The Rocky Mountain Region   Term Paper ID:33209 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Presents a geographical analysis of the Rocky Mountain region. Examaines the physical environment, climate, early settlement pattern, and population demographics. How geologists believe the range was created. Paper Introduction: Overview of the Rocky Mountain Region According to geographers the Rocky Mountains often called theRockies are a broad mountain range in western North America The RockyMountains stretch more than miles km from Mexico through thecontinental United States into Canada and Alaska Rocky Mountains The highest peak is Colorado\'s Mount Elbert at feet m above sea level This report will offer an overview of the Rocky Mountainregion of the United States It will examine in brief the region\'sphysical environment its climate early land Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Overview of the Rocky Mountain Region According to geographers, the Rocky Mountains, often called theRockies, are "a broad mountain range in western North America. Similar comments were offered by Barnes-Svarney (1995) who pointed out that this particular region represents agreat deal of diversity with respect to flora and fauna. A major mine, Climax, located in Leadville, Colorado,is the largest producer of Molybdenum in the world. (2 4). It will examine, in brief, the region'sphysical environment, its climate, early land settlement patterns, andpopulation demographics. This report will offer an overview of the Rocky Mountainregion of the United States. In Idaho, Sun Valley is the main ski resort and in Utah, themain ski resort is Snowbird (Rocky Mountains, 2 4). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Ranges: Rocky Mountains. The Climax mineemploys over 3, workers. Only the advent of thetranscontinental railroad made it possible for large permanent settlementsand cities. In explaining populationdensity, Knox and Marston (2 1) note that the earliest population centerstended to be located near harbors or seaports because of the early primacyof shipping as a mode of transportation. (2 3). Available at www.wordiq.com /definition/Rocky_Mountains.Stohlgren, T.J. Although the Rockies are not the most populated areain North America, the region is a popular tourist destination for manyAmericans. The Wyoming Basin and several smaller areas contain significant reserves of coal, natural gas, oil shale, and petroleum. The RockyMountains stretch more than 3, miles (48 km) from Mexico, through thecontinental United States, into Canada and Alaska" (Rocky Mountains, 2 4,1). Initially settledby various Native American groups the Spanish exploration era introduced anumber of major changes into the region in about 154 . New York: John Wiley & Sons.|MAP OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION | | [pic](Source: Emnchantedlearning.com, 2 4). Withinthis whole region, however, there are so many local variations oftemperature and precipitation, because of the range of altitude, that onecan find cold spots in the southern parts of the region and some dry areasin the north (BBC News, 2 3). They are rather a collection of about 1 separate ranges that are spread out over six states. This report offers an overview of a complex and interesting area ofthe United States. In the early 19 s, economic development began to center on mining,forestry, ranching, agriculture, and recreation as well as the serviceindustries that support them. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, theregion became much more accessible to settlers moving to the interior ofthe country from both coasts. The Rockies are not a single,uninterrupted mountain wall. Water resources supportmining and agriculture as well as livestock ranching, all of which areimportant economic sectors for this region (Stohlgren, 2 4). Available at www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides /country.shtml.Knox, P.L. Between 18 4 and 18 6, the Lewis and Clark expedition moved throughthe region and was the first scientific reconnaissance of the RockyMountains (Stohlgren, 2 4). Strahler and Strahler (1984), in commenting on theregion, noted that there are a number of extreme variations in climate andtopography to be observed. Generally speaking, the Rockies are gentle, grounded, easily climbedpeaks, especially in light of their great height. New York: Simon and Schuster.BBC News. The two major commercial activities aremining and tourism. Stohlgren (2 4) says that tents and campsbecame ranches and farms, forts and train stations became towns, and somefew towns grew into cities. (2 4). It is possible to make a broad distinction between the three northernstates of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and the rest of the mountainous countryof the great Western Cordillera.In general, the northern states are cooler in both winter and summer, havea much longer cold season, and are wetter than those farther south. Stohlgren(2 4, p. After the mountains were raised nearly as highas what the Himalayas are today, a part of western North America started tostretch and much of the southwestern part of the high mountain plateaustarted to be broken up into horsts (ranges) with grabens (basins) inbetween them. There are few cities withover 5 , people. (2 1). They are not aparticularly snowy range and there are only a few small glaciers to befound in Montana and Wyoming. The highest peak is Colorado's Mount Elbert at 14,433 feet (4399 m)above sea level. Additionally, Strahler and Strahler contendthat the population is not particularly dense in the Rocky Mountains, withan average of four people per square kilometer. Agriculture includes dry land and irrigated farming and livestock grazing. The major skiresorts are Aspen, Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain inColorado. In remote areas such as those represented bythe Rocky Mountains, sparse population density and a limited number ofcities are indicative of the fact that the region is geographicallydifficult in terms of settlement patterns. Available at www.peakbagger .com/range/rockymt.htm.Rocky Mountains. There are often widegaps and plains between individual ranges. The Rocky Mountains were created during what geologists call theLaramide orogeny, during a period that started 7 million years ago andended 3 million years ago. Over time, cities also became alocus for factories and the service sectors that support many differentkinds of economic activity. Attached as Appendix A is a map depicting the States that comprise theRocky Mountain region: Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, NewMexico and Wyoming. Stohlgren (2 4), water in its many formssculpted the present Rocky Mountain landscape. This area is now called the Basin and Range Province (RockyMountains, 2 4). Elements of Physical Geology. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, increased 26 %, from 1,244 to 4,472 residents, in 4 years (Stohlgren, 2 4, p. With respect to population, it has been noted that: The human population grew rapidly in the Rocky Mountain states between 195 and 199 (Fig. (2 4). Science Desk Reference. Yellowstone National Park was established in1872 and under Presidents Harrison and Theodore Roosevelt, conservation andpreservation ethics began to take hold (Stohlgren, 2 4). Rocky Mountains. States of the Rocky Mountain region. Stohlgren (2 4) discussed the recent human history of the region andcharacterized it as a period of relatively rapid change. Thesevariations directly impact upon the kinds of activities and the settlementpatterns found in the region. The brevity of the report does not do justice to thisparticular area, which Stohlgren (2 4) characterizes as the great backboneof North America and as a region possessed of natural beauty, abundantwildlife, and significant water resources. The populations of several mountain towns and communities have doubled in the last 4 years. Livestock are frequently moved between high- elevation summer pastures and low-elevation winter pastures. Forestry is a major industry. 15) noted that: Economic resources of the Rocky Mountains are varied and abundant. Soon after Lewis and Clark createdpreliminary maps of the region, mountain men, drawn from French, Spanish,and American fur traders and explorers became an important presence in theregion. 1) reported: Much of this region has little precipitation, particularly in the south where large areas of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado are desert or semi-desert with annual precipitation below 3 mm/12 in or even 2 mm/8 in. In the winter, skiing is the main attraction. The 4 -year statewide increases in population range from 35% in Montana to about 15 % in Utah and Colorado. There is also an importantdifference between the Canadian Rockies and the Rockies south of the 49thParallel: the former are more rugged, contain more glaciers and icefields, and form a single uninterrupted mountain wall for hundreds of miles(Ranges: Rocky Mountains, 2 3). However, as noted above, this particular region is not as denselypopulated as other areas of the United States. & Strahler, A.H. Available at http://biology.usgs.gov/usnt.Strahler, A.N. The Rocky Mountains are not asingle chain of mountains, but are rather a collection of severaloverlapping or discrete mountain ranges that together form a major barrierrunning roughly through the middle of the North American continent. According to the BBC News (2 3) and to Knox and Marston (2 1),there is no great difference between precipitation and temperatures forCheyenne in Wyoming and Santa Fé in New Mexico, both of which are above1,8 m/6, ft. On the other hand, temperatures are very much higher inall months at Phoenix (Arizona) at 33 m/1, 83 ft than at Santa Fé. (1984). & Marston, S.A. Snowfields can be found on all the higherpeaks at any time, but in general these are not snow capped mountains(Ranges: Rocky Mountains, 2 3). According to Thomas J. Human Geography. The National Park System units include Glacier, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, and 16 others. Runoff and snowmelt fromthe peaks feed into Rocky Mountain rivers and lakes, producing one-fifth ofthe water supply for the entire United States. The horse, metaltools, rifles, new diseases, and different cultures profoundly changed theNative American cultures, and the Native American populations wereextirpated from most of their historical ranges by disease, warfare,habitat loss, and assaults on their culture. The main language spoken in the entire region is English, and thesecond main language is French. In the summer, main tourismattractions are Pikes Peak, Royal Gorge, Rocky Mountain National Park,Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Glacier NationalPark (U.S.). In 1847, Mormons began to settle near the Great Salt Lake and in1859, gold was discovered near Cripple Creek, Colorado, leading to dramaticchanges in the regional economy (Stohlgren, 2 4). People from all over the country visit the beautiful sights,with both winter and summer tourism seasons. ReferencesBarnes-Svarney, P. This is a consequence of the rain shadow of the western mountains in California, which extract much of the moisture from air that comes in from the Pacific.Strahler and Strahler (1984) do note that there are often quite significantvariations in the region with respect to climate as well as terrain. Minerals found in the Rocky Mountains include significant deposits of copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, silver, tungsten, and zinc. 2 ). 4). Molybdenum is used as aheat-resistant steel in such things like cars and planes. The Coeur d'Alene mine of northern Idahoproduces silver, lead, and zinc (Rocky Mountains, 2 4). TheBBC News (2 3, p. (1995). Every year the scenic splendor and recreational opportunities of the Rocky Mountains draw millions of tourists. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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