Physical Geography of the Southeast

Catalog description

This course works to help students understand the physical diversity of North Carolina and the southeast by looking at the earth processes that create various terrains. Specifically, we break down the region into physiographic provinces: the coastal plain, the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge. Then we examine how different surface processes worked to create each of those regions. In the coastal plain, we examine how beach processes shape the landscape, transport sand, and move barrier islands. In the Piedmont, we examine how a relatively inactive landscape comes to be dominated by weathering and soil processes. In the Blue Ridge, we look at the ways that gravity impacts landscapes by driving landslides and rivers. Along the way, we examine the ways that landscapes impact human populations. Satisfies Environmental Studies major and minor requirement