When British colonists first arrived in Boeing, Asini, Canada, they learned that the local Indian tribe was called "Stone", and the mountains there were as bare as stones, so they called it "Stone Mountain", which was translated into English as "Rocky". Later, the name was extended to the whole mountain range running through the north and south. The Chinese word "rocky" is transliterated from the English word "rocky".
[ Edit this paragraph] Overview
The Rocky Mountains, also translated as the Rocky Mountains, are the backbone of the Cordillera Mountains in North America. They are composed of many small mountains and are called the "backbone" of North America. From Alaska to Mexico, it runs through more than 4,5 kilometers from north to south, which is vast and lacks vegetation. Its name comes from the name of Indian tribe. The majestic Rocky Mountains stretch from north to south for thousands of kilometers. The whole Rocky Mountains are composed of many small mountains, of which 39 are named. This huge mountain range is long and narrow from north to south, stretching from western Canada in the north to Texas in the southwest of the United States in the south, almost running through the whole United States. Except the St. Lawrence River, almost all the major rivers in North America originate from the Rocky Mountains, which is an important watershed of the mainland.
the rocky mountains account for most of the great plateau system in the western part of the North American continent. On the whole, the Rocky Mountains include mountains extending from northern Alberta and British Columbia to the south, passing through the western United States to the Mexican border, with a total length of about 4,8 kilometers (3, miles). In some places, the mountain range is hundreds of miles wide. Most of the boundaries are not easy to determine, especially in the remote areas of northwest China, and the Brooks Mountains in Alaska are often classified as Rocky Mountains. There are snow-covered peaks, dense coniferous forests, wide valleys, clear streams, open skies and rich mineral resources. Millions of people live and work here, and millions of people travel here every year. The Rocky Mountains are the most popular tourist attractions in the North American continent.
The forest slope of Bertus Ridge in Montana in the north of Rocky Mountain is great basin in the west, mainly in Nevada, western Utah and Arizona. After many faults here, the crust is broken, and the blocks between faults have uplift, subsidence and deflection. This deformation is a relatively recent event from the geological point of view, which has produced a completely different terrain and water system from the more typical Rocky Mountains in the east. Therefore, it must be admitted that the Rocky Mountains have two main parts: one is that the mountains maintain the original structure and shape characteristics; On the other hand, the original structure and shape have been destroyed, and most of them have been unrecognizable by block faults. In fact, how the original structure of the west is a controversial issue
Many mountains are towering into the sky and covered with snow, which is extremely spectacular. The average elevation of most mountain ranges from 2, to 3, meters, and some even exceed 4, meters. For example, Elbert Peak is 4,399 meters high, garnett Peak is 4,22 meters high, and Blanca Peak is 4,365 meters high. In this big mountain range of Canada, there are four national parks, namely Jasper, Banff, Kootnay and Yoho, and three provincial parks, namely Robson Mountain, Assiniboyne Mountain and Hamber Mountain, with a total area of about 23,122 square kilometers, forming the "Canadian Rocky Mountain Park Group".
Natural features of northwest North America
[ Edit this paragraph] Geology
The Rocky Mountains are generally defined as the Rio de Janeiro in Canada to the Rio Grande River in New Mexico, and the extension of the north and south ends can only be part of the American mountains and no longer belong to the Rocky Mountains.
The younger part of the Rocky Mountains was uplifted in the Cretaceous period (about 14 million to 65 million years ago), and the southern part may have been uplifted in the Precambrian period (about 3.98 billion to 6 million years ago). The geological structure of the Rocky Mountains is mainly composed of igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks, and there are also young sedimentary rocks on the southern edge. Volcanic rocks erupted in Tertiary period (about 65 million to 1.8 million years ago) in some areas. For thousands of years, the erosion of rivers has made the valley between mountains a relatively flat basin. The central and western parts of the Rocky Mountains are composed of Paleozoic and Mesozoic faults and folded granites.
There were many ice ages from Pleistocene to Holocene (18 million-11, years ago). At that time, 9% of Yellowstone National Park was covered by glaciers. From 155 to 186, it was still a "Little Ice Age", and the glaciers had moved forward.
Rocky Mountain was originally a huge geosyncline area, but it was only a shallow sea in the early Cretaceous. In Tertiary, large-scale orogeny and volcanic eruption occurred, and the crust was strongly folded and compressed, and the mountains rose again, forming a tall granite mountain system. In Quaternary, the action of glaciers left the landform features of steep tind, ice bucket, trough and valley, and the long-term crustal changes gradually formed the present situation of Rocky Mountain.
Mountains were mainly formed in Laramie orogeny from the end of Cretaceous to the beginning of Tertiary, from the end of Cretaceous (about 145.5 million years ago to about 65.5 million years ago) to Paleogene (about 65.5 million years ago to 23 million years ago). From the early CAMBRIAN era (542 million years ago) to the Cretaceous, the strata were subjected to the pressure from east to west, forming folds (the strata were wavy) and faults (the strata were disconnected and dislocated) and uplifted with them.
after uplift and vigorous erosion, the tectonic topography is more complicated. In the North Rocky Mountain north of Huangshi National Park, Precambrian and Paleozoic granites are exposed in the west, which are dominated by tall massive mountains. On the basis of long-line folds and thrust faults in the east, strip-shaped mountains are common, separated by fault valleys. The Yellowstone National Park-Wyoming basin is a rocky mountain with a large width. The western part is characterized by alternating strip mountains and fault valleys; The eastern part is mostly a high undisturbed mountain range with a single anticline uplift and steep edges, with short mountains and different trends, and wide syncline basins at intervals. South of Wyoming Basin is the South Rocky Mountain, which is the most majestic part of the whole Rocky Mountain. It consists of two groups of parallel anticline mountains, and Precambrian crystalline rocks are exposed. The height is very high. There are 48 peaks above 42 meters above sea level, and Mount Elbert is located here.
There is a stratum called Burgess Shale in this area. In the middle CAMBRIAN (513 million years ago to 51 million years ago), fossils named "strange shrimp" and "strange worm" were discovered one after another. Compared with the present creatures, their shapes are really incredible. In 198, Jojo National Park, where Burgess shale was discovered, was first listed as a world natural heritage. Later, in 1984, the area selected as a natural heritage was expanded to become the Canadian Rocky Mountain Park Group.
[ Edit this paragraph] Topography
The major mountains in the east are huge uplift blocks, and many uplift blocks have tall peaks and charming scenery. Qianling, Colorado, and the Central Arizona Uplift are the two largest uplifts, and most of the rest are basically flat areas 1 kilometers (62 miles) long and 24 kilometers (15 miles) wide. Qianling and Shawaguchi Mountain have peaks above 4,3 meters (14, feet) above sea level, of which Mount Elbert in Shawaguchi Mountain is 4,399 meters (14,433 feet) high, which is the highest point in the Rocky Mountains. Wyoming has more than 3,962 meters (13, feet) of peaks in Wyoming's Winder Ridge and Teton Ridge, as do Utah's Uinta Mountains. Some mountain areas have not been touched by human beings so far, and have been designated as national wildlife reserves. There are state-owned forests all over the country.
the basins in the east are very wide, with an elevation of 1,219? 2,134 meters (4, meters? 7, feet). During and after the uplift of the mountains, the basin contains the stone chips stripped from the uplift mountains. Later, the stability of flowing water was established as Missouri River and Colorado River, and the basin sediments were etched by flowing water, and some places were deeply eroded.
The Rocky Mountains in Canada and northwest Montana, including Glacier National Park and Lewis Ridge in northwest Montana, are part of the western Rocky Mountains. This part is characterized by a series of parallel mountains, which are mostly caused by thick sedimentary rocks being squeezed and piled up with each other. There are similar linear mountains in western Wyoming and southeastern Idaho, but from the southwest corner of Wyoming to the southwest corner of Utah and southern Nevada, the western mountains are covered by the later great basin plate fault. How far the real Rocky Mountains in western Utah and Nevada once extended westward is still controversial. Therefore, generally speaking, the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains is characterized by blister uplift and large intermountain basins, while the western part is characterized by overthrust faults and folds.
There are widespread glacial landforms in mountainous areas, and modern glaciers exist in high mountains, especially in the Northern Rocky Mountains. The tall and vertical mountain is a barrier to the air mass movement between the east and the west of the North American continent, which leads to the huge difference in precipitation between the east and the west and affects the distribution of temperature, and constitutes an important climate dividing line in North America. To the west of the Rocky Mountain, except for the Pacific coast and windward slope north of latitude 4, the annual precipitation is below 5 mm, mainly in winter rain, and the winter temperature is higher than that in the eastern part of the mainland at the same latitude. In the east of the Rocky Mountain, the annual precipitation in most areas is above 5 mm, and the ratio of summer rain is high. The rivers to the east of the mountain range belong to the Atlantic water system and the Arctic water system, and the rivers to the west belong to the Pacific water system. Mountain vegetation mainly includes coniferous species such as Pinus ponderosa, Pinus Douglas and Picea. Different vertical bands are developed at different latitudes, heights and slopes. The North Rocky Mountain is the main logging area, accounting for 2/3 of the trees in mountainous areas.
The huge Rocky Mountain is widely distributed, with a NNW-South-South-East trend. There are obvious differences between the north and the south, which can be roughly divided into three parts.
South
The southern Rocky Mountains include the mountains south of Wyoming Basin or south of the east bank of the upper reaches of North Platte River. Most of these mountains are in the north-south direction, listed in parallel, and many peaks are tall, steep and gloomy. Mountain streams can be seen everywhere, with clear water and swaying mountain flowers, which are very charming and beautiful.
The mountains here are mostly composed of Precambrian crystalline rocks, with an altitude of over 4, meters, among which Mount Elbert is the highest and the highest point in the Rocky Mountains. Towering peaks rise one after another, forming a sea of peaks in the clouds. The peak of the mountain is often covered with snow all year round due to the bad weather, forming strange and abnormal ice buckets and ice, which is very spectacular.
The southern Rocky Mountain is rich in mineral resources, and the first one was gold mine. Later, copper and silver mines were also found here, but after several years of mining, most of the ore bodies have been exhausted.
Northern
The mountainous areas of the Northern Tribe include the mountains from northern Yellowstone National Park to Canadian territory. Glacier activity was very active in this mountainous area in the past, and special landforms were formed due to the action of glaciers. Mountains are mainly composed of water rocks, and solemn peaks and U-shaped mountains replace the soft plateau.
The complex stratigraphic structure and strong volcanism in the northern mountainous areas have rich nonferrous metal deposits. For example, the second largest copper mine in the United States has been established here, with an annual output of more than 2 million tons of copper ore, and the minerals such as silver, lead and zinc account for half of that in the United States, which is quite powerful.
Middle
Tribal base mountains, mainly plateaus, with some mountain blocks in the middle. The geological structure here is complex and the volcano has great influence, resulting in many hot springs and geysers. Yellowstone National Park's "old faithful geyser" is a world-famous geyser.
There is also a huge Wyoming basin in the central mountainous area, which is surrounded by high mountains and has a dry climate. The annual rainfall is more than 35 mm, and almost nothing grows, belonging to a semi-desert landscape zone. The Rocky Mountains are magnificent and have unique scenery. The US government has built three national parks here, namely, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier Park and Grand Detton Park, which have attracted a large number of tourists for sightseeing, travel and vacation.
[ Edit this paragraph] Climate
The Rocky Mountains extend far from north to south, with diverse climate, with subtropical northern marginal climate at the southern end and Arctic climate at the northern end. However, the influence of continental mountains, high altitude and latitude changes in the south is often weakened. There are two vertical climatic zones running through most of the mountains. The lower climate zone is the cold temperate zone, which is cool in Leng Xia in winter. In the south, at an altitude of7,? 1, feet belongs to this climate zone, and the higher the latitude, the lower the upper and lower limits. The higher climate zone is alpine climate and belongs to tundra type. Winter is cold, summer is short and cold; In the south, the snow on the highest peak can last until August, while in the north, there are still permanent glaciers in many high-altitude valleys.
Generally, there is more precipitation in the north and less in the south, and the precipitation in the north is about three times that in the south. The climate in the south is mostly dry. For example, the St. Louis Valley in Colorado has a mountainous wasteland climate and is one of the driest areas in the Rocky Mountains. Most of the annual rainfall is winter snowfall in the south, although there are often local and sometimes violent thunderstorms in the afternoon in summer. Because of the Pacific cyclone storm, the precipitation in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains is relatively uniform throughout the year. The growing season is almost short everywhere in the Rocky Mountains, and there is even frost in July in some places.
the rocky mountains are an important climatic dividing line of the north American continent. It acts as a barrier to the eastward invasion of the polar Pacific air mass and the westward invasion of the polar Canadian air mass or the tropical Gulf of Mexico air mass, which leads to the huge difference in precipitation between the east and west of the mainland and has a certain impact on the temperature distribution. Winter rain predominates in the west. Except for the coastal areas and windward slopes north of 4 north latitude, the annual precipitation is below 5 mm, and the temperature in winter is higher than that in the eastern part of the same latitude. Summer rain predominates in the east, and the annual precipitation is above 5 mm, except in the northern high latitude area and some great plains areas close to the mountains.
the rocky mountain is in plateau climate, with an annual average temperature of 6 °C, the highest temperature in July, with an average temperature of 28 °C, the average temperature in January is MINUS 14 °C, and the annual average rainfall is 36 mm Rocky mountain areas are warm and dry in summer and cold and humid in winter.
[ Edit this paragraph] Ecology
The region is also famous for its rich flora and fauna. Forests such as pine trees and poplars extend to an altitude of about 18 meters. Alpine and subalpine flowers and shrubs can be seen at higher altitudes. Wetland plants grow at the bottom of the valley and around lakes and marshes. There are 56 species of mammals in the park, including Rocky Mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the highlands, Grate deer and grizzly bear in the forest, and beavers living by the water. In addition, there are about 28 species of birds such as Shan Ying.
Vegetation
Vegetation in mountainous areas is characterized by vertical differentiation, and the vertical belt map is subject to height, latitude and slope direction. For example, the upper boundary of the forest belt gradually decreases from south to north; The lower bound is that the wet west slope is lower than the dry east slope. Conifer species such as Pinus ponderosa, Douglas Pseudotsuga, Tent Pine, Larix gmelinii and Picea are widely distributed.
The plant communities in the Rocky Mountains are very different due to height, latitude and sunshine. In the eastern slopes of Colorado and New Mexico, strong winds in winter come from arid plains, which makes scattered cedars and dwarf pines stunted or deformed. There are usually no trees at the lower altitude at the end of this mountain range, but there are patches of cottonwood and other deciduous trees along the river. There are shrubs in valleys and basins, as far north as southern Alberta.
There are poplars, Pinus ponderosa and Cunninghamia lanceolata in the mountain forests in the middle altitude areas. The subalpine forest consists of western hemlock, black pine, western red cypress, white spruce and Engelmann spruce. With the increase of latitude, the height of tree line decreases. Above the tree line, hardy grasses, moss, lichens and low flowering plants of alpine tundra are almost everywhere in the mountains. In the northernmost mountainous areas, the so-called "small"