identification of this stream type in a real-world context using Google Earth.
5. Use the Google Earth search menu to navigate to:
N 40 28.631 W 086 32.239
Adjust the eye alt to approximately 25,000 ft. The winding stream with cut offs and oxbow lakes depicted here is called a ___________ stream. Add this answer to the answer worksheet and submit all five answers using the Assignments Tool in ACE.
