Applied Geography Report.
Follow the steps listed below to complete your project. Before you get to the site: Pick an outdoor location for your report. This location could be on campus at West Los Angeles College, a park within your neighborhood, or you may choose to travel somewhere specifically to complete this report. Locations nearby West Los Angeles College include Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area (Links to an external site.), Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (Links to an external site.), and Ballona Creek Wetlands (Links to an external site.). Determine at least one date that you will visit the location and make the observations. If you visit on multiple dates, you will need to log your observations separately for each date. Download the topographic map for the location that you are visiting. In the United States, you can use the USGS Map Locator, as explained in the background to Lab 4. Determine if the location that you are visiting is near a geologic fault. There are a few ways that that you can find this information. a) Download the geologic map for the location that you are visiting. You can find geologic maps of the United States using the National Geologic Map Database (Links to an external site.). [Hint: click the box next to “Use Area on Map” and then zoom in or out to collect maps for the region shown in the map preview box.] b) In California, visit the Earthquake Zones of Required Investigations (Links to an external site.) website of the California Geologic Survey. You can type in the name of the city that you are visiting, or use the controls to zoom in. c) If you have a smartphone, download the QuakeFeed app (Links to an external site.). Click the icon at the top left of the screen (looks like a circle with a grid on it and an arrow pointing to the center). Then, zoom in to find your location. Download the Daily Weather Map (Links to an external site.) from NOAA for the date that you are visiting the location. At the site: Take pictures at the site. At least one picture must be a “selfie” at the location. You should have images to support other geographical observations that you make. Think about all of the content that you have learned during this course and how that new knowledge can be applied to this site. Make the following observations: What is the latitude, longitude, and elevation of the location? If there is a range, be sure to take note of that information. You may use your smartphone to help you acquire this information, but you must also record the 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map name that contains the location you are visiting. What are the weather conditions on the Daily Weather Map (be sure to record the date)? Is there a nearby low or high pressure system? Is there precipitation in the area? What are the observed weather conditions for the location on the date and time of your visit? Be as descriptive as possible (think about temperature, relative humidity, winds, clouds, etc.). How does the actual weather conditions compare to the weather map? Be descriptive. Are there any geologic faults near to the area you are visiting? If so, what is the name and direction of motion? If so, can you see any evidence of movement along the fault (for example, the area is on a hill that was pushed up due to reverse faulting? If not, where is the closest geologic fault (give the name and directions of motion)? What is the geomorphological agent that dominates formation of this landscape (wind, water, ice, etc.), and what landforms can you observe?