Editing Physical Geography (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
Physical geography is understood through '''Interconnected Systems'''.

'''1. The Four Spheres''':
Nothing on Earth happens in isolation.
* '''Atmosphere + Hydrosphere''': Creates '''Weather'''. The sun heats the water, it evaporates into the air, and falls as rain.
* '''Lithosphere + Biosphere''': Creates '''Soil'''. Rocks break down (Weathering) and mix with dead plants to create life-sustaining dirt.

'''2. Plate Tectonics (The Engine)''':
The Earth's crust is not solid; it is made of giant "Plates" floating on a hot, liquid mantle.
* '''Convergence''': Plates crash together to make '''Mountains''' (e.g., The Himalayas).
* '''Divergence''': Plates pull apart to make '''Oceans'''.
* '''Transformation''': Plates slide past each other to make '''Earthquakes''' (e.g., The San Andreas Fault).

'''3. Gradational Processes (The Sculptors)''':
While tectonics "builds" the world up, other forces "tear" it down.
* '''Water''': The most powerful sculptor. Rivers carve valleys and build deltas.
* '''Ice''': Glaciers act like giant "sandpaper," grinding down mountains and carving out U-shaped valleys.
* '''Wind''': In deserts, wind moves millions of tons of sand to create dunes.

'''The Orographic Effect''': This explains why one side of a mountain is a lush forest and the other is a desert. As wet air hits a mountain, it is forced upward, cools, and rains (The Windward side). By the time the air reaches the other side, it is dry (The Leeward side, or "Rain Shadow").
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