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    Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West: Investigate How the Earth Was Formed with 15 Projects
    Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West: Investigate How the Earth Was Formed with 15 Projects
    Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West: Investigate How the Earth Was Formed with 15 Projects
    Ebook220 pages1 hour

    Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West: Investigate How the Earth Was Formed with 15 Projects

    By Cynthia Light Brown

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    About this ebook

    Answering intriguing questions such as Why does the largest river system in North America meander across the middle of the continent? and How does such a system relate to the rugged Rocky Mountains?, this fun-filled book delves into the majestic Great Plains region. The chapters concisely clarify the interrelated subjects of terrain, climate, and the great movements of the earth itself while illustrating the important changes that are still occurring in the area's rivers, lakes, plains, and unpredictable weather. Brimming with fascinating facts, educational sidebars tell how earthquakes in New Madrid, Missouri caused waves to go upstream in the Mississippi River; why and how tornadoes form; and how invasive species are threatening the Great Lakes and what people are doing about it.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNomad Press
    Release dateDec 1, 2011
    ISBN9781619301344
    Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West: Investigate How the Earth Was Formed with 15 Projects

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      Book preview

      Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West - Cynthia Light Brown

      ~Titles in the Build It Yourself Series~

      Nomad Press is committed to preserving ancient forests and natural resources. We elected to print Geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West: Investigate How the Earth Was Formed on 4,507 lbs. of Williamsburg Recycled 30 percent offset.

      Nomad Press made this paper choice because our printer, Sheridan Books, is a member of Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit program dedicated to supporting authors, publishers, and suppliers in their efforts to reduce their use of fiber obtained from endangered forests. For more information, visit www.greenpressinitiative.org

      Nomad Press

      A division of Nomad Communications

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Copyright © 2011 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use. The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

      This book was manufactured by Sheridan Books,

      Ann Arbor, MI USA.

      December 2011, Job # 331943

      ISBN: 978-1-936313-83-9

      Illustrations by Eric Baker

      Educational Consultant Marla Conn

      Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to

      Independent Publishers Group

      814 N. Franklin St.

      Chicago, IL 60610

      www.ipgbook.com

      Nomad Press

      2456 Christian St.

      White River Junction, VT 05001

      www.nomadpress.net

      CONTENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      Geology and Geography

      CHAPTER 1

      Plate Tectonics Shape Our Land and Sea

      CHAPTER 2

      Mountain Ranges

      CHAPTER 3

      Volcanoes and Earthquakes!

      CHAPTER 4

      The Plains

      CHAPTER 5

      Climate

      CHAPTER 6

      Rivers

      CHAPTER 7

      Ecosystems

      CHAPTER 8

      The Great Lakes

      GLOSSARY

      RESOURCES

      INDEX

      INTRODUCTION

      GEOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY

      The Great Plains and Mountain West form the heartland of the United States. This area in the middle of the country has land rippling with wheat and corn. It has towering, majestic mountains. And it has the most destructive tornadoes in the world.

      The Great Plains and Mountain West also contain some of our nation’s greatest natural wonders. Maybe you live near the mighty Mississippi River. Maybe you have visited the Great Lakes, or explored Yellowstone National Park.

      Why do the plains of the Midwest spread out flat like a pancake? How did the Rocky Mountains, which rise so high, form right next to these plains? Even though the central part of the North American continent doesn’t have exploding volcanoes, lots of changes have happened there over billions and billions of years.

      In this book, you’ll learn about the geology and physical geography of the Great Plains and Mountain West. You’ll read about the forces that have shaped the region’s mountains, plains, rivers, weather, and ecosystems. And you’ll discover some interesting facts about the area.

      Did you know that earthquakes in Missouri have caused waves in the Mississippi River to travel upstream? Or that the Great Lakes hold one fifth of the freshwater of the entire world? As you read through this book, you’ll get to work on a lot of exciting experiments and projects. They will help you understand new concepts, like how a flood happens.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      plains: a flat expanse of land.

      the Midwest: another name for the Great Plains in the middle of the United States.

      geology: the scientific study of the history and physical nature of the earth.

      geography: the study of the earth and its features, especially the shape of the land, and the effect of human activity.

      ecosystem: a community of plants and animals living in the same area and relying on each other to survive.

      freshwater: water that is not salty.

      GEOLOGY: MORE THAN JUST ROCKS

      Most people think of geology as the study of rocks. Geology certainly includes that, but it’s much more. When you look at a rock, you can describe its color and shape. But what is even more interesting is how that rock formed and how it got to its present location. That involves seeing the big picture—the picture of the whole earth.

      Geology is the scientific study of the history and physical nature of the earth. It explains how the color and shape of a rock gives clues to the history of that rock.

      Geology involves the huge movements of the earth’s crust. It also involves the systems of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, because air and water affect the breakdown and formation of rocks. And the geology of the Great Plains and Mountain West is part of the geologic story of our nation and the earth.

      GEOGRAPHY: MORE THAN JUST STATES AND CAPITALS

      Just as geology is about more than just rocks, geography is about more than just states and their capitals. These are important, but geography tells a bigger story.

      There are two parts to geography. Physical geography includes things like mountains, rivers, climate, and the shape of the land. The second part of geography, called cultural geography, is how people interact with the land. An example of cultural geography would be how farming changes the soil of a region. Cultural geography includes things like population, agriculture, and recreation. If you live in the Rocky Mountains you might spend your winters skiing because there are steep slopes with plenty of snow.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      crust: the thick, outer layer of the earth.

      atmosphere: the air surrounding the earth.

      hydrosphere: the earth’s water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and water vapor in the air.

      climate: the average weather of an area over a long period of time.

      This book covers the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.

      Look at the map and you’ll see that this is a huge area right in the middle of the United States. Are you ready to take a ride on a riverboat down the Mississippi River, whirl around inside a tornado, and climb down into a silver mine! Let’s go!

      CHAPTER 1

      PLATE TECTONICS

      SHAPE OUR LAND AND SEA

      The Great Plains stretch out flat for hundreds of miles. Then the Plains rise sharply into the rugged, high Rocky Mountains. How did these regions form and why do they look so different from each other?

      To understand the driving force behind the formation of the different landscapes in the Great Plains and Mountain West, you first need to understand plate tectonics.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      plate tectonics: the theory that describes how plates move across the earth and interact with each other to produce earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      volcano: a vent in the earth’s surface through which magma, ash, and gases erupt.

      earthquake: a sudden movement in the outer layer of the earth. It releases stress built up from the motion of the earth’s plates.

      erosion: the wearing away and carrying off of materials on the earth’s surface.

      brittle: describes a solid that breaks when put under pressure. A blade of grass will bend, but a dry twig is brittle and will break.

      mantle: the middle layer of the earth. The upper mantle, together with the crust, forms the lithosphere.

      dense: tightly packed.

      lithosphere: the rigid outer layer of the earth that includes the crust and the upper mantle.

      Plate tectonics is the theory that the outer layer of the earth is made up of interconnected plates that move around. Together with the heat from the sun, the powerful forces inside the earth shape every landscape and ecosystem on the surface of the earth. Volcanoes, mountains, valleys, plains, earthquakes, and erosion all happen when and where they do because of the movement of the earth’s plates. To understand plate tectonics, first let’s look inside the earth.

      A PEEK INSIDE

      The earth may look solid and motionless, but much of it is liquid. It consists of three layers.

      The crust is the thin, outer layer of the earth. This is the layer that we walk on. It’s solid but brittle, which means that it breaks when under pressure.

      The mantle is the layer below the crust. It is hotter and denser here because the temperature and pressure inside the earth increase the deeper you go. The upper mantle is brittle and solid. Together, the crust and the upper mantle form the lithosphere, or the hard outer layer of the earth.

      The lithosphere is broken into plates. Below the plates is a layer of the mantle called the asthenosphere. It

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