Transcript NA Physical Geo

Physical Geography of North
America
Ch 5.1
North America
• U.S. and Canada share the northern part
of the continent
• Covers more than 7 million sq miles; about
12% of the earths land surface
Landforms
• Mountains at eastern and western edges
• Plateaus and rolling plains in the middle
• Rivers and enormous lakes provide freshwater
Landforms: West
• Pacific Ranges: young, contain Sierra Nevada,
Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and Alaska
Range.
• Located in Alaska, Mt. McKinley highest point,
20,320 ft
• Rocky Mtns connect US and Canada, 3000 mi
long
• Dry basins and plateaus between 2 western
ranges
• Columbia Plateau – formed by lava
• Colorado Plateau – flat topped mesas, Grand
Canyon (formed by Colorado River – walls 6,000
ft)
• Great Basin – contains Death Valley, hottest and
lowest place in the US
Interior Landforms
• Great plains: 300-700 miles
• Slopes toward central lowlands along
Mississippi River
Eastern Mountains and Lowlands
• Canadian Shield – Hudson and James
Bays
• Appalachian Mountains – NA oldest mtns,
Quebec to Alabama
• Coastal Lowlands – SE of the
Appalachians
• Piedmont – coastal lowlands close to the
Atlantic Coastal plains
Islands
• Manhattan Island – NYC mouth of the Hudson R
• Hawaii – 8 major and 124 smaller volcanic
islands in the Pacific Ocean
• Canada’s most important – West Vancouver
Island, East-Newfoundland, Prince Edward
Island, Cape Breton Island
• Greenland – world’s largest island; territory of
Denmark; size of Texas and Alaska together
Water
• Large amounts of fresh water provides
power, movement of resources, and meets
city and rural needs
• Divide – high point or ridge that
determines the direction that rivers flow
– Continental Divide: In the Rockies
• east of the divide = rivers flow into the Arctic,
Atlantic, Hudson Bay, Gulf of Mexico, and
Mississippi River
• West = rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean
Water Cont
• Headwaters – source of a rivers water
• Tributaries – smaller rivers or streams that feed
into a larger one
• Mississippi River – NA’s longest river; empties
into the Gulf of Mexico
• Eastern Rivers – St. Lawrence River: Canada’s
most important
– Fall line – boundary where the higher land of
Piedmont drops to lower Atlantic Coastal Plain
– Rivers break into waterfalls and rapids (provide
power)
• Niagara Falls – major source of electricity
Water Cont
• Glaciers to lakes
– Glaciers caused the Canadian Shield and
glacial basins which formed the Great Lakes
• Great Lakes – Lake Huron, Ontario, Michigan,
Erie, and Superior
Natural Resources
• Fuels (petroleum and Natural Gas)
– Texas and Alaska rank 1st and 2nd in oil
reserves
– Texas 1st in Natural Gas
– Coal mined in Appalachians, Wyoming, and
British Columbia for 100 years
• Minerals
– Rocky Mtns – Gold, Silver, and Copper
– Canadian Shield – Iron and Nickel
More Resources
• Timber
– Forest covered most of the land
– Today – less than 50% of Canada and 33% in
the US have forest
• Fishing
– Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and Gulf of
Mexico – rich with shellfish and fish
Climate and Vegetation
Ch 5.2
Varied Region
• 2/3 of Canada and Alaska lie in higher
latitudes, long, cold winters, brief/mild
summers
• Most of US and 1/3 of southern Canada –
temperate climates with varied elevation
• Hawaii- tropical climate
Northern Climates
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Cold winters
January temps below 0 to -70
Cold winds
Arctic Coastline – Tundra, cold summers
few people live here
• Greenland – sedge, cotton seed, lichens
on small ice free areas – few people live
here
Western Climates
• Variation of climate due to latitude, elevation,
ocean currents, and rainfall
• Marine West Coast:
– Windward side of the mountains – 100 inches +
• Plateaus, Basins, and Deserts:
– Rain Shadow effect b/w Pacific and Rocky mtn
ranges
– Great Salt Lake Desert, Death Valley, Mojave, and
Chihuahan desert
– Death Valley – highest temperature recorded
in US 134 degrees F
– Highlands - elevation
• Coniferous forests
• Timberline – elevation above which trees
cannot grow
• Chinook – a warm dry wind
Interior Climate
• Great Plains (center of North America)
• Humid continental climate – cold winters, hot
summers
• Prairies – naturally treeless expanses of
grasses
– Avg 10-30 in, grasses 6-12 ft tall
• Dust Bowl – settlers broke up sod to grow crops
on the Great Plains
– Dry weather and wind eroded the topsoil creating a
huge dust bowl
Eastern Climates
• Humid subtropical climate – southeast US
• Wetlands and swamps (Everglades)
• Hurricanes – ocean storms hundreds of mi with
heavy winds (hit coastlines)
• Humid continental – Northern US and
Southeastern Canada – deciduous and mixed
deciduous-coniferous forest from Newfoundland
to Yukon Territory
• Blizzards – winds 35 + MPH heavy or blowing
snow and low visibility
Tropical Climates
• tropical savanna - Extreme southern tip of
Florida
• tropical rainforests - Hawaii and Puerto
Rico
Exit Ticket
1. List the major islands of North America
2. Name the tallest mountain peak in NA
and what mtn range it is located in?
3. What is significant about the Death
Valley?
4. What is a timberline?