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67
PENNSVALLEY
Lesson 36:
Physical Features of the RockyMountainRegion
Topography
isanother term that refers to thephysical featuresof a regionof landarea.Tounder-
stand the rugged and spectacular topography of the Rocky Mountain Region, we will begin a tour in
Montana and travel southward, covering the major physical features of each state in the region.You
will need theUnitedStatesPhysical Map in your
AtlasBuddy (AB)
on page ix as a reference to help
you identify the landforms and waterforms. Label your regional map on the next page with the loca-
tions highlighted below in
boldface
print.
ACTIVITY 1:
LabelingLandforms
1. Using the mountain symbol, label the
Rocky Mountains
in the fol-
lowing states:Montana, Idaho,Wyoming, Colorado, andUtah.
2. Locate thedotted line that follows the ridges of theRockyMountains.
This ridgeline represents the
Continental Divide
. Using a red col-
ored pencil, follow the Continental Divide through the Rocky
MountainStates.
3. Label the
Great Plains
inMontana,Wyoming andColorado.
4. Label the
ColoradoPlateau
inUtah.
5. The
Great Salt Lake Desert
, located west of the Great Salt Lake
inUtah.
6. Using themountain symbol,mark theareaof Nevada touchedby the
SierraNevadaMountains
.Write thenameof themountains in small
print on your map.
7. Label the
Great Basin
of Nevada.
The
Continental
Divide is the
major watershed, or
dividing ridge, in the
North American
Continent. Rain that
falls on the eastern
side flows toward the
Mississippi River. Rain
that falls on the west-
ern side flows toward
the Pacific Ocean.
RockyMountain Region
Using the Internet, look up one or more of the following national parks or
monuments. Create a postcard for a friend describing two important fea-
tures that you discover.
•YellowstoneNational Park
• GrandTetonNational Park
• RockyMountainNational Park
• Great SandDunes National Park
• Dinosaur National Monument
• LakeMeadNational RecreationArea
• Glacier National Park
• Devil’sTower National Monument
• MesaVerdeNational Park
• ZionNational Park
• CanyonlandsNational Park
• BryceCanyonNational Park
Click
&
Learn
