5/12/2017
DATES TO REMEMBER Regional Landscape Studies NORTHLANDS << 2 Attu Is North Pacific Coast Review Ch 1, 2, 8, in Text; Sec. 4 in Atlas Alaska Peninsula Gulf of Elongated, isolated coastal area Alaska of western N. America (34°N to 63°N) Regional Landscapes of the Over 4,000 miles long but less than United States and Canada 150 mi wide (most of it is <100 mi wide). 1. Runs north from the Los Angeles Basin. BC 2. Past San Francisco Bay. Vancouver North Pacific Coast Island 3. Along coastal Pacific Northwest and Attu Is Prof. Anthony Grande British Columbia (with Vancouver Is), Inland Passage and Alaska Panhandle. ©AFG 2017 4. Turns W at Gulf of Alaska Coastal Plain. LA Basin 5. Follows the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands for over 1,200 miles. SF 6. Ends at Attu Island near the International Date Line in Pacific Ocean. LA4 Cloudy days Volcanoes North Pacific Coast Dense forests OVERVIEW: Physical Geog. Hydroelectricity Rugged coastlines When you think about this region, Seattle/Vancouver Composed of three distinct sub-regions. what images come into your mind? Cruise ships/Fjords Marine subtropical climate dominates Totem poles Salmon . Wettest area of North America; ice free harbors. Tall parallel N-S trending coastal mountain ranges . Intercept westerly winds from Pacific Ocean . Irregular, rocky coastline with little or no coastal plain. . Warmer but drier (rain shadow) fertile lowlands between them. Geologically active area. . Shaped by: volcanism, earthquakes, mass movements. . North: glacier-carved valleys flooded by the sea – fjords. . South: large fast flowing rivers fed by rainfall and snowmelt. . Tsunami danger: from undersea tectonic activity. Heavily forested. 5 6 1 5/12/2017 Major climate controls are: Subtropical “C” Westerly winds OVERVIEW: Human Geog. Ocean current temperature Climate Predominates Tall north-south mountains with vertical zonation (H). Isolated from the rest of N. Amer. by site and situation Variations due to (difficult transportation between areas). latitude, elevation Dfc Large rain and situation. Over 150 distinct Native American ethnic groups each and snow Coast of Alaska totals in located in small coastal valleys (isolated from each other). mountains gets less rain and Cfb/Cfc: Marine West Coast snow than areas Explored by Spanish, Russians, British, Americans. (cool summers/precipitation every further south. Historic British and American claims on the “Oregon Country.” month is unique to this area of Pacific storms do not make it that North America (coastal OR/WA/BC/AK) Low population density with few large cities. far north. Csb: Mediterranean (cool dry Aleutians had a strategic location in WWII and Cold War sum-mer) found along California H • Warm ocean current pre- Diversifying economy but still dominated by primary coast north of Santa Barbara. vents harbors from freezing Csa: Mediterranean (hot dry sum- activities: lumbering, fishing, agriculture. during winter even at 60°N. mer) found in the Central Valley. • Cold ocean current cre- Fastest growing area is SW British Columbia. Dfc: Humid continental (cold and ates California’s coastal fog damp) found on the Aleutian Is. H as warm air blows over cold H: Highland (vertical zonation) water. 7 found in the mountains. 8 Unique Vegetation Unique Vegetation: Sequoia Coast Redwoods are Temperate rainforest is support- Giant Sequoias are found on the wind- on the windward (wet) side ed on the west side of the Olympic ward side of the Sierra Nevada Mts. the Coast Range in N. Calif. Mts (Coast Range in NW Washington) which gets >150 in of rain/250 in of snow/yr. 9 10 Subregion 1: Subregion 2: COAST MTS California Coast Pacific Northwest Pacific Northwest California Coast subregion KLAMATH subregion includes MTS extends westward from the foothills NW California, W Oregon, of the Sierra Nevada and north of W Washington and The lowlands and the Los Angeles Basin. SW British Columbia. Strait of Georgia are • Klamath Mts. part of a structural Includes: • Coast Ranges trough created along • Cascades Central Valley of California SF BAY >> a fault line, deepened San Francisco Bay Estuary • Coast Mts by glaciers then Coast Ranges • Puget Lowlands flooded by the sea. • Fraser Valley (lowland) KLAMATH MTS • Willamette Lowlands • Strait of Georgia LA 11BASIN 12 2 5/12/2017 Subregion 3: Coastal BC and Southern Alaska Earthquakes and Volcanoes Entire Pacific Northwest Coast Dots show epicenters region exists on the NE margin of major earthquakes. of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a geologic zone of earthquakes and volcanism. The northernmost and most sparsely populated area. Extends from Puget Sound INSIDE (WA-BC) to Attu Island, Alaska. PASSAGE QUEEN The magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska Earth- Dominated by the tall Coast Mountains. CHARLOTTE ISLAND quake (aka Good Friday Earthquake) that Volcanic landscape formed by subduction of struck south-central Alaska on March 27, 1964, is the largest recorded earthquake the Pacific Plate under North America Plate. VANCOUVER ISLAND in U.S. history and the second-largest earth- Volcanic Aleutian Islands experience cold, PUGET SOUND>> quake recorded with modern instruments. cloudy and wet conditions (Dfc) plus extremes The earthquake generated a tsunami Pacific Plate of daylight hours (high latitude location). 13 which devastated Anchorage. 14 Alaska-Aleutian Convergent Zone Southern The Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands experi- Alaska’s ence volcanism because they are located along the boundary where the Pacific Plate goes under the Volcanic Augustine eruption, 2006 North American Plate. http://www.avo.alaska.edu/map/index.php?mo Katmai Cluster nvolcs=on&othervolcs=on Zone Alaska has over 130 volcanoes. About 90 are classified as ”active” and 50+ have had recent activity. This region has over 70 of Alaska’s volcanoes. Carlisle, central Aleutians Snow-covered Shishaldin https://www.avo.alaska.edu/volcanoes/about.php 15 https://www.avo.alaska.edu/volcanoes/alaska_peninsula.php 16 Valley of 10,000 Smokes Undersea Cascadia Katmai National Park Rupture Zone BC WA OR CA 17 18 3 5/12/2017 Tsunami Prone Coast Volcanism caused by Coastal areas are in danger of des- 8 ft waves from 2011 Japanese truction from tsunami waves esp. tsunami hitting Crescent City, CA Subduction when the shape of the embayment marina. and the configuration of the shore- line funnel water upward. Anchorage and Crescent City (CA) have been severely damaged by tsunamis. NORTH JUAN de AMERICAN Houses built at the edge of cliffs “for the FUCA PLATE PLATE ocean view” can be undermined and may collapse. The Juan de Fuca Plate is being overridden by N. America Plate. Mt. Shasta, CA As molten rock moves to the 14,162 ft high surface through fracture zones in the crumbled North America 19 Plate, volcanoes are created. 20 Crater Lake, Oregon Eruption of Mt. St. Helens (1980) 1,300 ft blew off the summit Lake is 2,000 ft deep Ave elevation of rim is 7500 ft FORMATION OF CRATER LAKE About 7500 years ago, Mt. Mazama erupted with such force that 4,500 ft of its summit was blown off, creating a caldera that has since filled with water. 12,000 ft Area blown off 7,500 ft 21 http://news.yahoo.com/magma-rising-washington-states- 22 mount-st-helens-volcano-102422513.html?vp=1 Mt. St. Helens (1982 eruption) Volcano Skylines Lahar LAHAR: volcano eruption- Mt. Rainier and Seattle, WA Urban areas, on the coastal 70 miles away triggered massive fast-moving lowlands, have grown in the mudflow (ash, debris and water from shadow of the Cascades and melted snow). Greatest danger is at can be affected by an eruption the end of winter when snowpack is thickest. Mt. Hood and Portland, OR 40 miles away The creation of lahars is the chief concern of any volcanic eruption in the Cascades. Evidence of historic lahars are found throughout the region including the suburbs of Seattle <70 mi from Mt. Rainier. Evacuation route maps are posted around the area. Mt. Baker and Bellingham, WA 30 miles away 23 24 4 5/12/2017 Landslides and Mudflows Landslides along Big Sur Landslides usually occur Mudflows occur towards during and after an earthquake. the end of the winter rainy season, during a period of snowmelt and especially in areas that had brush fires at the end of the dry season. 25 26 Coast Ranges The Golden Gate and Linear folded mountain ranges (3,000- San Francisco Bay 5,000 ft high in CA; to 7900 ft in WA) rising from the sea and paralleling the coast . SF Bay is a tidal estuary from LA Basin to Seattle. reached via a gap in the • The only gap is the Golden Gate. Coast Range (Golden Gate). Coastline is characterized by stacks . Divided into four bays. Fed by Sacramento and 1 created by headland wave erosion. . 2 San Joaquin rivers which create the Delta Region. Big Sur . Has water quality issues Golden Gate 3 from both urban and agricultural pollution. 4 Six major fault zones pass through it, giving the area its NW-SE alignment, and subjecting it to earth- 27 quakes. 28 Central Valley of California Coast Mountains 400 mi long and 90 mi wide, located between Extends from British Columbia to SE Alaska the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada. (panhandle region). Impedes coastal, overland, and Coast Ranges Coast Former inland sea; filled with sediment from inland travel. Cascades rivers originating in the Sierra Nevada. . St. Elias Mts. (Alaska-Yukon-British Columbia) are world’s tallest coastal mountains. Extremely flat and fertile. Klamath . Mt. Logan (19,700 feet) is Canada’s highest point Mts. Two sections: Sacramento Valley (north) . Glaciers reach the sea and have created fjords San Joaquin Valley (south) when the deepened valleys are flooded by the sea. Sierra Nevada Rain shadow area needs irrigation. Most productive San Joaquin Valley general farming area (fruits and vegetables) of the US Coast Ranges are 80 mi behind the camera. 29 30 5 5/12/2017 Tillamook Village Alaska Panhandle/Coastal BC Native American Inside Passage is a maze of deep, scenic Settlement navigable waterways between the islands. Native American population was Area was flooded by the sea at the end of the Ice Age. relatively large because of the The islands are mountain tops. moderate climate and abundant year-round food supply. Topography limits interaction with the mainland. Travel is by boat, ferry and small airplane. Culturally: Haida Village Overland travel along the length of • 100+ distinct ethnic groups, each the coast is difficult or impossible. located in a small coastal valley. • Had a close relationship with nature. Strait of Georgia Juneau, Alaska Believe the natural world (fauna/flora) Near Mt. Baker, WA interact with a supernatural world. Existed by hunting, fishing, gathering. • Built large, impressive plank houses and dugout canoes. • Totem Pole: carved record on a log of 31 person’s life. 32 Plank Houses of the Northwest European Arrival Last area of N.Am. to be explored Plank houses are structures by Europeans (because of the distance) used by tribes of the North- 1792 George Vancouver expedition in Queen Juan de Fuca (1592) for Spain Charlotte Sound. HMS Discovery on the rocks west Coast (California to Alaska). Vitus Bering (1740) for Russia The houses are made of long, James Cook (1778) for Britain flat planks of cedar wood that Lewis and Clark (1804) for USA are lashed to a wooden frame. Russian Settlement There are no windows. . First settlements late 1700s. Fort Ross St Hist. Site, A hole in the roof vents smoke Sonoma, CA . Fur-trading posts from SE Alaska to N California. from the fire pit. . Never self-sufficient in food; expensive to maintain. Totem poles are placed out- . Conflict with the British and Americans over Oregon. side the structure to protect . Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867 for $7.2 mil fearing Britain would seize it. inhabitants from evil spirits. The Ninilchik, Alaska carvings tell a story about the . Evidence of Russian settlement remain in places names, building design and Russian family or the place. Orthodox churches. 33 34 British Settlement in the Northwest American Expansion See maps in Historical Atlas pp. 23, 32, 33, 34, 36, 42, 46, 47 • Hudson’s Bay Company – Controlled fur-trading in Columbia . Explored by Lewis and Clarke in 1804-07. Basin (Rupert’s Land) . John Jacob Astor established fur trade company (1810); – Dominant force in the area (Oregon Fort Astoria (now Astoria, OR) at the mouth of Columbia River to British Columbia) until the 1830s. is the first US settlement (1811) in Pacific Northwest. . Victoria (1843) is at southern tip of . Treaty of 1818 extended the US-Canada border along Vancouver Island; strategic over- 49°N latitude to the Rocky Mts., not to the coast. look on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. . US and Great Britain jointly administer Oregon Country . Vancouver (1867) is on the mainland. (Rocky Mts. to Pacific Ocean) from 1818-46. – Established as a sawmill site; logs . American settlers arrive via the Oregon Trail to were floated down river from mountain- Oregon’s Willamette Valley (1840s). side lumber camps into the harbor. . By late-1840s Americans in Oregon Territory were – Protected harbor made it a seaport. pushing for statehood. – Terminus of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway (1886). 35 36 6 5/12/2017 Contested Northwest Oregon Country . Pacific Northwest was contested in The OregonTreaty of 1846 the early 1800s: Russia (Alaska), Great set the boundary at 49°N Britain (Canada), USA (Oregon) and Spain latitude with the exception of (Mexico). Vancouver Is. . Explored by Lewis and Clark (1804-07). . John Jacob Astor established a fur- While politically acceptable, it trading post at mouth of Columbia River disrupted N-S movement in Puget (1811). Sound and on the Columbia River. . Spain withdrew claims after Mexican Becomes Oregon Territory in independence (1824). 1848 and the State of Oregon . Mexico ignored the area N of California in 1859. . US and Great Britain jointly administer Washington Territory (WA/ID) “Oregon Country” (1818-46). was created by Congress (1853) . American settlers arrive via the at the urging of a growing popula- Oregon Trail (1840s); push for statehood. See maps in Historical Atlas pp. 23, 32, 33, 34, 36, 42, 46, 47 tion around Puget Sound (Seattle). Washington becomes a state in Mexican Cession is 1848 37 1889 and Idaho in 1890. 38 Regional Economy Forestry Chief economic activity Characteristics: BC: 54% of Canada's timber. WA, OR, CA: 50% of U.S. total. – Production of staple products: Willamette Valley, OR wood, fish, agriculture (primary . Large-scale logging activity sector). Clear-cut harvesting method: forest is cut down without regard to size and – Distance from major markets species of tree; area is replanted. of US&C increases costs. Mills are located within the forest – Cheap electricity is a asset. to sort and cut logs to proper lengths. – Tourist industry is growing. . Tree species vary with region Douglas fir major lumber tree. . . … .. Tram over Portland Trees are large; produce . . much square footage. .. . Markets Products are shipped great all parts of US&C and Asia. 39 distances: 40 Columbia- Snake River Hydroelectric Power Basin Fishing and Dams Area of cold water species that Region’s hydroelectric potential once were the lifeline of the region, unmatched in North America especially for Native Americans. . Rugged topography and deep Whale and salmon populations have canyons (WA/OR have 40% of U.S. potential) been greatly reduced by overfishing . Abundant precip with no dry season. and human interference. Columbia River dams regulate water . Dams on the rivers of the Pacific NW flow (flood control and navigation), interfer with salmon migration to impound water for irrigation and upstream spawning areas. . Fish ladders (steps) are an attempt produce electricity and allows ocean- to help migrating fish move going ships to reach interior British around dams. Columbia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paRHvtpNENY 41 42 7 5/12/2017 Dungeness Crabs Shellfishing Present Population Distribution • Faster growth than national averages in both the U.S. and Canada (population and economy). Snow crabs • British Columbia is the fastest growing area. • Home to 3% of U.S. population and 10% of Canada’s population. • Most people live within the interior lowlands from the Fraser River to Willamette Valley. • Few large cities: San Francisco Metro: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose Fresno, CA Sacramento, CA Bakersfield, CA Seattle, WA Portland, OR Anchorage, AK Vancouver, BC Victoria, BC 43 44 Anchorage Vancouver • Alaska’s largest city with about 300,000 people and 40% of its population. • Canada's 3rd largest and fastest growing • Established (1914) as a port for the construction of the Alaska city (605,000 people). Railroad. • Metro area of more than 2.3 million people. • Grew as a transportation hub • Western HQ for Canadian businesses. and military base because of its • Gateway to the Canadian Rockies (hosted the harbor and connections to the 2010 Winter Olympics) and interior Canada. interior. • Tourist hub for the Inside Passage. • Today is a shipping center. • Devastated by 1964 earth- • Canada's busiest seaport: Wood products; wheat. quake and tsunami 45 46 Largest U.S. city of the Pacific North- west since late 1800s; has over 600,000 in Seattle city/3.5 mil metro area Portland Founded as a logging center, became dominant with coming of RRs (1883) and as an Has a pop. of over 590,000 people outfitting point to Alaska, esp. after gold was discovered (1890s) in the Klondike; with a metro area of over 1 million. Second largest container port in U.S. Ranks high among livable cities Since WWI, the home of Boeing Aircraft. More diversified economy than Diversification: Computer technology Seattle’s with better access to (Microsoft); research & development, medical interior via Columbia River. biotechnology, forest products, banking and finance. - Shipment of grain from eastern Washington. - Large, deep port with easy access to the Pacific. - Iron and steel, clothing, food processing, computer technology 47 48 8 5/12/2017 San Francisco (c.812,000) Northern Conurbation: • North edge of Spanish N. America • Was the supply port and financial N E X T San Francisco Bay Area center for the 1849 Gold Rush. • Linked to the first transcontinental railroad (Union Pacific) • Largest West Coast city until 1920 • Received large numbers of Asian OAKLAND immigrants, esp. Chinese SAN FRANCISCO • Excellent harbor with access to the interior • Has become a cultural center Other Areas East Bay: Industrial and shipping area. SAN JOSE Oakland (c.395,000) is the largest city. Silicon Valley: Name originally referred to the concentration of local firms making silicon chips. Now synonymous with technology. Urbanized area with San Jose (c.967,000) is the largest over 6.5 million people. city of the entire area. 49 50 9