“The Land of the West”

Lesson 1: A Land of Mountains Main Idea: The land of the West includes many mountains. Places: Rocky Mountains, Continental Divide, and Yellowstone National Park Vocabulary: timberline, geyser, magma, volcano, lava

The Rocky Mountains Largest mountain system in North America. “The Rockies” Made of smaller ranges- Salish, Beartooth-Absaroka, Big Horn, Wasatch, Bitteroot, Cascades Landmarks- Pikes Peak in CO Extends 3,000 miles from New Mexico to Alaska Runs through Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana

The Rocky Mountains Continental Divide: imaginary line that runs along the crest of the Rockies. Rivers on the east run to the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico Rivers on the west flow to the Pacific Ocean

The Rocky Mountains High elevation Trees would not grow above the timberline High peaks are mostly covered in snow year-round Animals in the Rocky Mountains include: Forest: grizzly bear, mountain lions, elk, mink Valleys: chipmunks, coyotes, moose Rivers: fish Above Timberline: mountain goats, bighorn sheep

The Rocky Mountains Economy: production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services Use natural resources Minerals Ranch land Timber Use Tourism Hiking, skiing, mountain climbing, and scenery

What is Continental Divide? Name some activities vistors to the Rocky Mountains would enjoy.

Yellowstone National Park YNP: Oldest national park in the world Established in 1872 Covers over 2.2 million acres Includes parts of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana Natural attractions: Mountains, canyons, waterfalls, lakes, forests, and wildlife Geysers: hot spring that erupts, shooting hot water into the air 10,000 hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park Old Faithful is the most popular geyser Erupts every minutes Shoots more than 100 feet into the air Park located over a “hot spot” in Earth’s crust Where magma (molten rock) lies close to Earth’s surface rather than deep underground Heats groundwater that rises causing geysers and hot springs

Yellowstone National Park Wildlife roam free Elk, moose, grizzly and black bears, wolves, bison No hunting animals within park boundaries Fishing is allowed in limited access Wildfire: 1988 many acres of forest burned By following year, new growth had begun Provided chance to study fires and forests’ recovery

What heats the geysers and hot springs? Name six types of wildlife that attract tourists to Yellowstone. How are forests able to recover after wildfires?

Western Mountain Ranges Sierra Nevada: through eastern California and western Nevada High & rugged Some peaks rise higher than 14,000 feet above sea level Cascade Range: in Washington and California Has volcanoes Aleutian Range: in Alaska Has volcanoes

Western Mountain Ranges Volcano: mountain with an opening through which gas, ash, and lava are forced through. Lava: molten rock (magma) that flows on Earth’s surface Hawaii: all ranges are volcanoes Mountains that rose from the ocean floor Mount Kilauea

Summarize what you have learned today Name four mountain ranges in the western region.