GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES & CANADA By Brett Lucas
THE INTERMONTANE WEST
Setting the Boundaries What states and provinces are part of the region? Parts of WA, OR, ID, CA, UT, NM. All of NV and AZ. What regions does it border? N. Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, California, Mexico
Overview Rugged and topographically diverse Population growing rapidly Las Vegas, Phoenix (Sunbelt) Inadequate water resources
Physical Geography
Physical Setting Area between Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains and the Rockies Tapers to the north Three regions Basin and Range Colorado Plateau Columbia Plateau
Basin & Range Parallel narrow mountains with flat valleys in between Pulled apart over time Drain into themselves
Basin & Range The region was up-arched in the Mesozoic Era. Subsidence occurred along normal faults beginning in the Miocene. Up-faulted crustal blocks formed linear mountains that shed sediment into the adjacent down-dropped basins. Faults opened conduits for igneous rock, producing lava flows and volcanism. Sediments eroded from the mountains filled the downfaulted basins, clogged rivers, and caused closed-basin (no outlet) lakes to form. Evaporite minerals (gypsum and salt) were deposited as the lakes evaporated.
Great Salt Lake The lake is the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a pluvial lake which covered much of western Utah in prehistoric times. Great Salt Lake is endorheic (has no outlet besides evaporation) and has very high salinity
Colorado Plateau Much of the land is greater than 5,000 feet in elevation Narrow permanent streams carved into uplifted land Much of the land is flat mesa s
Columbia Plateau Covered with ancient lava flows Surface considerably transformed over time
Columbia Plateau
Hells Canyon The canyon was carved by the Snake River It plunges more than a mile below the canyon's west rim on the Oregon side and 8,000 feet below the peaks of the Seven Devils Mountains range to the east
Climate Driest climates here Somewhat more humid, and wet as you go further north Vertical zonation Very hot low basins, especially south Cooler plateaus, mesas
Climograph Spokane, WA
Climograph Yakima, WA
Climograph Moscow, ID
Climograph Boise, ID
Climograph Pocatello, ID
Climograph Salt Lake City, UT
Climograph Ely, NV
Climograph Las Vegas, NV
Climograph Flagstaff, AZ
Climograph Phoenix, AZ
Climograph Albuquerque, NM
Climograph El Paso, TX
Climate Comparison Spokane WA Boise ID Top of GC 8,000 Bottom of GC 2,000 Jan Temp (F) 33 / 21 37 / 23 37 / 16 56 / 36 Jul Temp (F) 82 / 54 91 / 59 77 / 46 106 / 78 Rainfall 16.5 in. 12 in. 24 in. 8 in. Snowfall 49 in. 21 in. 80 in. <5 in. GC = Grand Canyon
Death Valley Hottest spot in North America 134 o record high 116 o average high in July Lowest spot in North America -282 feet Driest spot in North America 2 of precipitation annually
Natural Vegetation: Forest & Grasslands Forests found in wetter, cooler areas Washington Oregon Mountains Grasslands found in drier areas
Natural Vegetation: Desert
Population & Settlement
Native Settlement Sparse & Varied Some of the best preserved native ruins Flourished in wetter climate in the past Cave Kiva
Spanish Settlement Settled along the upper Rio Grande in the 1500 s and 1600 s Santa Fe - 1607 Albuquerque - 1703 San Xavier del Bac
British/American Settlement Lewis and Clark (northern region) Trappers only semi-permanent population Some populations passing through to the West Coast Gold Rush (California) Silver Rush (Nevada) Transcontinental railroad finished in 1869 Eventually, miners settled the region
Mormon Settlement 1847: Mormons settle in Great Salt Lake valley Utah is the only state to have been colonized systematically Still dominant area for Mormons
Present Population Very rapidly growing, especially southern parts Las Vegas (+83% fastest in the US) Boise (+46%) Phoenix (+45%) Reno (+33%) Mostly Caucasian, significant Mexican population in borderlands Very transient population
Mexican Population Dominant in borderlands New Mexico is 42% Hispanic, the largest percentage of any state Many cities with greater percentages El Paso 76% Laredo 94%
Native American Population
Population Numbers State/Metro area 2000 (1,000 s) 1990 (1,000 s) Change Nevada 1,998 1,201 +66% Arizona 5,130 3,665 +40% Utah 2,232 1,722 +30% Idaho 1,293 1,006 +29% New Mexico 1,819 1,515 +20% Spokane, WA 417 361 +16% US & Canada 312,600 276,700 +13%
Population Density WA
Population Density OR
Population Density ID
Population Density UT
Population Density NV
Population Density CA
Population Density AZ
Population Density NM
Population Density NM
Human & Economic Geography
Mining Copper Mines AZ #1, UT #2, NM #3 Gold Nevada Coal Navajo Generating Station Uranium
Irrigated Farming Small geographic extent Important commercially Idaho potatoes Imperial Valley dates Washington State apples
Livestock Similar to Rocky Mountains Sheep and cattle Many graze on federal land Move higher up into mountains in summer, back to lower ground in winter
Water Resources: Colorado MAFY = Million Acre Feet per Year Based on 1929 accord
Water Resources: Colorado Lake Mead Hoover Dam
Water Resources: Colorado State Battles The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states in the basin of the Colorado River in the American Southwest governing the allocation of the river's water among the parties of the interstate compact The compact divides the river basin into two areas, the Upper Basin (comprising CO, NM, UT and WY) and the Lower Basin (NV, AZ and CA) The compact requires the Upper Basin states to deliver water at a rate of 7.5 million acre feet per year (293 m³/s), averaged over a moving ten-year average
Water Resources: Colorado The compact requires the Upper Basin states to deliver water at a rate of 7.5 million acre feet per year (293 m³/s), averaged over a moving ten-year average In December, 2007, a set of interim guidelines on how to allocate Colorado River water in the event of shortages was signed by the Secretary of the Interior Battles within States Imperial Valley vs. San Diego
Water Resources: Columbia Mostly dammed Grand Coulee, largest hydroelectric dam in the United States Much of the Pacific Northwest hinges on the Columbia for power supply Columbia is also used for navigation/barge traffic and irrigation water Significant environmental concerns
Tourism National Parks Monument Valley, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Big Bend Old mining towns and cliff dwellings Oatman Nevada: Gambling
El Paso Twice as many people in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (1.4 M) as El Paso (700k) Symbiotic economy, maquiladoras in Mexico Very high poverty rate
Phoenix Incredible growth Over 500 square miles Diverse economy Large retirement population In the sun belt
Sun City Founded in 1960 Community for people over 55, and no one under 18 38,000 people in 2000 Popularity has led to other planned cities Sun City West, Sun City Grand, Carefree, etc.
Las Vegas Built as gambling town Transformed into a city 1/3 of the population employed by the casinos or related industry Rapid growth to decline with casinos elsewhere and water shortage
Reno 3rd largest city in NV Reno, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World", is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment. Gambling industry on hard times.
Salt Lake City 1.5 million people Mormon capital Diversifying economy Increasing prominence Ski tourism (Park City) 2002 Olympics
Spokane The metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest 2 nd largest city in Washington Great Northern railroad reached Spokane in 1892 and made the region a transportation hub Expo 74
Outlook Incredible growth Populations both young and old Severe water problems