Physical
Geography of
the U.S. &
Canada
Chapter 5 Section 1
- U.S. & Canada
cover 7 million
sq. miles
- 12% of Earth
Western 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—collision between Pacific
and North American plates
Western Features
Great
Valley
California
alluvial
valley
 FERTILE
area formed of
sediments deposited by
streams during flooding
out
produces any
other region in
fruit & vegetable
production
In Between Landforms
Dry
basins and plateaus fill area between
Pacific Ranges and Rockies – Why?
 rain
shadow effect from Pacific Ranges
In Between Landforms
Great
Basin Region:
area of low land
surrounded by mts.
Great
Basin, Mojave,
Sonoran, &
Chihuahuan Deserts
In Between Landforms
Death
Valley:
hottest
& lowest (282 ft.
below sea level) place
in N. Am.
dancing rocks
phenomenon
In Between Landforms
Columbia
Plateau-
 Created
by lava
seeping thru cracks
 Aka:
Flood basalt—
eruptions  lava
coating landmass
 Eventually
part of
crust sank into
space left by lava
In Between Landforms
Colorado
Plateau-
Created
by
tectonics and
erosion (Colo.
River)
Grand Canyon @
southern end
Walls as steep as
6,000 ft
Hoover Dam
 Built
on Colorado River b/w
Arizona and Nevada (19311935)
 What is purpose of building
dam?

to provide irrigation, flood
control, and hydroelectricpower
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)
Rockies in Alberta, Canada
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
Rivers
 Main
rivers that have headwaters (source) in
Rockies
 Colorado,
Missouri
Columbia, Rio Grande, Mackenzie,
Interior Landforms
 US:
between Rockies
and Appalachian
 Canada:
between
Rockies and Canadian
Shield
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*
Interior Landforms
High
Plains: primarily W of the 100th
meridian
W
of meridian= 10-20 inches of rain
(semi-arid); good for rangeland
Rain
E
shadow from Rockies
of meridian= 20+ inches of rain
Interior Landforms
 Eastern
glaciers

Interior Plains: region most positively affected by
Typically east of 100th Meridian
 20-40


inches of rain
Mostly flat w/ some rolling hills
Most fertile soil in world: Corn Belt
Interior Landforms
 Interior

Highlands
Ozarks: Surface is
limestone
Sinkholes,
caves, and
springs
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.)
Exposed Precambrian bedrock
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
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
Lowlands
 Atlantic
PlainCarolinas,
narrower as
move North
 Gulf Coastal
Plain- west
toward TX
Water
 US/Canada
wealthy b/c of abundant water- power,
transportation
Water
 Mississippi:
miles




2,350
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
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
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 area allowed
to industrialize quickly
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)
Resources


Fuels
 petroleum & nat. gas: TX and Alaska, & Alberta lead
 Coal: Appalachians, Wyoming, & British Columbia
 Many Appalachian towns are now struggling because
coal is becoming more expensive to use and is therefore
being used less
Minerals
 Gold, silver, copper: Rockies
 Iron & nickel: Canadian Shield
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