Physical Geography of the U.S.

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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 _at_ 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 100th 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 1st 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 worlds 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

• NYCs Manhattan Island impt. economic center
• Hawaii volcanic island state, big tourism
• Newfoundland, P.E.I., Vancouver I. Canadas most
  impt.
• Greenland worlds 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 lt50 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