By Pedro Sanchez-Villa

Mexico City

Geologic History Plate Tectonics Setting Bedrock Geology Natural Hazards Human induced Hazards Typical Weather Landforms Surface water and groundwater Land use and natural resources Skymap for October Human History

Table of Contents

Geologic History Mexico city lies in

the basin of Mexico. The city lies on what was formerly known as Lake Texcoco. The lake was drained in the 17th century but the city still remains on the lake bed’s heavily saturated clay. Due to this fact the city is slowly sinking.

Plate Tectonics of Mexico City

Mexico city is directly effected by the Cocos plate and Orozco plates. Both of these plates are oceanic plates but the collision of the two has had large effects on the city through earthquakes in 1985 and 2012

Bedrock GeologySince Mexico city

lies on what was formerly Lake Texcoco , the bedrock is composed mainly of saturated clay. The soil was determined too saline for cultivation, and the surface of the bed has dropped becoming problematic for the Mexico City.

Natural Hazards

Mexico City faces many natural hazards such as Earthquakes which has had disastrous effects in 1985 and 2012. 40% of the population lives in seismic areas. 64% live near Popocatepetl volcano putting many at risk. The city also rests in the Basin of Mexico causing the city to slowly sink which causes damage to infrastructure . Since it also rests inside a valley, the city is susceptible to rains, floods and landslides.

Human Induced Hazards

The city is landlocked and it is very difficult to get water out of the city. The problem with this is that garbage accumulates near human settlements which could be toxic to those citizens. It is calculated that approximately 184 thousand daily barrels of toxic and explosive substances are distributed a long 178 kilometers of underground nets, and 400 million cubic feet of gas travel in a 416 kilometers nets.

Typical Weather

The average annual temperature is between 54 to 61 °F depending on the altitude. The temperature is rarely below 37 ° F and 86 ° F. The region is split between two seasons: rainy season which lasts between June and October and the dry season which runs between November and May. Precipitation is concentrated in the summer months and includes dense hail. The region barely gets snow in the winter with the last instance recorded in January 12, 1967.

Landforms Mexico city is

surrounded by the Basin of Mexio. The hills are to its north, east and west. The lower region of the valley is composed of grassland. The upper southern region is a mountainous region of pine and oak trees known as the range of Ajusco.

Surface and Groundwater. The city has no

natural outlets for the waters that flow from the mountainside. The water is drained through the use of canals and tunnels. Since Lake Texcoco was drained there are no natural lakes or rivers.

Natural Resources

Mexico city has no natural resources. Many of the inhabitants turn to factory jobs or travel long distances to farming regions outside the city. The only resources to speak of are quarries located in certain parts of the cities for stones.

Sky map for Thursday, October 9th.

Mexico city region first inhabited by groups between 100 to 900 AD

Teotihuacan was founded in 1325 by the Mexicas. When a vision of an eagle eating a snake perched on a cactus was seen on an island in Lake Texcoco.

City eventually evolved into Tenochtitlan Hernan Cortes arrives in 1519 and quickly gains control of the

city after being worshipped as a god. Destroys Tenochtitlan and builds Mexico City.

In 1810, a catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla became a catalyst for Mexico’s independence, and quickly made a call to arms. And won it in 1821.

Mexico city today is the largest metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere.

Human History

Historical Artifacts

Diccionario Porrua de Historia, Biografia y Geografia de Mexico 6th

http://geo-mexico.com/?p=6277http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/5

89372/Lake-Texcocohttp://emi.pdc.org/cities/CP-Mexico-July2006.

pdfwww.History.com

References