A little bit of this and a little bit of that makes up the Landscapes

With Pandora’s real life action taking place in China, it is brings out the landscape witch is portrayed all throughout the movie.

The Huang Shan Mountains in China can show two types of landscapes.  The first landscape is the Arid (Entisols) Landscape, which can resemble the tops of the mountains in a long continuous line, as represented below. 

(This can give you a better idea of what an Entisols Landscape looks like.)

The second landscape is what is known as the Glacial Landscape.  Huang Shan Mountains are just on the border of what geologists call an Indirect Effects of glaciations loess’s.  Loess is dust like deposits.  As shown in the picture below, you can understand where the Glacial Landscape in the Huang Shan Mountains occurs. 

(This picture is of the Loess's in China, called the China's Loess Plateau)

(This can give you a better understanding of where some Loess's happen in the world.  China is the farthest one east on the border of "definite" and "possible.")

Pandora also shows Fluvial Process’s, which include Stream Flow Regimes, and Stream Channels.  Stream Flow Regimes has different components, one being a perennial.  Perennial is a year around flow, common throughout the mountains.  An example is represented below. 

(Here you can see that because of the surrounding mountains, this is a Stream Flow Regime.  It can also represent a Stream Channel too, which will be explained below.)

Stream Channels also has different components, one of which being called meandering.  Meandering wiggles across flood plains resulting in point bar, cut banks, and thalweg.  A better understanding of Stream Channel is represented below.  

(This is a map of the Huang Shan Mountains and how theres a river that flows through it.  Notice how it isn't just straight.  It wiggles around and curves, which represents a meandering stream channel.)

http://cedzsearch.com/zone.php?id=112

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/avatar/images/10831048/title/concept-art-pandora-photo

http://www.chinatownconnection.com/huansang-mountains.htm

http://fast.ucdenver.edu/case/1202/Landscapes/Glac/GlacialClimSetting/loess_deposits.gif

http://fast.ucdenver.edu/case/1202/Landscapes/Glac/GlacialClimSetting/LoessPlateau.jpg

Pandora's Climate

Throughout the movie, some geographical features can be shown, just not as explained as well.  For the sanity of my brain, I will relate some of these features to the earth to give some better explaination.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://singularityhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/avatar-pandora.jpg&imgrefurl=http://singularityhub.com/2009/12/16/avatar-movie-thrills-in-london-premier-portends-future/&usg=__RdPwyyUWns3OQ52cUQabeSy0v-I=&h=275&w=547&sz=19&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=SiWGChE2yg8WFM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=201&ei=pEGbTY3WN5ScsQOV8tyKBA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAvatar-Pandora%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D680%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divns0%2C372&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=470&oei=pEGbTY3WN5ScsQOV8tyKBA&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0&tx=119&ty=13&biw=1259&bih=680

This is a view of the clouds that can be seen in Avatar-Pandora scenery of the “Floating Mountains.”  This is some of the only climate basis features shown throughout the movie, which are related to “altocumulus” on the lower end of cloud formation, and “cirrocumulus” which is reached at higher elevations.

The type of cloud shown above can vary between two different cloud forms as stated in the caption.  Altocumulus (middle lump) clouds result roughly around 2000-6000m, and cirrocumulus (wispy lump) ranges any where above 6000m.  Most clouds can show numerous types of clouds, and some are explanations for thunderstorms, rain, snow, or just a simple cloudy day.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Pandora-Avatar+plants&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=n1FemN86aVJ2oM:&imgrefurl=http://3d-adventures.blogspot.com/2010/11/woodland-creature-more-timeless-digital.html&ei=RbCcTS2PudEBxZis5gI&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=293&vpy=365&dur=65&hovh=187&hovw=269&tx=165&ty=93&oei=RbCcTS2PudEBxZis5gI&page=1&tbnh=123&tbnw=164&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1259&bih=680

As shown in this photo are plants and trees that can be related to a tropical rainforest. For sanity purposes we will relate it to China, which is where the movie actually was filmed at (stated in previous blog).  ITCZ (intertropical convergence zone), where warm air rises and creates a low air pressure band is present, can show possible signs of tropical depression.

The plant and water life in Pandora is extrordinary.  As stated in the caption above, the ITCZ can be present based upon China’s location near the Equator, which is where the ITCZ takes place.  It allows for rain to be present, which in the long run would make Pandora a very humid and very green plant life region.

http://www.newmediastudio.org/DataDiscovery/Hurr_ED_Center/Stages_of_Hurricane_Dev/ITCZ/ITCZ.html

This shows an example of what is being talked about in the section above. 

China shows examples of why it is a tropical depression, because as the ITCZ gets further away from the equator and expands North, the width of it expands and will result in a larger precipitation activity. In the picture above & below, you can get a better understanding of this.

 

http://www.newmediastudio.org/DataDiscovery/Hurr_ED_Center/Stages_of_Hurricane_Dev/ITCZ/ITCZ.html

This is an example of what is known as a tropical depression.  This is where the ITCZ is shifted north due to trade winds, and can result in cyclonic vortices in summer, resulting in possibilities of Pandora having exceptional plant and water life.

Soil and Hydrology

Pandora has beautiful scenery that shows both hydrological terms and different aspects of soil.  Searching for photos to explain these terms more in depth was harder than what it appeared.

A scene from Pandora from the movie Avatar.  In this photo I will explain how the ending of the drainage order is shown (Steps 1 and 2 cannot be shown, but steps 3 and 4 are shown), what exactly stream flow is, and how this photo represents the Effluent Stream. 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://im-li.com/school/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/avatar_10.jpg&imgrefurl=http://im-li.com/school/category/thesis/&usg=__DhMF9baPJW78a9j5O2HrVsIfVyo=&h=354&w=630&sz=296&hl=en&start=54&zoom=1&tbnid=sVKeGtstZGORBM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=203&ei=rNZvTebBFIrEsAOPzYW3Cw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Davatar-pandora%2Bplants%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D680%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1562&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=281&oei=eNZvTf7FApD2swOz79zQCw&page=4&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:54&tx=142&ty=69&biw=1280&bih=680

In the photo above the normal eye will see waterfalls with a small lake and trees growing out of the water.  The waterfalls in this photo represent streamflow because the water falls off the mountains and flows into lakes or ponds.  Also because of the waterfalls, they show Effluent Stream, where the water feeds into a baseflow. This photo also represents steps 3 and 4 of the drainage order.  Step 3 representing the waterfalls, which end up flowing into step 4, which represents the small lake.  To get a better understanding, look at the photo below.

This photo represents what a drainage order is.  Starting at number 1 and working all the way to number 4.  

http://fast.ucdenver.edu/case/1202/Battle/Destroy/Hydrology/DraingOrderDiag.jpg

In this photo we will examine the soil (as shown, its a zone of interaction between underlying rock and overlying atmosphere), how there are 4 components of soil (air, minerals, organic matter, and water), the soil properties, and what laterization is and how it is shown. 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.incgamers.com/images/screenshots/9955orig.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.incgamers.com/News/18166/avatar-trailer&usg=__T64uqCVKF-9MuNu53jBHpsHpPvQ=&h=3150&w=5040&sz=1323&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=uYoAkU37v_RKFM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=185&ei=Q99vTam6PIq8sAPksPzRCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPandora%2Bscenery%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D968%26bih%3D680%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=304&oei=Q99vTam6PIq8sAPksPzRCw&page=1&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=90&ty=90

Soil helps plants grow and in the photo above you can see plant life and soil along a stream.   This is because the CEC (cation-exchange capacity) and soil colloids are present.  These terms are the basic understanding of why plants grow due to soil.  Soil color also plays an effect as shown in the picture below.  

Thanks to Albert H. Munsell we have a classification of soil colors.  Each color represents a different form of rock.  From those forms, we can get the understanding of how the soil will affect plant life and if each soil particle is getting enough water and nutrients it needs. 

http://fast.ucdenver.edu/case/1202/Soils/munsellbook.jpg

Lastely in picture 3, Laterization is present because of the tropical regions that Pandora is in.

This photo explains more of what Laterization is, and how in photo 3, you can see this.  

 http://fast.ucdenver.edu/case/1202/Soils/Laterization.gif 

Pandora's Mountains

Pandora's Mountains are something extraordinary.  With the help of Google and YouTube, I have found out that the movie Pandora, in particular any scene with the mountains was shoot in Zhangjiajie National Park, China.

http://www.nationalparkofchina.com/wulingyuan.html#_Sect2

In this image of the aerial view of Zhangjiajie the Triangular Facets which form along the base of the mountains. In this view you can also get the basic understanding of a panchromatic aerial shot. 

In this photo you can really see the Triangular Facets.

http://flighttochina.net/category/sight/

Another interesting aspect of the Pandora is their up close mountain views.

http://yourmoviewallpaper.blogspot.com/2010/10/pandora-mountainsavatar-movie.html

In this view of the "Floating Mountains" you can see how their are plant life growing all throughout the rocks.  This is because there are fractures in the rocks (pressure roots), that cause the expansion of the fracture to grow and eventually break off. 

http://perceptivetravel.com/blog/wp-content/avatar-mountains.jpg

The Avatar, Pandora mountains can show "joints" or weakness in the rock that causes spaces where chemical and physical weathering can occur. Up close there can be mosses found on these rocks due to living organisms on the rocks surface that is caused by chelation and biological organic acids.

Introduction

This blog was created by Kara DeGeneres

The landscape I have chosen is from the movie Avatar. I will specifically focus on the Pandora scenes, where the majority of the movie has taken place.

(Pandora, a look at the land)

I have chosen this location because while recently watching the movie I experienced a variety of different land formations and different geographical features that I feel we will learn in the semester to come.  It will be interesting to see if movies really do pay attention to geography as well as we think they do.

Image from http://www.duffyleadership.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/avatar-landscape.jpg