Download September 1, 2006

September 1, 2006
Natural Environments of North America
Landforms—
: port cities, major source for trading and commerce, low lying region that begins below sea level and
gradually rises.
: natural barrier caused major difficulties when Americans decided to move west to fulfill the dream of
Manifest Destiny.
: thousands of lakes, fertile soils, and lots of rivers; when settling, we skipped over this region; we
skipped this region due to the Indian threat and less favorable conditions.
: composed of very old rock; Arctic Ocean east to the Atlantic Ocean.
: high, rugged mountain ranges; Death Valley is the lowest point on North America at 282 ft below sea
level.
: 1. Cascade Mountains—many high volcanoes;
, Mt. Hood,
, and Mt. Saint
Helens. 2.
—Northern California, Oregon, and Washington state.
: series of valleys; Puget Sound (lowland in Washington), Willamette River Valley (Oregon), and Central
Valley in California.
 North America sits on the
; the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate are rubbing
against each other laterally;
causes deep faults in both plates, the San Andreas Fault in
California is the work of this process.
: found on a hot spot, composed of magma from the Earth’s core that has built up over many years; tops
of these volcanoes are active.
: Sub-duction Zone; Aleutian Islands are found crossing towards Russia; home to America’s highest peak,
Mount McKinley at 20,320 ft.
Continental Divide—
Definition:
EASTERN FLOWING RIVER SYSTEMS:

—drains most of the water on the eastern half of the United States.

—drain the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean
 Mackenzie River System—found in the
; several Canadian Lakes drain into the Mackenzie
River System; Lake Anthabasca,
, and Great Bear Lake.
WESTERN FLOWING RIVER SYSTEMS:
 Colorado and Colombia Rivers—flow to the Pacific Ocean

—flow to the Gulf of California
 Yukon River—flow to the
.
THESE RIVERS PROVIDE HYDROELECTRICITY FOR THE AREA
Climates of North America—every climate type except for Ice Cap Climates can be found in the United States!!
 Four Major Factors Influence Climate:
o
o
o 5
o
 Climates of North America
o Southeastern United States—humid,
, summers are hot/humid; mild winters,
thunderstorms are common, warm waters of Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Stream
o Northeastern United States—
, from Atlantic Coast to Kansas; four distinct
seasons; humid summer, cold snowy winters, Great Lakes influence precipitation.
o West of 100 degrees west longitude—Great Plains—
; vast grasslands, scattered
trees, violent storms; natural hazards (hail, lightning, tornados, and flash flooding)
o Just east of the Rocky Mountains—
—mountains block the moist westerly winds;
creates a rain shadow, very hot summers and mild winters.
o Rocky Mountain Region—
—temperature and rain vary, pending on elevation
and local geography.
o
—southeast Alaska down to Northern California; mild summers, cool, wet
winters
o
—southern California; mild winters and long dry summers.
o Hawaii—tropical climate; falls in easterly trade wind belt; they host both
and
pending what side of the islands you are talking about.
o Far North America—Canadian Shield—
, permafrost, south of this area is a subarctic climate, covers most of Canada and Alaska.
Plants & Animals—
In general, forests dominate humid areas, while grasslands or scrubs cover more arid regions; however, due to
human and environmental interaction, the natural biomes have been greatly altered.
 Page 156—discusses all the plants and animals that are natural to the area…
o Semi-Arid Biome
o Desert Biome
o Grassland Biome
o Boreal Forest Biome
o Tundra Biome
o Tropical Biome
o Savanna Biome
o Tropical Rainforest Biome

—very distinct biomes that are located in rural areas; Hawaii is isolated and
therefore, has developed a very specific indigenous set of plants and animals.