After completing this chapter you will understand:
- How the rigid geosphere (the lithosphere) is broken into pieces called plates.
- How and why plates move.
- How plate movements cause many changes in the lithosphere including the formation, growth, or splitting of continents, the formation of mountains, and the formation or destruction of ocean basins.
- Plate movements shape Earth’s physiography and influence climate and biome development.
- The five major physiographic realms in the United States.
- How Earth’s dynamic geosphere and changing physiography have influenced where people live.
Use the navigation on the left to explore this unit's chapter and investigations.
