Physical Geography of the Physical Geography of the U.S. & CanadaU.S. & Canada

Chapter 5 Section 1Chapter 5 Section 1

- U.S. & Canada cover 7 million sq. miles

- 12% of Earth

Western FeaturesWestern Features• Pacific Ranges

– Formed by colliding plates (Pacific & N.A.)

– Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, Alaska Range, and Coastal Mountains (in Canada)

Mt. McKinley (Alaska Range) = tallest peak

in N.A. at 20,320 feet

Western FeaturesWestern Features

• Great California Valley– alluvial valley

– out produces any other region in fruit & vegetable production

In Between LandformsIn Between Landforms

• Dry basins and plateaus fill area between Pacific Ranges and Rockies – Why?– rain shadow effect from Pacific Ranges

In Between LandformsIn Between Landforms

• Great Basin Region: area of low land surrounded by mts.– Great Basin, Mojave,

Sonoran, & Chihuahuan Deserts

In Between LandformsIn Between Landforms– Death Valley:

• hottest & lowest (282 ft. below sea level) place

in N. Am.• dancing rocks

phenomenon

In Between LandformsIn Between Landforms

• Columbia Plateau-– Created by lava

seeping thru cracks• Flood basalt

– Eventually part of crust sank into space left by lava

In Between LandformsIn Between Landforms• Colorado Plateau-

– Created by tectonics and erosion (Colo. River)

– Grand Canyon @ southern end

– Walls as steep as 6,000 ft

Hoover DamHoover 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

Rocky MountainsRocky 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)

Rockies in Alberta, Canada

Continental DivideContinental Divide

• Divide = high point or ridge that determines the direction that rivers flow– E - toward Arctic Ocean

& Atlantic Ocean– W - into the Pacific

Ocean

RiversRivers• Main rivers that have headwaters in Rockies

– Colorado, Columbia, Rio Grande, Mackenzie, Missouri

Interior LandformsInterior Landforms

• US: between Rockies and Appalachian

• Canada: between Rockies and Canadian Shield

Interior LandformsInterior 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*

Interior Landforms 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

Interior LandformsInterior 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

Interior LandformsInterior Landforms

• Interior Highlands– Ozarks:

Surface is limestone• Sinkholes,

caves, and springs

Canadian ShieldCanadian 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.)

Exposed Precambrian bedrock

Eastern MountainsEastern 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

Piedmont & LowlandsPiedmont & 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

LowlandsLowlands

• Atlantic Plain- Carolinas, narrower as move North

• Gulf Coastal Plain- west toward TX

WaterWater• US/Canada wealthy b/c of abundant water- power,

transportation

WaterWater• 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

WaterWater• 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

WaterWater

• 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

IslandsIslands

• 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)

ResourcesResources

• Fuels– petroleum & nat. gas: TX and Alaska, & Alberta

lead– Coal: Appalachians, Wyoming, & British

Columbia

• Minerals– Gold, silver, copper: Rockies– Iron & nickel: Canadian Shield

ResourcesResources

• 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