Download The Far Corner: Washington`s Geography and Geology

The Far Corner: Washington’s Geography
and Geology
Essential Question
How does Washington’s geography and
geology affect the way we live?
First Let’s review
Directions
on a map
Using your thumb
Point Which way is
in front of your
North
body
Point Which way is
South
Point Which way is
West
Point Which way is
East
First
In front of your face
Draw
a
Capital
W
E
N
S
Your fingers
W movingE
North…
S
In front of your face
Draw a Capital
W
S
S
E
Your
fingers
at
W
E
the bottom…
S
In front of your face
Draw a Capital
W
E
S
E
W
E
S
For West
I can only give you
W
E
The word
‘WE’
S
W E
W
E
S
The Northwest Corner
Washington’s location??
• In the Northwest corner of the
United States
• Between the 46th and
49th parallels north latitude
• Between 117 degrees and
125 degrees west longitude
Washington’s Boundaries:
•• •ACanada
The
political
Columbia
Pacific
boundary
Ocean
River
and
separates
makes
the
Strait
most
Washington
of Juan
the
makes
the
north
political
boundary
de Fuca
from
natural
make
Idaho
southern
natural
on thewestern
eastern
boundary
boundaries
side
Northern Border
Eastern
Border
Washington’s Coast Western Border
Southern
Border
Spatial Patterns
•
Coastlines, rivers, deserts, and mountains affect where people live and work.
•
Humans have had an impact on the land over the years.
– Loggers cut down too many trees
– Hunters shot too many wild animals
– Fishermen caught too many salmon
– People changed the land to meet their needs
•
Today, people and companies act more responsibly to take care of the land.
The Columbia River
• The Columbia River is one of Washington’s most famous physical
characteristics.
• Indian tribes and early fur trappers used the river for transportation
and a source of food.
• The river became the source of a thriving salmon industry.
• The source of the river is at Columbia Lake, high in British Columbia,
Canada.
• The Columbia has many tributaries and flows into the Pacific Ocean.
• The Columbia is the most powerful river in North America in terms of
hydroelectric energy.
mouth of the
Columbia
Columbia Lake
Grand Coulee Dam
The Pacific Coast
• Washington has 157 miles of ocean coastline.
• The Strait of Juan de Fuca has over 3,000 miles of coastline.
• Washington has deep-water harbors that link it to the rest of the
world.
• The Pacific Ocean and the Puget Sound are the sources of the state’s fishing
industry.
Puget
Sound
Area
• Salmon, oysters, crabs, shrimp, halibut, flounder, tuna, and cod are caught in
Washington’s waters.
• Winds from the ocean give Washington a mild climate.
What Region
is Washington Part of?
• Regions are…
» places that share common features.
• Washington is part of the Pacific Northwest region.
– A region of states that share common
physical, political, and economic features
• Washington is part of the Pacific Rim region.
– A region of all the countries that
border the Pacific Ocean
Washington’s Five Regions
•
Each region has at least one main physical feature but may contain more.
• The Coastal Range
– Narrow region along the Pacific Ocean with rainforests, mountains, and other
forests
The Puget Sound Lowlands
• Plains and valleys around the Puget Sound with fertile land and
access to rivers and seaports
The Cascade Range
– Includes the Cascade Mountain range with its high volcanic
peaks and many glaciers
The Columbia Plateau
– A high, flat plateau on the east side of the Cascades with dry land
and natural vegetation
The Rocky Mountain Region
– Steep hills that are foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the
northern corner of the state
A Jigsaw Puzzle
• Scientists believe Washington is made of many
small continents.
• Millions of years ago, they came together because
of the earth’s shifting plates.
• Tectonic forces uplifted, tilted, and folded the earth’s
crust to create mountains.
• Tectonic forces left fault lines that shift and cause earthquakes every
few years.
• Mountains were also formed by volcanic action.
• The Cascade and Olympic Mountains are part of a
great Ring of Fire.
Volcanoes Shaped the Columbia Plateau
• Lava covered the Columbia Plateau.
• Volcanic ash and dust covered parts of the Plateau and created rich
soil.
• Today, this is the Palouse wheat-growing region in eastern
Washington.
The Lessons of Mt. St. Helens
• Mt. St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980.
• The eruption was equal to 21,000 atomic bombs.
• The destruction was great and 57 people lost their lives.
• Some people ignored warning signs and stayed near the mountain.
• The mountain will erupt again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njV9ski1gB4
Ice Age Washington
• About 1 million to 10,000 years ago, an ice age covered much of
Washington with snow and ice.
• Glaciers grew and shrank as the temperature changed.
• Moving
shaped were
the Puget
Sound
Lowlands.
Giantglaciers
Current Ripples
created
by deep,
fast moving water.
[Columbia River boat for scale]
• Ice dams blocked rivers and formed prehistoric lakes.
•
The Ice Age Floods etched many deep canyons and coulees
intothrough
the Columbia
Basalt
that blankets
much of
Water broke
dams,River
causing
immense
floods.
Scabland Channel cut
by Glacial
Lake Missoula floodwater.
eastern
Washington.
Stev H. Ominski’s interpretation of what Dry Falls WA
• Every 50 yearswould
or sohave
for 2,000
looked years,
like (notfloods
so dry).occurred.
Glacier Perito Moreno breaks down Sunday, March 14, 2003 for the
first
time in Coulee
16 yearswas
in Lago
Argentino,
some
kilometers,
• Grand
created
during
the3,200
ice age
by ice and
(2,000
miles) southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina
floodwater.
Perito Moreno Glacier in the providence of Santa Cruz, Argentina
Fossils are Clues to the Past
• Fossils of plant and animal life tell us about the
region in which they were found.
• Shells and bones from ancient sea life tell us that
oceans once covered our land.
• Plant fossils in central Washington indicate that a
large tropical rainforest once flourished there.
• Coal was formed by the combination of prehistoric plants, heat, and
pressure over millions of years.
• Deposits of coal and other fossils that
can be burned are considered fossil fuels.
• Environmentalists warn that greenhouse gases are produced by
burning fossil fuels.