The mountains offer many recreational activities like hiking, mountaineering, camping, mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing, fishing, etc. The Rocky Mountains form the easternmost part of the North American Cordillera and were formed during the Laramide Orogeny between 80 to 55 million years ago. During this mountain-building period, the ancient Farallon oceanic plate moved underneath the North American Plate at a very low angle. This unusual subduction and strong tectonic activities caused the piling of the crust sheets on top of each other and resulted in the formation of the Rocky Mountains along the western part of the North American continent.
Further tectonic activities, erosions, and the glaciers of the Pleistocene and the Holocene Epochs helped in carving out the mountainous landscape and creating the rugged Rocky Mountains.
The ice ages also led to the formation of massive glacial landforms, cirques, and U-shaped valleys. Two vertical zones exist throughout much of the mountain range. The higher zone is characterized by a tundra -like climate with severe winters and short and cold summers. The precipitation increases from south to north, where the northern parts receive about thrice the amount of precipitation than that of the south.
The major amount of precipitation in the south is received as snowfall during winters while local, afternoon thunderstorms are common during the summers. The plant communities of the Rocky Mountains vary greatly according to elevations.
The lower elevations are characterized by cottonwoods and other broadleaved deciduous species. The middle elevations are characterized by various trees like aspen, Douglas fir, pinon pine, etc. The subalpine forests are characterized by Engelmann spruce, western red cedar, western hemlock, white spruce, and lodgepole pine. An array of wildflowers like bunchberry, Indian paintbrush, columbine, larkspur, etc.
The tree-line elevation of the Rocky Mountains varies from 3,m in New Mexico to about m at the northern extremity of the Rocky Mountains. Alpine tundra that is characterized by low flowering plants is found in the regions above the tree-line. A small extension of the province reaches into eastern Washington.
Folded mountains, which are anticlinal folds, are the dominant type of mountain in this province other types of mountains include volcanic mountains and uplifted fault blocks. Wyoming Basin Map Lying between the Middle Rockies and the Southern Rockies, the Wyoming Basin is an elevated depression with structural features dating back to the mountain building event that shaped the Rocky Mountains the Laramide Orogeny.
Characteristic features of the Wyoming Basin include hogbacks, cuestas, and numerous basins that are separated by mountains of varying size.
Characteristic structures of the Southern Rockies include anticlinal arches and intermontane basins. Geology Teacher Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park This geology teacher guide of Rocky Mountain National Park includes the geologic history and details key geologic events that have shaped the park.
This guide includes lessons to be used both in the classroom and on-site at Rocky Mountain National Park. Discover Grand Teton Explore the geologic history, features, forces, and rocks of the Grand Tetons through this interactive learning website.
Landscaping with Wind and Water In this activity , students demonstrate the destructive forces of erosion on small "mountains" and survey an area in the park, such as Lamar Valley, to identify evidence of erosion. Students interview a petrified tree in its natural setting to learn more about the changing landscape of Yellowstone.
Explore This Park. Rocky Mountain System Provinces. The Rocky Mountain System can be broken down into the following physiographic provinces:. Rockefeller, Jr.
0コメント