geological features
Soil types:
In the Amazon tropical rainforest, the soil are mostly several metres deep. The soil is thin and poor in nutrients. Due to erosion over hundreds of millions of years, white and sandy soils can be found in some parts of the Amazon River Basin. In addition these soils have lost most of their minerals and fertility, even though rich rainforests grow on them.
The dead plants and animals decompose fast and their organic matter gets utilized by other organisms. The bacteria and Fungi convert this dead organic matter into compounds. This compounds become available to the roots of the plants.
In the Amazon tropical rainforest, the soil are mostly several metres deep. The soil is thin and poor in nutrients. Due to erosion over hundreds of millions of years, white and sandy soils can be found in some parts of the Amazon River Basin. In addition these soils have lost most of their minerals and fertility, even though rich rainforests grow on them.
The dead plants and animals decompose fast and their organic matter gets utilized by other organisms. The bacteria and Fungi convert this dead organic matter into compounds. This compounds become available to the roots of the plants.
Rock Structure:
The Amazon basin is created by depression of the pre-Cambrian bedrock. The basin earth is made up of sedimentary layers of soft clay and sand deposits which almost more than 13,000 feet thick. That's why, in the Amazon central basin there is virtually no rocks found there, since they wither have to stay intact on the long journey from the Andes or lie on the river bottom. Only few rocks actually survive from the journey down from the Andes, due to its layer that is made up mostly of soft sedimentary clay.
The Amazon basin is created by depression of the pre-Cambrian bedrock. The basin earth is made up of sedimentary layers of soft clay and sand deposits which almost more than 13,000 feet thick. That's why, in the Amazon central basin there is virtually no rocks found there, since they wither have to stay intact on the long journey from the Andes or lie on the river bottom. Only few rocks actually survive from the journey down from the Andes, due to its layer that is made up mostly of soft sedimentary clay.
Amazon tropical rain forest Terrain
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The Amazon Basin is running through its heart, the Amazon river and its more than 1,000 tributaries, seven of them are more than 1,000 miles in length. The basin drains more than 2,700,000 sq. miles, and covers almost one-third of South America. It Rises high in the Andes, the river's network irrigates almost half of the continent.
The Andes mountains are toothy-edged mountain system, some of them are 4,500 miles in length, and it extends from the southern tip of South America to all the way to Panama. It supports some of the most major rivers on the continent, and it includes many ranges. Some of the mountains peak reaches over 20,000 ft high. |
Climate
The Amazon tropical rainforest climate, which is also known as equatorial climate is hot and humid throughout the year. The average annual temperature is 27°C. In the Amazon tropical rainforest, there isn't such a thing as seasons, its mostly summer. Thunderstorms are really common in the Amazon rainforest, due to the hot and humid climate. The temperature is not that hot as it may be expected. The temperatures rarely reach over 33°C . The humidity is usually 85%, but during the day it is mostly 80% and at night it can get higher to 95%.
The Amazon tropical rainforest climate has no dry season, because it rains almost the whole year. It receives about 150 cm of rain per year The precipitation varies significantly though the regions of the Amazon tropical rainforest, in the Eastern region, which is close to the Andes the precipitation doubles the precipitation of the Manaus region.
The weather is mostly the same every day. The sun rises at about 6am and early morning mists disperse. As the sun rises higher in the sky the temperature goes up, and a lot of water evaporates from rivers and forests. The air rises and cools and water vapor condenses to form great masses of clouds. During the afternoon there is a torrential downpour. The clouds then break up, and about 6pm the sun sets and the night begins.
The Amazon tropical rainforest, experiences very light winds that changes the climate to humid and warm more than it's already. The average wind speed above the canopy of a tropical rainforest is 10 kilometers per hour, and mostly the winds will stay below 5 kilometers per hour. The maximum wind speeds are mostly recorded at higher elevations on the rainforest slopes.
The Amazon tropical rainforest, experiences very light winds that changes the climate to humid and warm more than it's already. The average wind speed above the canopy of a tropical rainforest is 10 kilometers per hour, and mostly the winds will stay below 5 kilometers per hour. The maximum wind speeds are mostly recorded at higher elevations on the rainforest slopes.
Flooding & Mudslide
One of the characteristics of the Amazon tropical rainforest, is seasonal flooding. The varzea, or the flooded forest of the Amazon River Basin, where the largest tracts of the rainforests are inundated to depths of 40 feet during seasonal flooding. The highest flooding stage occurs in April and May, while the lowest stage occurs in August and September. The tributaries that drain the Brazilian Shield, flood in March or April. Mudslides are although a characteristic of the Amazon rainforest. They are caused by the floods. When the floods push down soil, shrubs, plants and other ground sediments, that causes a moderate to large spill out of part of the land.