Rocky Mountains
Rockies
Range mountain
Moraine Lake, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Countries	Canada, United States
Regions	British Columbia, Alberta, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico
Part of	Pacific Cordillera
Highest point	Mount Elbert
- elevation	14,440 ft (4,401 m)
- coordinates	39°07′03.90″N 106°26′43.29″W / 39.11775, -106.4453583
Geology	Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic
Period	Precambrian, Cretaceous

See also: Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains (Hoˀhonáaˀe tse-amoˀėstse "Rock on the Horizon" in Cheyenne), often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. See also Rocky Mountains Mountain peaks of North AmericaThis article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains of The Cheyenne language ( Tsėhesenėstsestotse or in easier spelling Tsisinstsistots is a Native American language spoken in present-day Montana A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) from northernmost British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The range's highest peak is Colorado's Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet (4,401 meters) above sea level. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface Though part of North America's Pacific Cordillera, the Rockies are distinct from the Pacific Coast Ranges which are located immediately adjacent to the Pacific coast. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions

The Eastern edge of the rockies rises impressively above the Interior Plains of central North America, including the Front Range which runs from northern New Mexico to northern Colorado, the Wind River Range and Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, the Crazy Mountains and the Rocky Mountain Front of Montana, and the Clark Range of Alberta, along with a series of ranges in Canada called the Continental Ranges. The Interior Plains is a vast physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentian craton of North America The Front Range is a Mountain range of the Rocky Mountains of North America that is located in the north-central portion of the U New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The Wind River Range (or "Winds" for short is a Mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The Big Horn Mountains are a Mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. The Crazy Mountains, often called the Crazies, are a mountain range in the northern Rocky Mountains in the U The Rocky Mountain Front is an area extending over 100 miles (160 km from the central regions of the U Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern The Clark Range ( to) is a Mountain range that forms part of the Continental Divide and also the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Continental Ranges are the largest and most well-known of the three main official subdivisions of the Canadian Rockies, the others being the Hart Ranges and the Mount Robson in British Columbia, at 3,954 meters (12,972 ft), is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Robson is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Robson is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range.

The western edge of the Rockies, such as the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, Utah, divides the Great Basin from other mountains further to the west. The Wasatch Range is a Mountain range that stretches about from the Utah- Idaho border south through central Utah in the western United States Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. The Rockies do not extend into the Yukon or Alaska, or into central British Columbia. Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The Rocky Mountain System within the United States is a United States physiographic region. Physiographic regions of the US InteriorSee legend For purposes of description There are eight distinct physiographic divisions within the Continental United States.

Geography and geology

See also: Geography of the United States Rocky Mountain System and Geology of the Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are commonly allowed to stretch from the Liard River in British Columbia south to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Physiographic regions of the US InteriorSee legend For purposes of description The Geology of the Rocky Mountains reveals a discontinuous series of Mountain ranges with distinct geological origins The Liard River flows through the Yukon Territory British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Other mountain ranges continue beyond those two rivers, including the Selwyn Range in Yukon, the Brooks Range in Alaska, and the Sierra Madre in Mexico, but those are not part of the Rockies, though they are part of the American cordillera. The Selwyn Range is a range of mountains in the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia. Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. The Brooks Range is a Mountain range that stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canada 's Yukon Territory, a total distance Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The American cordillera consists of an essentially continuous sequence of Mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central The United States definition of the Rockies, however, includes the Cabinet and Salish Mountains of Idaho and Montana, whereas their counterparts north of the Kootenai River, the Columbia Mountains, are considered a separate system in Canada, lying to the west of the huge Rocky Mountain Trench, which runs the length of British Columbia from its beginnings in the middle Flathead River valley in western Montana. The Cabinet Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains, located in northwest Montana and the Idaho panhandle, in the United States. The Salish Mountains are located in the northwest corner of the U The Kootenay River (spelled Kootenai River for its American portions is the uppermost major tributary of the Columbia River, flowing through British Columbia Columbia Mountains is a group of Mountain ranges located in British Columbia, and partially in Montana, Idaho, Washington. The Rocky Mountain Trench, also called "the valley of a thousand peaks" is a physiographic feature extending ~1600 km (995 mi from Flathead Lake, Montana They vary in width from 70 to 300 miles (110 to 480 kilometers)

Mount Timpanogos, in the Wasatch Range, near Orem, Utah. Orem is a city in the north-central part of the US state of Utah in Utah County.

The younger ranges of the Rocky Mountains uplifted during the late Cretaceous period (100 million-65 million years ago), although some portions of the southern mountains date from uplifts during the Precambrian (3,980 million-600 million years ago). The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs, usually abbreviated 'K' for its German translation "Kreide" is a geologic period and system, reaching from the end of The Precambrian ( Pre-Cambrian) is an informal name for the supereon comprising the eons of the Geologic timescale that came before the current The mountains' geology is a complex of igneous and metamorphic rock; younger sedimentary rock occurs along the margins of the southern Rocky Mountains, and volcanic rock from the Tertiary (65 million-1. Igneous rocks (etymology from Latin ignis, fire are rocks formed by solidification of cooled Magma (molten rock Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type the protolith, in a process called Metamorphism, which means "change Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) The chuprichondira geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non- avian Dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately 8 million years ago) occurs in the San Juan Mountains and in other areas. The San Juan Mountains are a rugged Mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Millennia of severe erosion in the Wyoming Basin transformed intermountain basins into a relatively flat terrain. The Tetons and other north-central ranges contain folded and faulted rocks of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age draped above cores of Proterozoic and Archean igneous and metamorphic rocks ranging in age from 1. The Teton Range is a Mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The Paleozoic or Palaeozoic Era (from the Greek palaio (παλαιο "old" and zoe (ζωη "life" meaning "ancient life" The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. The Proterozoic (ˌproʊtərəˈzoʊɪk is a geological eon representing a period before the first abundant complex life on Earth. 2 billion (e. g. , Tetons) to more than 3. 3 billion years (Beartooth Mountains). ^[1]

Periods of glaciation occurred from the Pleistocene Epoch (1. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period 8 million-70,000 years ago) to the Holocene Epoch (fewer than 11,000 years ago). The Holocene is a Geological epoch which began approximately 10000 years ago (about 8000 BC Recent episodes included the Bull Lake Glaciation that began about 150,000 years ago and the Pinedale Glaciation that probably remained at full glaciation until 15,000-20,000 years ago. The Bull Lake Glaciation is a Glacial period that began roughly 200000 years ago and ended 130000 years ago when several large sheets of Ice moved down the "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period ^[1][2] Ninety percent of Yellowstone National Park was covered by ice during the Pinedale Glaciation. ^[1]The little ice age was a period of glacial advance that lasted a few centuries from about 1550 to 1860. The Little Ice Age (LIA was a period of cooling occurring after a warmer era known as the Medieval Warm Period or Medieval Climate Optimum For example, the Agassiz and Jackson glaciers in Glacier National Park reached their most forward positions about 1860 during the little ice age. Glacier National Park is located in the US state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. ^[1]

Water in its many forms sculpted the present Rocky Mountain landscape. ^[1] Runoff and snowmelt from the peaks feed Rocky Mountain rivers and lakes with the water supply for one-quarter of the United States. The rivers that flow from the Rocky Mountains eventually drain into three of the world's Oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major ^[1] These rivers include:

The Cathedral Group of the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The Cathedral Group is a term applied to a collection of most of the tallest mountains of the Teton Range, all of which are located in Grand Teton National Park, in The Teton Range is a Mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States.

• Arkansas River
• Athabasca River
• Bitterroot River
• Clark Fork River
• Clearwater River
• Colorado River
• Columbia River
• Coeur d'Alene River
• Elk River
• Fraser River
• Green River
• Kootenay River
• Lochsa River
• Missouri River
• North Saskatchewan River
• Peace River
• Payette River
• Platte River
• Rio Grande
• Salmon River
• Selway River
• South Saskatchewan River
• Snake River
• Wind River
• Yellowstone River

The Continental Divide is located in the Rocky Mountains and designates the line at which waters flow either to the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. The Arkansas River is a major Tributary of the Mississippi River. The Athabasca River (French rivière Athabasca) originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta The Bitterroot River is a Tributary of the Clark Fork River in southwestern Montana, USA. The Clark Fork is a river in the US states of Montana and Idaho, approximately 360 mi (579 km long The Clearwater River is a river in North Central Idaho, which flows from the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho- Montana border westward joining the The Colorado River (' Aha Kwahwat in Mojave) is a River in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately The Columbia River (known as The Coeur d'Alene River flows from the Silver Valley into Lake Coeur d'Alene in the U For other uses of this name see Fraser River (disambiguation. The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The Kootenay River (spelled Kootenai River for its American portions is the uppermost major tributary of the Columbia River, flowing through British Columbia The Lochsa River is located in the northwestern United States, in the mountains of North Central Idaho. The North Saskatchewan River is a Glacier -fed River flowing east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. This article is about the river For the town in Alberta see Peace River Alberta. The Payette River is a River in southwestern Idaho, and is a major Tributary of the Snake River. The Platte River is an approximately 310 mi (499 km long river in the Western United States. The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Selway River is located in North Central Idaho in the northwestern United States within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The South Saskatchewan River (French rivière Saskatchewan Sud) is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan The Snake River is a major Tributary of the Columbia River in the U The Wind River is the name applied to the upper reaches of the Bighorn River in Wyoming in the United States. The Yellowstone River is a Tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 671 miles (1080 km long in the western United States. A continental divide is a line of elevated Terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that Water falling on one side of the line eventually The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Triple Divide Peak (8,020 feet / 2,444 m) in Glacier National Park (U.S.) is so named due to the fact that water which falls on the mountain reaches not only the Atlantic and Pacific, but the Arctic Ocean as well. Triple Divide Peak (8020 ft / 2444 m is located in Glacier National Park, Montana, United States. Glacier National Park is located in the US state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole.

American Rockies' Formation

The American Rockies are very different from the Canadian Rockies. They are made up of granite instead of the ancient sedimentary seabed. Another puzzle is that they are 1000 miles from where the Pacific and North American plates meet. A likely theory is that, instead of subducting deep into the mantle, the Pacific plate subducted shallowly and pushed up the granite that made up the North American plate much further inland.

Human history

Rocky Mountains visible from Boulder, Colorado

Since the last great Ice Age, the Rocky Mountains were home first to Paleo-Indians and then to the Native American tribes of the Apache, Arapaho, Bannock, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Crow, Flathead, Shoshoni, Sioux, Ute, Kutenai (Ktunaxa in Canada), Sekani, Dunne-za and others. Boulder is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and most populous city of Boulder County, Colorado, in the United States Paleo-Indians or Paleo-Americans were the ancient peoples of the Americas who were present at the end of the last Ice Age. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The Arapaho (in French: Gens de Vache) tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming The Bannock or Banate are a Native American people who traditionally lived in the northern Great Basin in what is now southeastern Oregon and The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi (meaning "original people" c Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taa'e (more commonly The true crows are large Passerine Birds that comprise the Genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes The Shoshone ( or) are a Native American tribe with three large divisions the Northern the Western and the Eastern The Lakota (laˈkˣota (also Teton, Tetonwan) are a Native American tribe The Utes (/juːts/ " yoots " are an ethnically related group of American Indians now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. Sekani is the name of an Athabaskan First Nations people and language in the northern interior of British Columbia. The Dunneza (also Dunne-za, Dane-zaa, Tasttine, and historicially often referred to as the Beaver tribe by Europeans are a First Nation ^[1] Paleo-Indians hunted the now-extinct mammoth and ancient bison (an animal 20% larger than modern bison) in the foothills and valleys of the mountains. A mammoth is any Species of the Extinct Genus Mammuthus. These Proboscideans are members of the elephant family and Bison antiquus sometimes called the ancient bison, was the most common large Herbivore of the North American continent for over ten thousand years and is Like the modern tribes that followed them, Paleo-Indians probably migrated to the plains in fall and winter for bison and to the mountains in spring and summer for fish, deer, elk, roots, and berries. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. The elk, or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest Species of Deer in the world and one of the largest Mammals in ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. The word berry has two meanings one based on a botanical definition the other on common identification In Colorado, along the crest of the Continental Divide, rock walls that Native Americans built for driving game date back 5,400-5,800 years. ^[1] A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that Native Americans had significant effects on mammal populations by hunting and on vegetation patterns through deliberate burning. ^[1]

Recent human history of the Rocky Mountains is one of more rapid change. ^[1] The Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado — with a group of soldiers, missionaries, and African slaves — marched into the Rocky Mountain region from the south in 1540. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado y Luján (Born in 1510 &ndash Died on September 22 1554 was a Spanish Conquistador, who visited New Mexico and other The introduction of the horse, metal tools, rifles, new diseases, and different cultures profoundly changed the Native American cultures. Native American populations were extirpated from most of their historical ranges by disease, warfare, habitat loss (eradication of the bison), and continued assaults on their culture. ^[1]

Colorado Rockies

In 1739, French fur traders Pierre and Paul Mallet, while journeying through the Great Plains, discovered a range of mountains at the headwaters of the Platte River, which local American Indian tribes called the "Rockies", becoming the first Europeans to report on this uncharted mountain range. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada The Platte River is an approximately 310 mi (499 km long river in the Western United States. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States ^[3]

Sir Alexander MacKenzie (1764 - March 11, 1820) became the first European to cross the Rocky Mountains in 1793. Sir Alexander Mackenzie (Alasdair MacCoinnich 1764 - March 12, 1820) was a Scottish-Canadian explorer. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1820 ( MDCCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year He found the upper reaches of the Fraser River and reached what is now the Pacific coast of Canada on July 20 of that year, completing the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold He arrived at Bella Coola, British Columbia, where he first reached saltwater at South Bentinck Arm, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) was the first scientific reconnaissance of the Rocky Mountains. Specimens were collected for contemporary botanists, zoologists, and geologists. ^[1] The expedition was said to have paved the way to (and through) the Rocky Mountains for European-Americans from the East, although Lewis and Clark met at least 11 European-American mountain men during their travels. ^[1]

Mountain men, primarily French, Spanish, and British, roamed the Rocky Mountains from 1720 to 1800 seeking mineral deposits and furs. The fur-trading North West Company established Rocky Mountain House as a trading post in what is now the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta in 1799, and their business rivals the Hudson's Bay Company established Acton House nearby. For the grocery chain see The North West Company. The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal Rocky Mountain House is a Town in west- Central Alberta, Canada, at the confluence of the Clearwater These posts served as bases for most European activity in the Canadian Rockies in the early 1800s, most notably the expeditions of David Thompson (explorer), the fourth European to follow the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. David Thompson ( April 30, 1770 &ndash February 10, 1857) was an English-Canadian fur trader surveyor and map-maker known After 1802, American fur traders and explorers ushered in the first widespread caucasian presence in the Rockies south of the 49th parallel. The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur. The Caucasian race, sometimes the Caucasoid race, is a term of Racial classification, coined around 1800 by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach for the " The more famous of these include Americans included William Henry Ashley, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, John Colter, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Andrew Henry, and Jedediah Smith. William Henry Ashley (1778 Powhatan County, Va &ndash March 26, 1838, Boonville, Mo was a pioneering fur trader, entrepreneur James or Jim Bridger (March 1804 &ndash July 17 1881 was among the foremost mountain men, trappers scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson ( December 24, 1809 &ndash May 23, 1868) was an American Frontiersman John Colter (c1774 – May 7, 1812 or November 22, 1813) was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804−1806 Tom or Thomas Fitzpatrick may refer to Tom Fitzpatrick (rugby league, Australian rugby league footballer Tommy Fitzpatrick Major Andrew Henry (c 1775 &ndash 1832 was an American Fur trader who with William H Jedediah Strong Smith (born January 6, 1799 — presumed date of death May 27, 1831) was a hunter, trapper, Fur trader On July 24, 1832, Benjamin Bonneville led the first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains by using Wyoming's South Pass. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14 1796 &ndash June 12 1878 was a French -born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer Wagon Train is a Television Western Series on NBC from 1957 - 1962 and then on ABC from 1962- The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. ^[1]

Thousands passed through the Rocky Mountains on the Oregon Trail beginning in 1842. Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the The Mormons began to settle near the Great Salt Lake in 1847. TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the US state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere the fourth-largest terminal From 1859 to 1864, Gold was discovered in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia sparking several gold rushes bringing thousands of prospectors and miners to explore every mountain and canyon and to create the Rocky Mountain's first major industry. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of Gold. The Idaho gold rush alone produced more gold than the California and Alaska gold rushes combined and was important in the financing of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, and Yellowstone National Park was established as the world's first national park in 1872. Transcontinental Railroad is a Railroad that crosses a Continent from "coast-to-coast" While settlers filled the valleys and mining towns, conservation and preservation ethics began to take hold. President Harrison established several forest reserves in the Rocky Mountains in 1891-1892. Benjamin Harrison (August 20 1833 &ndash March 13 1901 was the twenty-third President of the United States, serving one term from 1889 to 1893 In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt extended the Medicine Bow Forest Reserve to include the area now managed as Rocky Mountain National Park. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T ^[1] Economic development began to center on mining, forestry, agriculture, and recreation, as well as on the service industries that support them. Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Forestry is the Art and Science of managing forests tree Plantations and related Natural resources. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's Body or Mind. ^[1] Tents and camps became ranches and farms, forts and train stations became towns, and some towns became cities. ^[1]

Industry and development

Economic resources of the Rocky Mountains are varied and abundant. Minerals found in the Rocky Mountains include significant deposits of copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, silver, tungsten, and zinc. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Characteristics Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, Ductile, very soft highly Molybdenum (məˈlɪbdənəm from the Greek word for the metal " Lead " is a Group 6 Chemical element with the symbol Mo Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Tungsten (ˈtʌŋstən also known as wolfram (/ˈwʊlfrəm/ is a Chemical element that has the symbol W and Atomic number 74 Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 The Wyoming Basin and several smaller areas contain significant reserves of coal, natural gas, oil shale, and petroleum. Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit For example, the Climax mine, located near Leadville, Colorado, was the largest producer of Molybdenum in the world. Climax was an unincorporated Mining Village and a former US Post Office located in Lake County Colorado. Leadville is a Statutory City that is the County seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Molybdenum (məˈlɪbdənəm from the Greek word for the metal " Lead " is a Group 6 Chemical element with the symbol Mo Molybdenum is used in heat-resistant steel in such things as cars and planes. The Climax mine employed over 3,000 workers. The Coeur d’Alene mine of northern Idaho produces silver, lead, and zinc. Coeur d'Alene (ˌkɔr dəˈlein is the County seat and largest city of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. Canada's largest coal mines are near Fernie, British Columbia and Sparwood, British Columbia; additional coal mines exist near Hinton, Alberta^[1] and in the Northern Rockies surrounding Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway Sparwood is a District municipality in British Columbia, Canada. Hinton is a Town in west- Central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The District Municipality of Tumbler Ridge is a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British

A Drilling rig drills for Natural Gas just west of the Wind River Range in the Wyoming Rockies

Abandoned mines with their wakes of mine tailings and toxic wastes dot the Rocky Mountain landscape. For a detailed diagram of a Petroleum drilling rig, See Drilling rig (petroleum A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes (usually called Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, The Wind River Range (or "Winds" for short is a Mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. In one major example, eighty years of zinc mining profoundly polluted the river and bank near Eagle River in north-central Colorado. The Eagle River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 70 mi (113 km long in west central Colorado in the United States. High concentrations of the metal carried by spring runoff harmed algae, moss, and trout populations. Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms Mosses are small soft Plants that are typically 1–10  cm (0 Trout is the common name given to a number of Species of Freshwater Fish belonging to the Salmonidae family An economic analysis of mining effects at this site revealed declining property values, degraded water quality, and the loss of recreational opportunities. The analysis also revealed that cleanup of the river could yield $2. 3 million in additional revenue from recreation. In 1983, the former owner of the zinc mine was sued by the Colorado Attorney General for the $4. 8 million cleanup costs; 5 years later, ecological recovery was considerable. ^[1][4]

Agriculture and forestry are major industries. Agriculture includes dryland and irrigated farming and livestock grazing. Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally to a Domesticated Animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce such as Food Livestock are frequently moved between high-elevation summer pastures and low-elevation winter pastures,^[1] a practice known as transhumance. Pasture is land with Herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of Ungulate Livestock as part of a Farm or Ranch. Transhumance is a term with two accepted usages Older sources use transhumance for vertical seasonal Livestock movement typically to higher

Human population is not very dense in the Rocky Mountains, with an average of four people per square kilometer (10 per square mile) and few cities with over 50,000 people. However, the human population grew rapidly in the Rocky Mountain states between 1950 and 1990. The 40-year statewide increases in population range from 35% in Montana to about 150% in Utah and Colorado. The populations of several mountain towns and communities have doubled in the last 40 years. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, increased 260%, from 1,244 to 4,472 residents, in 40 years. Jackson is a Town located in the Jackson Hole Valley of Teton County, Wyoming, United States. ^[1]

Tourism

Snowmelt runoff fills a reservoir in the Rocky Mountains near Dillon, Colorado. Dillon is a Home Rule Municipality in Summit County, Colorado, United States.

Snowpack accumulation at 14,255 ft (4,345 m). on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park (photo courtesy of USDA).

Aerial view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in summer

Aerial view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in winter

See also: List of U.S. Rocky Mountain ski resorts, List of Alberta ski resorts, List of B.C. ski resorts

Every year the scenic areas and recreational opportunities of the Rocky Mountains draw millions of tourists. See also List of ski areas and resorts This is a list of ski areas and resorts in the United States. See also List of ski areas and resorts This is a list of ski areas and resorts in Canada. See also List of ski areas and resorts This is a list of ski areas and resorts in Canada. ^[1] The main language of the Rocky Mountains is English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States But there are also linguistic pockets of Spanish and Native American languages. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States

People from all over the world visit the sites to hike, camp, or engage in mountain sports. ^[1] In the summer, main tourist attractions are:

In the United States:

• Pikes Peak
• Royal Gorge
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Glacier National Park (U.S.)
• Sawtooth National Recreation Area

In Canada, the mountain range contains these national parks:

• Banff National Park
• Jasper National Park
• Kootenay National Park
• Waterton Lakes National Park
• Yoho National Park

Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta border each other and collectively are known as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Pikes Peak (originally Pike's Peak, see below) is a Mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs The Royal Gorge (also Grand Canyon of the Arkansas) is a Canyon on the Arkansas River near Cañon City, Colorado. Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. Glacier National Park is located in the US state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA is a United States National Recreation Area located in central Idaho within the Boise, Challis History 1885 - Banff National Park established Canada's first National Park Banff National Park (ˈbæmf is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Canadian Rockies. Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10878 km² (4200 mi² Kootenay National Park is located in southeastern British Columbia Canada covering 1406 km² (543 mi² in the Canadian Rockies and forms part of Waterton Lakes National Park is a National park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is the name of the union of the Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and the Glacier National (See also International Peace Park. A Transboundary Protected Area is a Protected area that spans across boundaries of multiple countries, where the political Border sections that are enclosed )

In the winter, skiing is the main attraction. Snow skiing is a group of sports utilizing Skis as primary equipment A list of the major ski resorts can be found at List of U.S. Rocky Mountain ski resorts. See also List of ski areas and resorts This is a list of ski areas and resorts in the United States.

The adjacent Columbia Mountains in British Columbia contain major resorts such, Fernie, Panorama and Kicking Horse, as well as Mount Revelstoke National Park. Columbia Mountains is a group of Mountain ranges located in British Columbia, and partially in Montana, Idaho, Washington. Fernie Alpine Resort is a Ski resort, located near the town of Fernie British Columbia, Canada. Panorama Mountain Village is a ski and golf resort located in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (KHMR is a new Ski resort village located 14 km outside of Golden British Columbia. Mount Revelstoke National Park is located adjacent to the city of Revelstoke British Columbia, Canada.

Climate

The Rocky Mountains have a highland climate. The average annual temperature in the valley bottoms of the Colorado Rockies near the latitude of Boulder is 43 °F (6 °C). July is the hottest month there with an average temperature of 82 °F (28 °C). In January, the average monthly temperature is 7 °F (−14 °C), making it the region's coldest month. The average precipitation per year there is approximately 14 inches (360 mm).

The summers in this area of the Rockies are warm and dry, because the western fronts impede the advancing of water-carrying storm systems. The average temperature in summer is 59 °F (15 °C) and the average precipitation is 5. 9 inches (150 mm). Winter is usually wet and very cold, with an average temperature of 28 °F (−2 °C) and average snowfall of 11. 4 inches (29. 0 cm). In spring, the average temperature is 40 °F (4 °C) and the average precipitation is 4. 2 inches (107 mm). And in the fall, the average precipitation is 2. 6 inches (66 mm) and the average temperature is 44 °F (7 °C).

See also

• Geography of the Rocky Mountains
  • Canadian Rockies
  • Northern Rocky Mountains
  • Southern Rocky Mountains
    • Colorado mountain passes
    • Colorado mountain peaks
    • Colorado mountain ranges
  • Western Rocky Mountains
• Geology of the Rocky Mountains
• Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains
• Rocky Mountains subalpine zone
• Geography of North America
• Geology of North America
• Lists of mountains

References

The Western Rocky Mountains provide an ideal setting for the Wasatch Front metropolitan area of Utah, but they also prevent the population from expanding eastward. The Wasatch Front is an Urban area in the north-central part of the U A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States.

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey website on the Rocky Mountains
• Headwaters News - Headwaters News - Reporting on the Rockies
• Colorado Rockies Forests ecoregion images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu (slow modem version)
• North Central Rockies Forests ecoregion images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu (slow modem version)
• South Central Rockies Forests ecoregion images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu (slow modem version)