Physical Geography of Utah

Utah’s Place in the World

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Utah in relation to everywhere else

Utah’s Latitude and Longitude

Longitude and Latitude are the two ways that we measure where things are on Earth.

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Longitude lines run "up and down" on the earth, and the "middle" line (the Prime Meridian) runs through London, UK.

• Run north and south, and MEASURE east and west. Numbered 0-180 degrees.

Latitude lines run "across" the Earth and the middle line is the Equator. The equator is in the middle of the North and South Poles.

• Run east and west, and MEASURE north and south. Numbered 0-90 degrees.

Utah’s Geological Time

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Change in Utah Over Time

Starting in the Paleozoic Era (543-248 million years ago)

Utah’s Regions

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Regions of Utah

The Great Basin

• Basin is another word for bowl.
• Any water the falls or flows into the region does not flow out.
• The only way water gets out of the Great Basin Region is through evaporation.
• You'll notice that the Great Salt Lake is in the Great Basin Region, the reason the Great Salt Lake is so salty is that water only flows into it, and the only way water leaves the lake is through evaporation- leaving all of the sediment (salt) behind.

The Colorado Plateau

• Contains all of Utah’s 5 national parks
• Plateaus are lifted areas.

The Rocky Mountains

• Mountainous areas of Utah
• Receives a lot of snow in the winter, and then stores that water for the valleys throughout the spring and summer.

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Climates of Utah

Climates of Utah

Desert: very little precipitation (rain/snow fall)

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Highland: the higher elevation areas of the state.

• Lots of snow and cold temperatures in the winter, and cooler summers.

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Steppe: hot, dry summers and cold winters. There is some precipitation, but not as much as the highland climates.

• Typically, you can think of mountain valleys, grasslands, and heavily populated areas to remember where the steppe areas of the state are (most of Utah's large cities are in steppe climates).

What is Climate?

• Temperature
• Wind
• The amount of dependable sunshine
• Humidity
• precipitation

• Latitude- distance from equator (more north and south)
• The further you are from the equator, the colder it gets
• Elevation- height above sea level
• The higher you are, the colder it gets
• Distance from an ocean- Oceans hold temperature better than land
• The further you get from an ocean, the more extreme the temperatures can get.
• Oceans regulate temperatures

What are factors of a climate?

What affects climate?

What inferences can you make based on these maps?