Download The WEST

The WEST
The Geography
A vast region
• Largest region in the U.S
• 11 States
• This region also includes Hawaii and Alaskaour largest state
Vast Region
• Vast-meaning different landforms
• Snow capped mountains to fiery volcanoes
• Deserts to thick forests
Plants and animals
• Because of the vast region-many types of
plants and animals
• Bears, eagles, blue columbine, frangipani
Mountains
• The rocky mountains-young mountains that stretch
more than 3, 000 miles
• Formed from huge plates, that floated and bumped
into each other and slid upward
• The Rockies get lots of snow!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJk9cFz152s
Rivers
• As the snow from the Rockies melts, it flows
into the Rio Grande, the Missouri River and
the Colorado River
The Great Salt Lake
• Rivers and stream flow into this lake
• Brings freshwater and salt
• This lake is getting smaller because of
evaporation
• Saltier than the ocean-too salty for fish
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxL_0VfUPQ
A
A region in motion
• Earthquakes-ground trembles
• During an earthquake-the plates bump each
other and push together-common on the west
coast because plates are close together!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNyVPsj8zc
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0AEtXuPLA
Volcanoes
• Magma-melted rock pushes through the
earth’s plates
• When the magma reaches the surface-its
called lava
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2V2kAG
p91I
Hot Spots
• Some volcanoes form from hot spots or places
where magma reaches the earths surface but
doesn’t break through
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeaQbqcZNMw
Geyser
• Pressure from the steam under the water
builds up and shoots hot water or steam into
the air-OLD FAITHFUL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gyhvqbIaOE
Climate in the west
• The elevation affects the climate-higher up
you go the colder it gets
• Timberlines-tree lines
Alaska and Hawaii climate
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It is far away from the equator
Has cool summers and very cold winters
Hawaii is closer to the equator
Warm, tropical climate
Precipitation
• Very wet area around Washington -160 inches
of rain every year