Chapter 5Section 1

The Land

Objectives: List various landforms, such as mountain

ranges, plateaus, and islands Analyze the importance of water sources in

North America

Landforms Landforms can be defined as specific

geomorphic feature on the surface of the earth. Examples: The surface of the United States and Canada is

covered with a variety of landforms as well as wildlife.

Western Mountains A collision between the Pacific and North

American tectonic plates created mountain ranges called the Pacific Range. The Pacific Range includes the Sierra Nevada,

Cascade Range, Coastal Range, and Alaskan Range.

Like the Pacific, the Rocky Mountains were formed in similar fashion. They link the U.S. and Canada and extend 3,000

miles from New Mexico to Alaska.

Plateaus Dry basins and plateaus fill the area between

the Pacific Range and the Rockies. Columbia plateau in the north formed by lava. Colorado Plateau is heavily eroded and has steep

walls that plunge 6,000 feet. The Great Basin cradles Death Valley, the hottest

and lowest place in the U.S. Nechako Plateau and Fraser Plateau are colder and

narrower than the plateau areas in the U.S.

Columbia Plateau

Colorado Plateau

Great Basin

Interior Landforms East of the Rockies the land falls and flattens

into the Great Plains. They extend 300-700 miles across the center of

the region reaching elevations of up to 6,000 feet. They are sometimes called the Interior or High

Plains.

Great Plains

Eastern Mountains and Lowlands At the end of the Canadian plains is the

Canadian Shield. The Shield is a giant core of rock that makes up

the eastern half of Canada and northeastern United States.

The heavily eroded Appalachian Mountains are North America’s oldest Mountain Range Coastal lowlands lie east and south of the hills.

Islands Islands are important in this region. What islands are found in and near North

America?

Rivers from the Rockies The high ridge of the Rockies is called the

continental divide. A divide is a high point or ridge that determines the

direction that rivers flow. East of the divide, waters flow towards the Arctic

Ocean, Hudson Bay, Atlantic Ocean, and Mississippi River.

To the west, waters flow to the Pacific Ocean. Many rivers, such as the Colorado and Rio Grande

have headwaters, or sources, in the Rockies and tributaries that connect with other rivers.

Northeast of the Rockies, the Mackenzie River drains much of Canada’s interior lands.

The Mighty Mississippi One of North America’s longest rivers, the

Mississippi, flows 2,350 miles from its source. It begins in Minnesota and swells to a width of

a mile and a half wide and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Drains 1,200,000 sq. miles of land, including all or

parts of 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

Conclusion: Miniparagraph:Today I learned…For instance…Furthermore…Clearly…

Objectives: Evaluate natural resources in the United

States and Canada Evaluate the impact of resources on the

Economy

Eastern Rivers The St. Lawrence River flows 750 miles from

Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Forms part of the border between Canada and the

United States. In the eastern U.S., a boundary line called a

fall line marks where the higher land of the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal plain. Along the fall line, eastern rivers break into rapids

and waterfalls. Uses of falls?

Glaciers and Lakes Northern Canada- glacial dams created Great

Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake Glaciers gouged the Canadian Shield, leaving

glacial basins that became the Great Lakes. Providing and link between inland and coastal

waterways has been crucial to economic development.

Natural Resources There are a variety of natural resources within

the United States and Canada. The geologic processes that shaped the North

American landscape left the region rich in a variety of resources.

Fuels: The United States and Canada have important

energy resources such as petroleum and natural gas.

Texas and Alaska rank first and second in oil reserves.

Coal in the Appalachians, Wyoming, and British Columbia have been mined for 100 years.

Minerals Mineral resources are plentiful in this region. The Rocky Mountains contain gold, silver, and

copper. Parts of the Canadian Shield are rich in iron

and nickel. Low grade iron ore exist in northern Minnesota and

Michigan. Canada’s minerals include 28% of the worlds

supply of potash, 18% of copper, 14% of gold and 12% of it’s silver.

Timber Forest and woodlands once covered much of

the U.S. and Canada. Today forests cover less than 50% of Canada

and 1/3 of the U.S. Commercial lumbering companies face the

challenge of harvesting the regions timber resources responsibly. Why is it important to harvest responsibly?

Fishing The waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of

Mexico are important to the economy because of the fisheries, or places for catching fish and other sea animals.

The Grand Banks, once the largest fishing grounds, covered about 139,000 sq. miles off the southeast coast of Canada.

Fishers harvest cod for at least 500 years, resulting in decreased stocks and a ban on cod fishing in 1992.

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Classwork/ Homework Page 120 1,3,4,5,6