Rocky Mountains Essay, Research Paper
Rocky Mountains or Rockies, great chain of rugged mountain ranges in western
North America, extending from central New Mexico to northeastern British
Columbia, a distance of about 3220 km (about 2000 mi). The Great Basin and the
Rocky Mountain Trench, a valley running from northwestern Montana to northern
British Columbia, border the Rockies on the east by the Great Plains and on the
west. The Rocky Mountains form part of the Great, or Continental, Divide, which
separates rivers draining into the Atlantic or Arctic oceans from those flowing
toward the Pacific Ocean. The Arkansas, Colorado, Columbia, Missouri, Rio
Grande, Saskatchewan, and Snake rivers rise in the Rockies. The Rockies may be
divided into four principal sections?Southern, Central, Northern, and
Canadian. The Southern Rockies, which include the system’s broadest and highest
regions, extend from central New Mexico, through Colorado, to the Great Divide,
or Wyoming, Basin, in southern Wyoming. This section, which encompasses Rocky
Mountain National Park, is composed chiefly of two northern-southern belts of
mountain ranges with several basins, or parks, between the belts. The component
parts include the Sanger de Crisco and Laramie mountains and the Front Range, in
the east, and the San Juan Mountains and the Swatch and Park ranges, in the
west. The Southern Rockies include the chain’s loftiest point, Mount Elbert
(4399 m/14,433 ft high), in central Colorado. More than 50 other peaks of the
Rockies rising above 4267 m (14,000 ft) are in Colorado; these include Longs
Peak (4345 m/14,255 ft high) and Pikes Peak (4301 m/14,110 ft high). The Central
Rockies are in northeastern Utah, western Wyoming, eastern Idaho, and southern
Montana. They encompass the Bighorn; Bear tooth, and Unite Mountains and the
Absaroka, Wind River, Salt River, Teton, Snake River, and Wasatch ranges. The
Unite Mountains are the only major portion of the Rockies that extends east west
rather than north south. Among the peaks of the Central Rockies, which include
Grand Eton and Yellowstone national parks, are Gannett Peak (4207 m/13,804 ft
high), Grand Eton (4197 m/13,771 ft high), and Fremont Peak (4185 m/13,730 ft
high). The Northern Rockies are in northern Idaho, western Montana, and
northeastern Washington. They include the Saw tooth, Cabinet, Salmon River, and
Clearwater Mountains and the Bitterroot Range. The loftiest points in the
section, which includes Glacier National Park, are Granite Peak (3901 m/12,799
ft high) and Borax Peak (3859 m/12,662 ft high). The Canadian Rockies, located
in southwestern Alberta and eastern British Columbia, are composed of a
relatively narrow belt of mountain ranges that terminates at the Lizard River
lowland in northeastern British Columbia. The peaks of the section, which takes
in Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Waterton Lakes, and Yoho National Parks, include
Mount Robson (3954 m/12,972 ft high), Mount Columbia (3747 m/12,294 ft high),
and The Twins (3734 m/12,251 ft high). Slopes generally are very steep, and
there are numerous glaciers. The Rocky Mountains are a geologically complex
system with jagged peaks as well as almost flat-topped elevations. The Rockies
were formed mainly by crustal uplifts in comparatively recent times, during the
late Cretaceous and early Tertiary periods, and later were reshaped by
glaciation during the Pleistocene Epoch. Today the Rockies receive moderate
amounts of precipitation, most of which occurs in the winter. Lower levels are
covered chiefly by grassland, which gives way to extensive forests, principally
of conifers. Above the woodland is a zone of grasses and scattered shrubs. Most
peaks have little vegetation around the summit, and some have a year-round cap
of snow and ice. The Rockies are sparsely populated for the most part and
contain few cities. The principal economic resources of the mountains are
minerals, such as coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, molybdenum, petroleum and
natural gas, silver, and zinc. Important mining centers include Leadville and
Climax, Colorado; Atlantic City, Wyoming; Kellogg, Idaho; Butte, Montana; and
Fernie and Kimberley, British Columbia. Major forest products industries,
especially lumbering, are concentrated in the Northern and Canadian Rockies, and
large numbers of sheep and cattle are raised in the Rockies of Colorado,
Wyoming, and Montana. The chain has many centers for outdoor recreation and
tourism. Bighorn Mountains, isolated range of the Rocky Mountains, lying east of
the Bighorn River and extending generally north from central Wyoming into
southern Montana. The range averages more than 2134 m (7000 ft) in elevation;
the highest summit is Cloud Peak (4019 m/13,187 ft) in Wyoming. Along the upper
levels are large coniferous forests, which are part of Bighorn National Forest.
Bitterroot Range, mountain range, northwestern United States, a chain of the
Rocky Mountains, extending about 700 km (about 435 mi) along the Montana-Idaho
border. Rugged and forested, with an average elevation of 2740 m (about 9000
ft), it remains one of the most inaccessible areas in the United States. In 1805
the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled west through Lolo Pass (1595 m/5233 ft)
in the range. Guadalupe Mountains, mountain range, southwestern United States, a
branch of the Rocky Mountains, extending from southern New Mexico to western
Texas. Guadalupe Peak (2667 m/8749 ft above sea level), the highest in the
chain, is in Texas. Laramie Mountains, range of the Rocky Mountains, western
United States, extending from southeastern Wyoming into northern Colorado. The
highest point, Laramie Peak, is 3131 m (10,272 ft) above sea level. Coal, the
principal mineral, is found in the foothills. San Juan Mountains, mountain
range, southwestern United States, in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New
Mexico. Part of the Rocky Mountains, it is of volcanic origin and is rich in
minerals. The highest peaks are in Colorado and include Uncompahgre Peak (4361
m/14,309 ft), Mount Sneffels (4313 m/14,150 ft), and Wetterhorn Peak (4272
m/14,017 ft). Sangre de Cristo Mountains, mountain range, western United States,
the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains, in south central Colorado and
north central New Mexico. The very high and narrow range extends southeast and
south for about 354 km (220 mi), from Salida, Colorado, to Santa Fe County, New
Mexico. Blanca Peak (4372 m/14,345 ft), in Colorado, is one of the highest
mountains of the Rockies. Sawatch Range, mountain range, central Colorado, a
branch of the Rocky Mountains. The range extends for about 177 km (about 110 mi)
and reaches a height of 4399 m (14,433 ft) at Mount Elbert, the highest point in
the state. Teton (mountain range), range of the Rocky Mountains, in northwestern
Wyoming, and southwestern Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park, west
of Jackson Lake and the Snake River. The highest peak is Grand Teton (4197
m/13,771 ft), located in Grand Teton National Park. Teton Pass (2569 m/8429 ft)
and Phillips Pass (3261 m/10,700 ft) are just south of the park. Uinta
Mountains, mountain range, western United States, mainly in northeastern Utah
and partly in southwestern Wyoming, part of the Rocky Mountains. The peaks of
the Uinta Mountains are mostly flat because of erosion by glaciers and the
waters of the Yampa and Green rivers. The range is about 240 km (about 150 mi)
long and 48 to 64 km (30 to 40 mi) wide. The highest elevation is Kings Peak,
which is 4123 m (13,528 ft) high and is also the highest point in Utah. Wasatch
Range, mountain range, western United States, in the Rocky Mountain system. The
range is about 240 km (about 150 mi) long; part of the Central Rockies, it
begins in southeastern Idaho and runs southward, east of the Great Salt Lake and
through the center of Utah, gradually ending in southwestern Utah. The average
height of the range is about 3050 m (about 10,000 ft), and the highest peak,
Mount Nebo, is 3620 m (11,877 ft) high. Wind River Range, range of the Rocky
Mountains, western Wyoming, forming part of the Continental Divide. The Green
River rises in the southwestern slope of the range, and many tributaries of the
Wind River flow off on the northeastern side. The range contains Fremont Peak
(4185 m/13,730 ft) and Gannett Peak (4207 m/13,804 ft); the latter is the
highest point in Wyoming. Arkansas (river, United States), river, western U.S.,
a major tributary of the Mississippi River, 2350 km (1460 mi) long. Rising in
central Colorado, in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains, at an altitude of
about 4270 m (about 14,000 ft), the river flows generally east and forms a
turbulent stream passing over rocky beds and through deep canyons such as the
Royal Gorge. As it flows through the plains of Kansas, the river broadens to a
wider, less turgid stream until it enters Oklahoma; at that point it receives
two chief tributaries, the Cimarron and the Canadian rivers. Except for a large
northern bend in Kansas, the Arkansas River follows a southeastern course,
merging with the Mississippi River above Arkansas City, Arkansas. The water
levels of the river are extremely variable, and several dams have been built for
flood control and irrigation and to create hydroelectric power; one of the most
impressive, the John Martin Dam in southeastern Colorado, was built in 1948. The
Arkansas River Navigation System, completed in the early 1970s, made the river
navigable to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Athabasca, river and lake, in western Canada, that
form part of the Mackenzie River system. The Athabasca River, 1231 km (765 mi)
long, begins in Jasper National Park in southwestern Alberta. Its source is the
Columbia Icefield, high in the Rocky Mountains. The river flows northeast across
Alberta and empties through a shallow delta into Lake Athabasca in northeastern
Alberta. The river was once an important route for fur traders. Lake Athabasca,
which straddles the AlbertaSaskatchewan- border, is about 320 km (about 200 mi)
long and covers about 7936 sq km (about 3064 sq mi). Fort Chipewyan, which was
built along the southwestern shore of the lake in 1788, became one of the
region’s most important fur-trading posts. Today Lake Athabasca is used for
commercial fishing. It is drained to the north by the Slave River. Large
deposits of petroleum-bearing sand are located along the lower Athabasca River,
near Fort McMurray. Long known but untapped because of high extraction costs,
the deposits are now mined using new technology and efficient methods. In 1994
the output amounted to one-quarter of Canada’s crude oil production. Canadian,
also South Canadian, unnavigable river, southwestern United States, 1460 km (906
mi) long. The Canadian River is formed in northeastern New Mexico by the union
of several branches from the southern Rocky Mountains. The river flows south
through New Mexico and then turns east, crossing the Texas Panhandle into
Oklahoma. Following a meandering course, it finally joins the Arkansas River.
The river’s only major tributary is the North Canadian River, 1260 km (784 mi)
long, which runs almost parallel to the Canadian River in Oklahoma. The
tributary joins the Canadian River at Eufaula in eastern Oklahoma to form the
Eufaula Reservoir. In northeastern New Mexico, a semiarid region, the Canadian
River provides an important water source at the Conchas Dam, a flood-control and
irrigation project. Colorado (river, North America), river, in southwestern
United States and northwestern Mexico, 2330 km (1450 mi) long, the longest river
west of the Rocky Mountains. The Colorado rises just west of the Continental
Divide, in northern Colorado, and, for the first 1600 km (about 1000 mi) of its
course, passes through a series of deep gorges and canyons that were created by
the eroding force of its current. The river flows in a generally southwestern
direction across Colorado into southeastern Utah, where it joins its chief
tributary, the Green River. After crossing the northern portion of Arizona, the
Colorado flows west for 446 km (277 mi) through the majestic Grand Canyon. It
then flows in a generally southerly direction and forms the boundary between
Arizona and the states of Nevada and California. Near Yuma, Arizona, the river
crosses the international border into Mexico and flows for about 145 km (90 mi)
to its mouth on the Gulf of California, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Besides
the Green River, the most important tributaries of the Colorado include the
Dolores and Gunnison rivers, in Colorado; the San Juan River, in Utah; and the
Little Colorado and Gila rivers, in Arizona. With its tributaries, the Colorado
drains portions of seven states, a total area, in Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada,
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, of about 626,800 sq km (about 242,000
sq mi) and 5180 sq km (2000 sq mi) more in Mexico. To control the tremendous
flow of the Colorado, particularly under flood conditions, an extensive series
of dams, many of them constructed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has been
built along the river and its tributaries. Notable is the Hoover Dam, which
impounds the river at the Black Canyon to form Lake Mead, one of the largest
artificial lakes in the world. The Glen Canyon Dam, in north-central Arizona
just south of the Utah border, is the third highest dam in the U.S. In addition
to regulating the flow of water, dams on the Colorado harness hydroelectric
power and provide storage reservoirs for irrigation projects. As such, they have
been instrumental in reclaiming the semiarid and arid regions through which the
river flows. The Imperial Valley of southern California is an excellent example
of land reclaimed by the waters of the Colorado. A number of reservoirs have
been incorporated into national recreation areas. The Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area in Utah encompasses Lake Powell, formed by the Glen Canyon Dam.
Lakes Mead and Mohave (the latter formed by Davis Dam) are part of Lake Mead
National Recreation Area in Arizona. The Colorado was first explored by the
Spanish navigator Hernando de Alarc?n, who ascended the river for more than 160
km (100 mi) in 1540-1541. The Colorado and its chief tributary, the Green, were
thoroughly explored for the first time in 1869 by the American geologist John
Wesley Powell. On this survey Powell and his party made the first recorded
passage of the Grand Canyon. The construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963
dramatically reduced the natural flow of sand and nutrients down the Colorado
River and into the Grand Canyon. In March 1996 the federal government released
more than 380 billion liters (100 billion gallons) of water from Glen Canyon
Dam. This artificial flood added more than three feet to some beaches downstream
and cleared fish spawning grounds of debris and sediment. Further Reading
Columbia (river, North America), Major River of western North America, rising in
Columbia Lake, just west of the main range of the Rocky Mountains, in
southeastern British Columbia. The river was formerly known as the Oregon River.
The Columbia River is about 2000 km (1240 mi) long. It initially flows
northwest, through a long, narrow valley called the Rocky Mountain Trench, and
then turns sharply south, skirting the Selkirk Mountains and passing through
Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake. It next receives the Kootenay (spelled
Kootenai in the United States) and Pend Oreille rivers before entering the state
of Washington, where it first flows south and then traverses a great arc, known
as the Big Bend. After receiving the Snake River, the Columbia turns west and
forms much of the boundary between the states of Washington and Oregon before
emptying into the Pacific Ocean through a broad estuary. The river flows through
several spectacular canyons and deep valleys. About one-third of its course is
in Canada. The Columbia and its tributaries together drain a vast basin of about
673,400 sq km (about 260,000 sq mi). Large oceangoing ships can navigate the
lower Columbia River as far as Vancouver, Washington; and, with the aid of
locks, smaller marine vessels can reach The Dalles, Oregon, about 300 km (about
186 mi) upstream. Barges and other shallow-draft boats can navigate a further
220 km (137 mi). The Columbia River has immense hydroelectric potential, and
since the 1930s several large power projects have been built on it. The largest
of these, the Grand Coulee Dam, in central Washington, is the key unit of the
Columbia Basin Project, a federal undertaking also designed to irrigate up to