South America takes its name from explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It formed over 120 million years ago when the continent arrived at its current location. Unique to South America are the Amazon River, Angel Falls, the Amazon Rainforest, and South American jaguars. The geological features of South America arose from the subduction of the Nazca Plate along the western coast and the filling of the former Amazon bay by erosion of mountain ranges.

1. South America
By: Siem Tuumai

2. How did it get it’s name and
what does it mean?

3. South America’s
name originated
from the explorer,
Amerigo Vespucci.
America is a
Latinized version of
“Amerigo”.
Name?

4. What plates make up South
America?

5. Plates?
Juan de Fuca
is the name of
the continent.
Area: 250,000 (km)

6. When did South America
take form?

7. Formation?
Before
South America
After
South America
140 MILLION years ago

8. When did your continent
arrive at the location it is in
today?

9. Formation?
120 million years a go, South
America arrived at it’s current
location.
South America

10. What landforms, plant life,
and animal life are unique to
your South America?

11. Landforms?
South America possess…
The Second Largest
River in the World ,
the
Amazon(6,400km)
The highest
waterfalls, Angel
Falls (979 m)

12. …More on
Landforms South America also
possess…
The Amazon
Rainforest
The South
American Jaguars

13. What processes have given
rise to the geological,
geographic, and biological
features that South America
has?

14. Geological
Processes
Nazca Plate sub ducted in to the
west coast line of South America

15. …More on
Geological
Processes
Amazon was once a bay, then
eventually became an inland sea
because of mountain range grew.
It was finally filled by the erosion
of higher land, creating
crisscrossed waterways.

16. Work Cited
• http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/aug03/america.html.
• http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blplate_size_table.htm
.
• http://www.britannica.com/place/Pangea.
• http://www.naturalhistoryonthenet.com/Continents/south
_america.htm.

17. • http://geology.about.com/library/bl/blplate_size_table.htm
• http://www.naturalhistoryonthenet.com/Continents/south
_america.htm.
• “Pangaea”. Encyclopedia Britannica. 11/2/2015
http://www.britannica.com/place/Pangea.
• “South America”. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11/2/2015
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/South_America.as
px
• “South America”. Natural History on the net. 11/2/2015
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/aug03/america.html.