Geography of the Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a large mountain range located in the western part of North America in the United States and Canada. The Rockies as they are also known, pass through northern New Mexico and into Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. In Canada, the range stretches along the border of Alberta and British Columbia. In total, the Rockies stretch for over 3,000 miles (4,830 km) and form the Continental Divide of North America. Additionally, because of their large presence in North America, water from the Rockies supplies about  ¼ of the United States. Most of the Rocky Mountains are undeveloped and is protected by national parks like the Rocky Mountain National Park in the U.S. and local parks like the Banff National Park in Alberta. Despite their rugged nature though, the Rockies are a popular tourist destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping skiing, fishing, ​and snowboarding. In addition, the high peaks of the range make it popular for mountain climbing. The highest peak in the Rocky Mountains is Mount Elbert at 14,400 feet (4,401 m) and is located in Colorado. Geology of the Rocky Mountains The geologic age of the Rocky Mountains varies based on location. For example, the youngest parts were uplifted 100 million to 65 million years ago, whereas the older parts rose 3,980 million to 600 million years ago. The rock structure of the Rockies consists of igneous rock as well as sedimentary rock along its margins and volcanic rock in localized areas. Like most mountain ranges, the Rocky Mountains have also been affected by severe erosion which has caused the development of deep river canyons as well as intermountain basins such as the Wyoming Basin. In addition, the last glaciation which occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch and lasted from about 110,000 years ago until 12,500 years ago also caused erosion and the formation of glacial U-shaped valleys and other features such as Moraine Lake in Alberta, throughout the range. Human History of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains have been home to various Paleo-Indian tribes and more modern Native American tribes for thousands of years. For example, there is evidence that Paleo-Indians may have hunted in the region as far back as 5,400 to 5,800 years ago based on rock walls they constructed to trap game like the now-extinct mammoth. European exploration of the Rockies did not begin until the 1500s when the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado entered the region and changed the Native American cultures there with the introduction of horses, tools, and diseases. In the 1700s and into the 1800s, exploration of the Rocky Mountains was mainly focused on fur trapping and trading. In 1739, a group of French fur traders encountered a Native American tribe that called the mountains the Rockies and after that, the area became known by that name. In 1793, Sir Alexander MacKenzie became the first European to cross the Rocky Mountains and from 1804 to 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first scientific exploration of the mountains. Settlement of the Rocky Mountain region then began in the mid-1800s when Mormons began to settle near the Great Salt Lake in 1847, and from 1859 to 1864, there were several gold rushes in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. Today, the Rockies are mostly undeveloped but tourism national parks and small mountain towns are popular, and agriculture and forestry are major industries. In addition, the Rockies are abundant in natural resources like copper, gold, natural gas, and coal. Geography and Climate of the Rocky Mountains Most accounts say that the Rocky Mountains stretch from the Laird River in British Columbia to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. In the U.S., the eastern edge of the Rockies forms a sharp divide as they rise abruptly out of the interior plains. The western edge is less abrupt as several sub-ranges like the Wasatch Range in Utah and the Bitterroots in Montana and Idaho lead up to the Rockies. The Rockies are significant to the North American continent as a whole because the Continental Divide (the line which determines whether water will flow to the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean) is in the range. The general climate for the Rocky Mountains is considered highland. Summers are usually warm and dry but mountain rain and thunderstorms can occur, while winters are wet and very cold. At high elevations, precipitation falls as heavy snow in the winter. Flora and Fauna of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains are very biodiverse and has various types of ecosystems. However, throughout the mountains, there are more than 1,000 types of flowering plants as well as trees like the Douglas Fir. The highest elevations, however, are above the tree line and thus have lower vegetation like shrubs. The animals of the Rockies the elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcat and black bears among many others. For example, in Rocky Mountain National Park alone is populated by about 1,000 head of elk. At the highest elevations, there are populations of ptarmigan, marmot, and pika. References National Park Service. (29 June 2010). Rocky Mountain National Park - Nature and Science (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/index.htm Wikipedia. (4 July 2010). Rocky Mountains - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains

The American Public Education System - 913 Words

In American two out of three eighth-graders can’t read proficiently and for African American and Hispanic students across the country dropout rates are close to 40 percent and those were just two of the many ways the American Education System has failed its members. Education in the United States is provided by public schools and private schools. Public education is universally required at the kindergarten through twelfth grade level. Budgets and policies are set through locally elected school boards, who have jurisdiction over individual school districts. State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public school systems, and supervise, usually through a board of regents, state colleges and universities. Funding for public schools come from the state, local, and federal government. However, with all the aforementioned points of intervention is a new issue which only serves to reinforce my thesis that the American Public Education System or APES for short is a static system in which over governing, overcrowding, and forced assimilation have run rampant. In recent years the APES has been undergoing a crisis in which academic performance has been falling behind other countries such as Russia, Japan, and China in core subjects. While there seems to be a lack of public knowledge about this pressing issue its precedence still speaks volumes about what is currently happing within our country. In comparison to countriesShow MoreRelatedThe American Public Education System2331 Words   |  10 Pagesproblems in the American public education system today. Some of those include the quality of teachers, who have no real passion for the job, and are only allowed to remain in the position because of tenure privileges. 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Historically Americans have strongly asserted the importance of public schools in a democracy and despite growing disdain for the perceived value of the school system, public schools remain central to democracy in the United States. For more than a century, America s public schools haveRead MoreThe School System Of The United States961 Words   |  4 Pagespractices, the U.S., once the biggest global force in education, has seen its dominance slowly slip out, and its educational status fall even lower than that of several third-world countries. The decline experienced in American school system academic achievement is not as a result of lack of funding, but as a consequence of the overall educational system watering down. According to Gatto, educating children through the existing public school system of America is crippling rather than helping them. 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Historically, Americans have strongly asserted the importance of public schools in a democracy and despite the growing hatred for the face value ofRead MoreEssay on Private Schools Will Not Fix the American Education System14 22 Words   |  6 PagesWill Not Fix the American Education System    The American public education system was founded on the radical notion that all members of society should have equal access to education. Also crucial was the notion that a basic common education was essential for a true democracy. This revolutionary system is now in indisputable trouble. Many worry about America’s ability to compete with foreign countries while others address the growing dichotomy between the quality of education in different economic

Portfolio Assessment of Project Management

Question: Discuss about thePortfolio Assessment of Project Management. Answer: For developing a project specification, a standard process is followed. Creating informal relations and formal approvals. Difficult tasks are chosen first. Sub tasks are indentified. Each tasks are defined. Not knowing when to stop working on Work break down structure, dealing with group dynamics while discussing the sequence of the tasks discussing the deliverables, Compiling the activities are some of the problems that occur while decomposition of work break down structure. Senior manager establishes, implements and assesses the management system, makes improvements and coordinates with project managers (Burke,2013). The executive manager translates the strategic goals and objectives to the employees. He designs, selects, monitors and reviews a project. Based on my personal experience, there are lots of interventions by the project sponsors one needs to coordinate with them for success of project. A project plan contains the scope statement, describing the scope of project, list of all deliverables with their respective due dates. Detailed schedule, uncertainty assessment and management plan (Kerzner,2015). Initial plan, reference plan, base plan, contingency plan, horizon plan and action plan are the different plans that a project manger develops. Project charter describes a project and the methods, steps involved. If I have plan I work that I according to my plan. SOW stands for statement of work, it is a statement that defines work. Project Configuration management is collection of tools and methods used in the project. Project management methodology is important for project planning, because it helps in evaluation of project for effectiveness. References Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Kerzner, H. (2015).Project Management 2.0. John Wiley Sons.

The Sky Moves Sideways(1995) by Porcupine Tree free essay sample

Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band that is heavily influenced by the 60s and 70s eras of Pink Floyd, another progressive rock band. This band has many memorable albums to their credit like Fear of A Blank Planet, Stupid Dreams, Voyage 34, and Deadwing. Most of the bands incredible diversity can also be traced back to one modern prog rocks greatest masterminds, Steven Wilson who also had many a side project like solos and Storm Corrosion. The Sky Moves Sideways is almost purely modern Pink Floyd heaven. Even though Porcupine Tree is well known for the atmospheric or psychedelic music, this pushes the boundaries to levels that are near impossible to describe. We get some of the 60s with Sky Moves Sideways I and Moonlope. We also get some of the 70s with Sky Moves Sideways II and once again, Moonlope. Imagine this to just be one giant Pink Floyd experience, all with sparse vocals and something that Pink Floyd later used in 2014s The Endless River. We will write a custom essay sample on The Sky Moves Sideways(1995) by Porcupine Tree or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page You gotta really appreciate the ambition and the almost full blown Floyd influence year. This is surly not for everyone at all, even if you are a Porcupine Tree or Pink Floyd fan, dont always expect to like it just because of that factor alone. It would also work for reading or any background music but if you do that, you arent appreciating the true genius presented behind this masterpiece that lasts nearly an hour. Just sit back, relax, and close your eyes and drift away with the music playing. Thats really all you need to do. Its atmospheric and almost ambient rock at its finest. I rate this a 9.5/10. I am the Grim Reaper, signing off.