Earth Science 7-North America3

Earth Science 7-Global Regions Index

This region is called North America. The countries in it are the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Greenland.

Latitude and Longitude

The Latitude Range is 14°N to 83°N

The Longitude Range is 174°W to 22°W

Highest and Lowest Points

The highest point is 6,194 meters above sea level at Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

The lowest point is 86 meters below sea level at Death Valley in California.

Geography

Bodies of Water

The Mackenzie River is over 4000 kilometers long and is Canada's largest river.

Great Bear Lake is the world's ninth largest lake, and it is in Canada.

Mackenzie River basin,the Gulf of Mexico Basin,and the Mississippi River Basin are some of the largest basins in North America.

The North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean,Gulf of Mexico,Hudson Bay,Gulf of Alaska,Baffin Bay, and Labrador Sea all surround North America.

The Gulf of Mexico is the largest body of water in Mexico.

Lake Superior is 31,700 square miles, and is the largest lake in the US.The largest river in the US is the Mississippi, which has a flow volume of 593,000 cubic feet per second at its mouth.

Main Landmarks

The Appalachian Mountains, Candian Rockies, and Rocky Mountains are some main mountain ranges in North America.

Climate Zones

Greenland

Greenland is in the polar frost zone; it is also in the polar tundra zone.

Canada

Canada is in the snow/fully humid/cool summer zone. It is also in the warm temperate/fully humid/hot summer zone. One region of Canada is in the fully humid/warm summer zone. Canada is also in the arid/dry winter zone, the warm temperate/warm and dry summer zone, the snow/warm and dry summer zone, the polar frost zone, and the polar tundra zone.

United States

The US is in the warm temperate/fully humid/warm summer zone, the warm temperate/fully humid/hot summer zone, the snow/fully humid/hot summer zone, the snow/fully humid/warm summer zone, the cold arid/steppe zone, the cold arid/desert zone, the hot arid/desert zone, the polar tundra zone, the snow/warm and dry summer zone, the warm temperate/warm and dry summer zone, the warm temperate/hot and dry summer zone, the hot arid/steppe zone, the equatorial/dry winter zone, the equatorial/monsoonal zone, and the equatorial/fully humid zone.

Mexico

Mexico is in the hot arid/desert zone, the cold arid/steppe zone, the hot arid/steppe zone, the warm temperate/warm and dry summer zone, the warm temperate/hot and dry summer zone, the equatorial/dry winter zone, the equatorial/dry summer zone, and the equatorial/monsoonal zone.

Climate Discussion

The climates zones in North America vary , because it is so vast and wide. Also because it includes Canada,the United States,Mexico, and Greenland.It includes nearly all of the climates listed on the koeppen-geiger climate classification map which makes it very unique.It ranges from the polar tundra zone all the way to the hot arid/desert zone. The median of the two climates is most likely to be found somewhere in the mid point of the United States, considering that Mexico is closer to the equator, and Greenland is near the North Pole.

Oceans

Salinity

The Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest ocean in the world. The Salinity in the Atlantic can exceed 37 parts per thousand. The Pacific ocean can reach salinity levels of 36 parts per thousand, but in the far north, the salinity levels fall to 32 parts per thousand. The Gulf of Mexico's salinity averages 28 to 32 parts per thousand.

Currents

Labrador Sea Current- It is located inside of the North Altantic Ocean. It's maximum speeds are seen from February to March.

North Atlantic Current- It starts between the Grand Banks and Mid Atlantic Ridge in the depths of the Gulf Stream.

Loop Current- It is located in the Gulf of Mexico. It ends in the Gulf Stream and has many eddies in its path

Tides

The tidal range in the Gulf of Mexico is only about 3 feet. In Northern Canada, the tidal range reaches 40 feet.

Ice Cover

In Greenland there is the Greenland Ice Cover which blankets more than 85% of the land. Since Mexico is near the equator it has no ice cover anywhere. There is also a reasonable amount of ice cover in the Great Lakes at later points in the year.

Wave Action

The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean both experience a lot of erosion. The Gulf of Mexico lose an average of 6 feet per year, and the Atlantic Ocean loses an average of 2 to 3 feet per year. This happens because parts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean lack barrier islands that protect from erosion. The Pacific Coast also experiences lots of erosion. The shoreline of Ocean Beach in San Francisco can fall back up to 184 feet in the winter due to the El Niño effect.

Mineral, Rock, and Mining Content

Minerals

The main minerals found and mined in the United States are iron, silver, gold, and copper. In Canada the most common minerals are lead & zinc, iron, silver, and copper. The most common minerals in Mexico are copper, iron, and silver. Iron is mined in the Great Lakes area of America and Canada and in Virginia. In Canada, silver is also mined in the far northeast area. Iron is mined in the midwest area of Mexico. Silver is also mined in this area. In America, silver is mined in Washington and Oregon. In Canada, silver is mined in the southeast. Copper is mined in the mid-west and southwest areas of Canada, and it is also mined in the California-Arizona-Nevada area of the United States and the northwest area of Mexico.

Mining

Gold is mined in Canada and the United States. Oil is also mined in Canada and the United States. In the United States gold is only mined in northeast Alaska, and in Canada Gold is only mined in the Great Lakes area. Oil is mined in southern California and in southern Texas, and it is also mined in southwest Canada.

Rocks

Coal is a common rock in the United States and Canada. Other common rocks include limestone, sandstone, and shale. There are many coal mines in the United States--they are present in southern Alaska, North Dakota, Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi. In Canada, coal is mined in the southwest and Great Lakes areas.

Plate Tectonics

The plates that North America fall on inculde the Juan de Fuca Plate, the North America Plate, and a small section of the Rivera plate. There are both active and passive margins within the North American Region.

Earthquakes

In our region of North America, earthquakes are heavily present. A majority of the earthquakes occur on the west coast of the United States of America, Alieutian Islands in Alaska, and the west coast of Mexico. In the United stated places like Oregon and California have the most activity. In the Aleutian Islands most of the islands have a lot of activity for example Kanaga, Buldir, and Little Sitkin.

Recent Activity

United States

Gulf of California- 5.0 magnitude -April 16, 2012 - 10.3 km

Offshore of North California- 4.1 magnitude - April 17,2012 - 19.8 km

Mexico

Oaxaca, Mexico - 4.5 magnitude - April 20,2012 - 10.0 km

Baja California, Mexico - 2.5 magnitude - April 21, 2012 - 21.1 km

Alaska

Unimak Island Region, Alaska - 4.3 magnitude - April 18,2012 - 17.9 km

Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska - 4.2 - April 18, 2012 - 19.6 km

Volcanoes

United States: Volcanoes in the United States are located in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, and Alaska. The volcanoes present in the United States include cinder cones, shield cones, and stratovolcanoes. This means that the Unites States' volcanoes contain andesitic, basaltic, and rhyolitic magma. there are also calderas in the United States, which is a sign of huge eruptions in the past.

Major Eruptions in United States: From July 1986 to June 1991, the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii was continuously spewing lava. the lava engulfed 75 square kilometers of forest and grassland and destroyed 179 homes. On May 18, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake at Mount St. Helens in Washington caused the biggest landslide in recorded history. This landslide released torrents of hot gas and rock debris, and caused ash to shoot up 19 kilometers into the sky. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens killed 57 people. Crater Peak in Alaska erupted on June 27, 1992, covering Anchorage in about 3 millimeters of ash and causing the airports in Anchorage to close. The eruption shot ash up 14 kilometers into the sky and generated small pyroclastic flows.

Mount St. Helens erupting

Canada: Canada possesses volcanoes in central British Columbia, and also in northwestern British Columbia. Cinder cones, shield cones, and stratovolcanoes are all present in Canada, meaning all three magma types (rhyolitic, basaltic, andesitic) can be found in Canada. Canada is also home to several calderas.

Major Eruptions in Canada: There are no recent major eruptions in Canada; its latest eruption was at the Iskut-Unuk River Volcano in 1904.

Mexico: Volcanoes in Mexico are located in the Baja Peninsula, and they are also located in the central states of Durango, Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacán, Mexico, Distrito Federal, Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Veracruz. Mexico's volcanoes include cinder cones, shield cones, and stratovolcanoes. This means that rhyolitic, basaltic, and andesitic magma are all present in Mexico. Calderas can also be found in Mexico. Mexico is home to North America's tallest volcano, the Pico de Orizaba, which has a summit elevation of 5,675 meters

Greenland: There are no volcanoes present in Greenland.

Resources

Google Earth used for Latitude and Longitude ranges

[[1]] used for highest/lowest points

[[2]]used for bodies of water

[[3]]used for bodies of water

[[4]]also used for bodies of water

[[5]]used for mountain ranges

[[6]] used to find info on Mexico's gulf

[[7]]used to find info on large surrounding waters

[[8]] used for climate zones

www.nasa.gov/missions/research/greenland.html used for greenland ice cover

[[9]] used for Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico erosion

[[10]] used for Pacific erosion

[[11]] used for salinity and tides

[[12]] used for north atlantic current

www.marine.usf.edu/flcoos/TheGulfLoopCurrent_2.pdf used for loop current

www.mapsofworld.com/world-mineral-map.htm used for mineral content

Dynamic_Earth.kmz used for locations of volcanoes and volcano types

[[13]] used for volcano eruptions in America

[[14]] used for Mount St. Helens death count

[[15]] used for Canada volcano eruptions info

[[16]] used for Aleutian Island activity

[[17]] used for recent volcano activity

[[18]] used for recent volcano information

[[19]]