Geography of North and South America Chapters 5 and 8 Geography of North and South America

Geography of North America Landforms Pacific Ranges caused by collision of tectonic plates. Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, Coast Range and the Alaska Range. Mt. McKinley 20,320 ft Rocky Mountains caused by geological forces pushing land upwards. Link U.S. and Canada. Stretch 3000 miles with peaks reaching 14,000 ft. In between dry basins and plateaus. Columbia Plateau- north. Created by lava that came from the cracks in ground. Colorado Plateau- eroded. Flat topped mesas and Grand Canyon. Great Basin has Death Valley. Canada’s plateaus colder and narrower than U.S. Great Plains- 300 to 700 miles. Elevations of 6,000 ft. Slopes downward up to 10 ft per mile to Central Lowlands along Mississippi River

Geography of North America Landforms East of Mississippi are Appalachian Mountains. Canadian Shield- giant core of rock centered on Hudson and James Bays anchors the continent. Appalachian Mountians- oldest mountains. Second longest range. 1500 miles. Shaped by ice and running water. Coastal lowlands to the east and south. Between is Piedmont- area of rolling hills. Atlantic Coastal Plain in the Carolinas and the Gulf Coastal Plain in the southeast. Volcanic islands- Hawaii. Lava forms and builds. Formed 8 major and 124 minor Hawaiian islands. Continential islands- part of continental shelf. Greenland and larger islands. Largest island at 840,325 square miles.

Geography of North America Water Systems Continental Divide- high point in Rockies. Determines direction that rivers flow. East go towards Arctic, Hudson Bay, Atlantic Ocean or Mississippi River System. West go to the Pacific Ocean Many rivers including Colorado and Rio Grande have their headwaters (origins) in the Rockies. Tributaries flow into these rivers. MacKenzie River drains most of the Canadian Interior. Mississippi flows 2,350 miles from its source. Longest river. Width of 1.5 miles. Drains 1.2 million square miles. Fall line in eastern U.S. prevents ships from traveling further inland because it makes rivers break into rapids and waterfalls. St. Lawrence River forms part of the boundary along the border of U.S. and Canada as does Niagra Falls. Hydroelectric power.

Geography of North America Water Systems Glacial dams created Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake. Glaciers also created the Great Lakes and part of the Continental Sheild. Rivers and lakes have provided transportation and economic support for both American and Canadian economies.

Geography of North America Natural Resources Energy resoures like petroleum and natural gas. Texas and Alaska rank first and second in petroleum reserves. Texas has natural gas. Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are forms of fossil fuels. Nonrenewable resources. Gold, silver, copper, iron, and nickel are plentiful in both areas. 28% of potash is found in Canada, 18% of copper, 14% of gold and 12% if silver. Mineral resources are also nonrenewable. Mining can use other natural resources as well as significantly damage the environment. Timber is vital resource. Cover less than 50% of Canada and 33% of U.S. renewable resource. Coastal waters provide fishing and fisheries. Grand Banks- richest fishing ground. Covers 139,000 square miles. Overfishing. Aquaculture or fish farming popular now.

Climate and Vegetation of North America Southern Climates Warm and wet climates Southeast- Humid Subtropical. Long, muggy summers and mild winters. Atlantic Ocean helps this. No dry season. Deciduous forests in LA. Farming along Mississippi River. Everglades provide shelter to variety of vegetation and wildlife. Later summer and early fall hurricanes occur. Extreme southern tip of Florida has a distinct dry season in winter. Lush rain forests found in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Warm and dry climates Rain shadow creates deserts. Keeps plateaus and basins between Rockies and Pacific Ranges hot and dry. Steppe or desert climates. Death Valley. Highest temperature ever recorded at 134°F Mediterranean climate in southern and central CA. Mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Drought resistent vegetation. Chaparral. Grow best when it can be burned but the dry winds often cause this to turn into wildfires.

Climate and Vegetation of North America Northern Climates Interior climates Great Plains has humid continental. Cold winters and hot summers. Moisture blocked from the Rockies but we receive cool winds from the Arctic and moisture from the Gulf. Extends into southern Canada. Pairies- treeless. 10-30 inches of rain. Supercells occur in the spring and summer. Tornadoes. Dust Bowl created by bad conservation habits. Caused many people to leave the area. Great Depression. Conservation efforts helped restore land. West of Great Plains is a steppe climate. Mixture of vegetation. Transitional climates between desert and humid continental. Higland climate in Rockies. Timberline. Chinooks melt the snow. Coastal climates Pacific coast gets a marine west coast climate. Some parts get over 100 inches of rain. Winters are rainy and summers are cool. Ferms, mosses, and coniferous forests.

Climate and Vegetation of North America Highland Climates Large parts of Alaska and Canada have subarctic climates. -70°F. Northern American get blizzards. Confierous and deciduous forests. Along the Arctic coast have a tundra climate. Bitter winters and cool summers. Greenland has little vegetation and almost no ice free parts. Interior has ice cap climate. 2 mile thick layers of ice and snow that constantly cover land.