Adapted from

http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeograph
y/a/fourspheres.htm
Few landscapes have been so
dramatically altered due to the
atmosphere. The Imperial Sand
Dunes are the largest in California.
The westerly winds hitting the dried
up lake bed of Lake Cahuilla is
thought to be the reason for the
creation of the dunes. It is estimated
that the dunes move a foot east
every year due to the wind. The
etreme heat in the lower
atmosphere in con!unction with
strong winds in the higher
atmosphere can give rise to
sandstorms.
Glamis Sand Dunes -
Atmosphere
Digital Field Trip of
Physical Geography
We will be visiting locations
from the Lithosphere,
Hydrosphere,
Atmosphere and last by
not least, the iosphere!
The spheres get their names
from the "reek. Litho# which
means rock# atmo# which
mean air# hydro# which means
water and bio# which means
life.
The $geo%spheres& work in
harmony together to make
our planet inhabitable. 'any
times we can find elements
from each sphere in one
location. The beach# for
eample# has the offshore
wind# the water# the sand and
the animals and organisms
living on the beach.
Photo from sandiegoatvrentals.com
Designed to accommodate deaf and hard of
hearing students.
"irst Stop, #he Devil$s
%unchbowl -
Lithosphere
The Devil(s )unchbowl is a tilted
sandstone formation located
south of )almdale# C*. The
punchbowl gets its name because
of the large circular opening in
the smooth sandstone. The
punchbowl was created through
tectonic activity and water
erosion. The San *ndreas Fault
and the )inyon Faults lie on
opposite ends of this area. The
activity from these two faults
caused some beautiful rock
formations where it appears the
rocks are shooting up out of the
ground.
&ain 'nside Heading
Second Stop, #he
Huntington
Gardens -
iosphere
These gardens located in San
'arino# California. +untington
"ardens is host to many life
forms# from plants and animals
to humans. The plants here are
numerous. They have
subsections throughout the
gardens# which include desert
plants# tropical plants and
subtropical plants. There is life
in the form of reptiles# fish#
insects# rodents# birds and
humans.
#hird Stop, Salton Sea
- Hydrosphere
In ,-./ the Colorado 0iver
broke free of some poorly
constructed canals and emptied
into a salt field. 1 years later# the
Salton Sea was born. +owever#
because there is no outlet for the
water# the Salton Sea is in
danger. 2nce a freshwater lake#
the salt content has risen
dramatically in the last /. years
because of no outlet and this
threatens the fish population. *
combination of raising salt
content and fertili3er runoff
causes algae blooms.
Photo from
www.adamroyerphoto.com
Photo from www.Digital-desert.com
Photo from www.seaandsunmotel.com