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Published byClaude Hoover Modified over 9 years ago
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Physical Geography of the U.S. & Canada Chapter 5 Section 1
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- U.S. & Canada cover 7 million sq. miles - 12% of Earth
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Western Features Pacific Ranges –Formed by colliding plates (Pacific & N.A.) –Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, Alaska Range, and Coastal Mountains (in Canada)
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Mt. McKinley (Alaska Range) = tallest peak in N.A. at 20,320 feet
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Western Features Great California Valley –alluvial valley –out produces any other region in fruit & vegetable production
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In Between Landforms Dry basins and plateaus fill area between Pacific Ranges and Rockies – Why? –rain shadow effect from Pacific Ranges
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In Between Landforms Great Basin Region: area of low land surrounded by mts. –Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, & Chihuahuan Deserts
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In Between Landforms –Death Valley: hottest & lowest (282 ft. below sea level) place in N. Am. dancing rocks phenomenon
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In Between Landforms Columbia Plateau- –Created by lava seeping thru cracks Flood basalt –Eventually part of crust sank into space left by lava
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In Between Landforms Colorado Plateau- –Created by tectonics and erosion (Colo. River) –Grand Canyon @ southern end –Walls as steep as 6,000 ft
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Hoover Dam Built on Colorado River b/w Arizona and Nevada (1931-1935) What is purpose of building dam? –to provide irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric- power
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Rocky Mountains Formed by collision of N. A. & Pacific plates Stretch more than 3,000 miles from New Mexico to Alaska Some peaks are more than 14,000 ft tall Series of ranges (cordilleras)
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Rockies in Alberta, Canada
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Continental Divide Divide = high point or ridge that determines the direction that rivers flow –E - toward Arctic Ocean & Atlantic Ocean –W - into the Pacific Ocean
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Rivers Main rivers that have headwaters in Rockies –Colorado, Columbia, Rio Grande, Mackenzie, Missouri
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Interior Landforms US: between Rockies and Appalachian Canada: between Rockies and Canadian Shield
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Interior Landforms Great Plains (aka Interior/High Plains*) –Start at 6,000 ft gradually slope down about 10 ft/mile from W to E –E of Rockies: extend 300-700 miles across center of region –“Breadbasket” of the US (Wheat Belt) *depends on source*
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Interior Landforms High Plains: primarily W of the 100th meridian –W of meridian= 10-20 inches of rain (semi- arid); good for rangeland Rain shadow from Rockies –E of meridian= 20+ inches of rain
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Interior Landforms Eastern Interior Plains: region most positively affected by glaciers –Typically east of 100 th Meridian 20-40 inches of rain –Mostly flat w/ some rolling hills –Most fertile soil in world: Corn Belt
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Interior Landforms Interior Highlands –Ozarks: Surface is limestone Sinkholes, caves, and springs
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Canadian Shield Giant core of bedrock (millions of yrs. old) –Negatively affected by Glaciation: scraped down to bare rock/thin soil Good soil deposited in Great Plains –Only veg. is forests in south –Great for minerals (ores, gold, silver, copper, etc.)
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Exposed Precambrian bedrock
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Eastern Mountains Appalachians: formed 300 million yrs ago –Oldest mts; eroded to 5,000-6,000 ft –Eastern NA plate collided with African plate –From Quebec to central Alabama –Valleys great for agriculture
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Piedmont & Lowlands Piedmont: E of Appalachians –Plateau region that drops (Fall line) into the coastal lowlands –Many 1 st cities originated here: Philadelphia, Richmond, Baltimore, D.C…. WHY? Rapids/waterfalls = hydroelectric power and blocked from moving inland
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Lowlands Atlantic Plain- Carolinas, narrower as move North Gulf Coastal Plain- west toward TX
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Water US/Canada wealthy b/c of abundant water- power, transportation
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Water Mississippi: 2,350 miles –Starts as stream in Minnesota –Gets to width of 1 ½ miles & empties into Gulf of MX –Affects all/part of 31 states and 2 provinces –One of world’s busiest waterways
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Water St. Lawrence River: one of Can. most impt. Rivers –From Great Lakes to Atlantic, forms country border Niagara Falls: –Tourist attraction, and major source of hydroelectric power –Form border of Ontario and NY
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Water Glacial Lakes –Great Bear Lake & Great Slave Lake formed by glacial dams –Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) formed by glacial gouges St. Lawrence Seaway- series of canals & rivers Helped build industry in NE
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Islands NYC’s Manhattan Island: impt. economic center Hawaii: volcanic island state, big tourism Newfoundland, P.E.I., Vancouver I.: Canada’s most impt. Greenland: world’s largest island, Denmark territory (Alaska + TX)
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Resources Fuels –petroleum & nat. gas: TX and Alaska, & Alberta lead –Coal: Appalachians, Wyoming, & British Columbia Minerals –Gold, silver, copper: Rockies –Iron & nickel: Canadian Shield
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Resources Timber –Today cover <50% of Canada & 1/3 of US –Conservation of forests and animals is high priority Fishing –Grand Banks (Can.), Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of MX Cod fishing banned in Grand Banks in ’92 due to overfishing
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