MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS

OF THE UNITED STATES

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOUNTAINS

AND PLAINS OF THE UNITED

STATES

THERE ARE MOUNTAINS IN

HAWAII.

THEY ARE VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS.

THE HEIGHT OF MAUNA LOA FROM

THE OCEAN FLOOR IS

56,000 FEET!!!!

THERE ARE MOUNTAINS IN ALASKA, THE

ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN NORTH

AMERICA IS IN ALASKA,

MOUNT MCKINLEY.

THERE ARE 7 MOUNTAIN RANGES IN THE

CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.

THEY ARE:

THE CASCADESTHE PACIFIC COASTAL

RANGETHE SIERRA NEVADA

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINSTHE BLACK HILLS

THE OZARK “MOUNTAINS”THE APPALACHIANS

THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS ARE

IN THE NORTHWEST

UNITED STATES

THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS WERE

FORMED FROM VOLCANOES.

THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE CASCADE

VOLCANOES IN RECENT YEARS IS

MOUNT ST. HELENS.

THE MOUNTAIN/VOLCANO

EXPLODED AND A THIRD OF THE

MOUNTAIN WAS BLOWN AWAY.

THIS WAS MOUNT ST. HELENS BEFORE THE EXPLOSION IN 1980.

THIS IS THE EXPLOSION

IN 1980.

THIS IS WHAT MOUNT ST. HELENS WAS LIKE

AFTER THE EXPLOSION.

Mt. Ranier is the tallest mountain in the Cascade

Range, 14,400 feet.

THE PACIFIC COASTAL RANGE

THE PACIFIC COASTAL MOUNTAINS SEEM TO RISE

OUT OF THE OCEAN.

This is Mount Junipero Serra, the highest mountain on the

California Pacific range.

THE SIERRA NEVADA

MOUNTAINS

MT. WHITNEY IS THE

HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE SIERRA NEVADAS,

14,500 FEET.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Mt. Elbert, Colorado, is the tallest mountain in the U.S.

Rocky Mountains, 14,440 feet.

THE BLACKHILLS

Harney Peak is the tallest mountain in the Black

Hills, 7,250 feet.

THE OZARK

“MOUNTAINS”

The Ozark “mountains” are really not mountains.

They are a highland

plateau in the middle of the plains of the United

States.

Mount Magazine is the highest

Ozark mountain2,750 feet.

THE APPALACHIAN

MOUNTAINS

The Appalachian Mountains, in the eastern part of the United States are

covered with forests.

The Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalachians, have this beautiful mist that gives them a “smoky”

appearance, especially in the morning

Mt. Mitchell is the highest mountain in the Appalachian mountains,

6,690 feet.

THE PLAINS OF THE UNITED STATES

The United States is blessed with a large flat area in the middle of the

nation. These are the PLAINS of our country.

The reasons the plains are so special are:

1) They have enough water to grow crops such as

corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye and other crops.

2) The plains have a climate which

will allow crops to grow.

3) The soil of the plains is rich

enough to grow crops.

Other areas of the world have large, flat areas, but

they can’t grow food.Russia has the largest flat

area in the world, but is too cold for crops.

Australia has a large, flat area, but is too dry.The same is true in northern Africa, the

Sahara Desert.

The Amazon River basin is large and flat,

but too wet and the soil too poor to grow

many crops.

Here are various areas of the Plains of the

United States.

THE GREAT PLAINS

OR NORTHERN

PLAINS

SOUTHERNPLAINS

MIDWEST

PLAINS

GULFCOAST PLAINS

ATLANTIC COAST PLAINS

THE GREAT BASIN

The Great Basin is a unique place in the

United States. Any rain, snow, hail or sleet that falls there is trapped.

The water does not flow to the ocean. The

Cascade, Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains are around the Great

Basin.

The water evaporates in a set of salt lakes and

“sinks” in the area. The Great Salt Lake is in the

Great Basin.

This is the Great Salt Lake.

The Great Salt Lake is so salty you will float in it

without holding your breath.

This is the Humbolt River that runs in the Great

Basin. It “goes nowhere” and the water evaporates

in the Humbolt Sink.

These are the mountains and

plains of the United States you will have

to know.