Joe Grasse
Patrick Murphy
Section: Thurs. 11am
The Physical Geography of Los Angeles, California Los Angeles: home to Hollywood, the Lakers, and some of the best beaches in the world. How did it get to be such a big city though? Physical geography definitely played a role in the settlement, the expansion, and will even shape the future of this great place.
The history of Los Angeles and its geography begins when the Spanish arrived in the 18th century. They came in contact with Gabrielinos and Fernandenos (known as Tongva tribe to the Europeans), and they covered more than 4,000 square miles. These groups identified the best places to live and they established the Mission San Gabriel. Once the Spanish settled, the Governor de Neve gave the …show more content…
The Mediterranean plant communities support rabbits, mice, and other rodents. Larger sized mammals include deer, coyotes, and skunks. The mountainous desert ecosystem allows these animals to thrive, but commercialization has promoted deterioration.
Water is crucial to any habitable place. Considering the drought, Los Angeles is in a tight situation. An atmospheric cycle called El Nino is not supposed to be the savior to this but should change things. It allows the southern jet stream to hit Southern California instead of the Pacific Northwest. This allows moisture and storms to be more recurrent than past years. Landslides and mudslides may be a product of this, but things like the LA river and agriculture will be somewhat …show more content…
Los Angeles sits between two tectonic plates, the Pacific plate and the North American Plate, and the most notable fault line is the San Andreas. Researchers at United States Geology Service predict there is a 7 percent chance of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the next 30 years. The last “big quake” LA had was in 1857 and researchers suggest that it has to break sooner or later. California is also now entering the fourth year of an extreme drought. This is causing agriculture to be restricted, wildfires to be more severe, natural ecosystems diminishing, and water prices to rise. This is reminiscent of the Great Drought of the 1860’s during a time which Los Angeles was growing rapidly. The cattle loss was about 70% in Los Angeles country during that time. The current drought isn’t as severe, but if it continues it might be. The function of Los Angeles has evolved with the time, but hasn’t been a complete 180°. Although port activity has declined, Los Angeles is still one of the leaders of commerce and economic activity. It’s location in regards to the ocean and the coastal states allows it flourish. Tourism is also a relatively new economic facet that wasn’t an option in the past. Since the growth of traveling by air, terrain became less and less of an issue when
Patrick Murphy
Section: Thurs. 11am
The Physical Geography of Los Angeles, California Los Angeles: home to Hollywood, the Lakers, and some of the best beaches in the world. How did it get to be such a big city though? Physical geography definitely played a role in the settlement, the expansion, and will even shape the future of this great place.
The history of Los Angeles and its geography begins when the Spanish arrived in the 18th century. They came in contact with Gabrielinos and Fernandenos (known as Tongva tribe to the Europeans), and they covered more than 4,000 square miles. These groups identified the best places to live and they established the Mission San Gabriel. Once the Spanish settled, the Governor de Neve gave the …show more content…
The Mediterranean plant communities support rabbits, mice, and other rodents. Larger sized mammals include deer, coyotes, and skunks. The mountainous desert ecosystem allows these animals to thrive, but commercialization has promoted deterioration.
Water is crucial to any habitable place. Considering the drought, Los Angeles is in a tight situation. An atmospheric cycle called El Nino is not supposed to be the savior to this but should change things. It allows the southern jet stream to hit Southern California instead of the Pacific Northwest. This allows moisture and storms to be more recurrent than past years. Landslides and mudslides may be a product of this, but things like the LA river and agriculture will be somewhat …show more content…
Los Angeles sits between two tectonic plates, the Pacific plate and the North American Plate, and the most notable fault line is the San Andreas. Researchers at United States Geology Service predict there is a 7 percent chance of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the next 30 years. The last “big quake” LA had was in 1857 and researchers suggest that it has to break sooner or later. California is also now entering the fourth year of an extreme drought. This is causing agriculture to be restricted, wildfires to be more severe, natural ecosystems diminishing, and water prices to rise. This is reminiscent of the Great Drought of the 1860’s during a time which Los Angeles was growing rapidly. The cattle loss was about 70% in Los Angeles country during that time. The current drought isn’t as severe, but if it continues it might be. The function of Los Angeles has evolved with the time, but hasn’t been a complete 180°. Although port activity has declined, Los Angeles is still one of the leaders of commerce and economic activity. It’s location in regards to the ocean and the coastal states allows it flourish. Tourism is also a relatively new economic facet that wasn’t an option in the past. Since the growth of traveling by air, terrain became less and less of an issue when