9-4-15Answer on an index card. State which region these images

would be part of and cite textual evidence to support your answer.

1 2

Section 3Louisiana’s Natural

Regions

General►Studying of physical geography

includes: Identifying, classifying, and analyzing

(1)►Natural regions are defined and

classified by: Relief, soil, vegetation, and climate

(2)

http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/544144

http://geology.com/topographic-physical-map/louisiana.shtml

► Louisiana is a part of the Gulf Coast Plain

►LA’s elevation ranges from 4 feet below sea level (New Orleans) to 535 feet above (Mt. Driskill) (5/6)

HIGHEST

LOWEST

General►Samuel Lockett – mapped LA’s

elevation and relief (7)►5 major natural regions: Mississippi

Floodplain, the Terraces, the Marshes, the Red River Valley, the Hills (8)

Mississippi Floodplain Region►Floodplain – level land along a

river likely to flood (9)

►Soil is alluvial, deposited by the river (very fertile) (10)

►Has 3 parts: Natural Levee, Swamp, Passes (11)

The Natural Levee►Natural riverbanks built over time

by silt deposited from flooding (usually 3 to 6 feet)

►Manmade levees were built to keep the river within its’ banks (12)

►Batture – slope between top of the levee and the river

The Swamp►Seasonally flooded forest (14)

The Passes►Routes the MS River takes to

merge with the Gulf of Mexico►Called a delta because the triangle

shape of the mouth of the river looks like the Greek letter Delta (16)

►At the estuary the water changes from fresh to salt ►Vegetation: mostly marsh

grasses (17)

Terraces Region

►Contains the old Mississippi floodplains

►3 parts: Blufflands, Prairies, Flatwoods(18)The Blufflands

►These are the old natural levees►Loess soil – wind-deposited soil,

built up the old levees (19)

Loess cliff on edge of former gravel pit, Sicily Island Hills,Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Estimated height of cliff is approximately 45feet high. (Photograph courtesy of Mr. Richard P. McCulloh)

The Prairies►Old river channels►Flat

The Flatwoods►Prairies covered with forests►Called the “piney woods”: covered

with mixed pine and hardwood forests (25)

Marsh Region►Marsh – wet, treeless prairie

covered with water and grasses►Difference between marsh and

swamp: Marsh along the coast and no trees,

swamps have trees (27)

Marsh Region►Migratory birds return annually to

feed on the bounty of the marsh (31)

►A transition zone between the land and the ocean (32)

Salt Domes►found in the salt marsh►Main domes called the Five Islands

and are found between New Iberia and Morgan City: Avery Island (Tabasco) (34) Weeks Island (emergency reserve

supply of petroleum) Jefferson Island (site of major

accident)

Red River Valley Region►Borders the Red River as it flows

from the NW corner to Central LA►Elevation and relief are low

compared to the surrounding region

►Fertile red soil {from Oklahoma and Texas} (36)

►Vegetation includes trees that can survive flooding (37)

Hills Region►It is the highest region with the

toughest terrain (39)►Soil is old and NOT fertile (usually

red) (42)►Some parts have forests of JUST

longleaf pine (43)

BATTURE

http://www.darrenclarkphoto.com/southern-louisiana.htmlhttp://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/10/homeless_camp_on_mississippi_r.html

http://www.bythebatture.com/2012/07/life-along-batture.html

Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

A farm is surrounded by Mississippi River floodwaters near New Madrid, Mo., after the Army Corps of Engineers intentionally broke a clay levee holding back the rising river.

http://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/envirobio/enviroweb/FloodControl.htm