The document summarizes the geological formation of several major North American geographical regions: - Hawaii formed from volcanic activity at a hotspot under the Pacific plate over millions of years. - Yellowstone National Park sits on a caldera formed by a large explosion around 17 million years ago, with geysers and thermal features caused by the North American plate moving over a mantle hotspot. - The Canadian Shield was once a mountainous region but erosion left only remnants of igneous and metamorphic rock beneath a thin soil layer. - The Basin and Range Province formed due to crustal extension causing normal faults and thinning of the lithosphere.

1. Project:The Geographical
Tour of America
Earth and Space Science
Shivam Singh Sengar

2. “
”
Hawaii

3. Pictures
• Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic
surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, (wind) surfers,
biologists, and volcanologists alike

4. Formation
• Formed continuously from volcanic activity
initiated at an undersea magma source called
hotspot.
• Tectonic plate beneath much of Pacific Ocean
is moving northwest makes hot spot remains
stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes.
• Volcanic activity and subsequent erosion have
created impressive geological features.

5. “
”
Yellowstone National Park

6. Pictures
• The Continental Divide of NorthAmerica runs diagonally through the south-western part of the park.The
park sits on theYellowstone Plateau, at an average elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level. The
plateau is bounded on nearly all sides by mountain ranges of the Middle Rocky Mountains, which range from
9,000 to 11,000 feet (2,700 to 3,400 m) in elevation

7. Formation
• A caldera was formed by a large explosion.
• Park is also full of geysers and hydrothermal
systems.
Start forming around 17 million years ago, with
the transfer of North American Plate by plate
tectonic across a stationary mantle hotspot

8. “
”
Canadian Shield

9. Pictures
A large area of Precambrian igneous and high grade metamorphic rocks forming an ancient geological core of
the North American continent, covered by a thin layer of soil.

10. Formation
• Shield one was mountainous and had
volcanoes.
• Over millions of years mountains eroded away
including much of their roots.
• Today only portion of the igneous and
metamorphic roots of the ancient mountains
are left and area is relatively flat.

11. “
”
Basin and Range Province

12. Pictures
Characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid
valleys or basins. (Large area where the crust has been uplifted and extended in a complex continental rift
system).

13. Formation
• Formed as a result of extension and thinning of
lithosphere, which is composed of crust and
upper mantle.
• Tectonic activity responsible for the extension in
the Basin and Range is a complex and
controversial.
• Mostly accepted hypothesis suggests that crustal
shearing associated with the San Andreas Fault
caused spontaneous extensional faulting similar
to that seen in the Great Basin.
• Geologic processes that elevate heat flow are
varied. Researches suggest that the heat
generated at a subduction zone is transferred to
the overriding plate as subduction proceeds. Fluid
along fault zones then transfer heat vertical
through the crust.This model led to increase
interest in geothermal systems in the Basin and
Range, requires consideration of the continued
influence of the fully subducted Farallon plate in
the extension responsible for its formation.
Formation of Basin and Range
topography by crustal extension:
A. No deformation has taken place.
B. Formation of listric normal faults.
C. Faults connect at depth forming
horst and graben geometry.
D. Fault blocks form series of peaks
and valleys.

14. “
”
Snake River Plain and Columbian
Basin

15. Pictures
Snake river is largest tributary of the Columbian river.

16. Formation
• The snake river plain was created by a volcanic
hotspot which lies underneathYellowstone
National park.
• The landscape was developed from ancient
basaltic lava that erupted form shield
volcanoes beginning about 17 million years
ago.
• The lavas that erupted from the volcanoes in
this area were very fluid and completely
covered all existing mountain and valleys.

17. “
”
Cascades Area of America’s Pacific
Northwest

18. Pictures
The landscape is dotted with famous volcanoes, such as Mt. Rainier. Between the volcanoes are
beds of lava and volcanic rock.Volcanic eruptions have been the major geologic process in this area
for millions of years.

19. Formation
• The Northwest is still highly geologically
active, with volcanoes and geological faults.
• Province is characterized by famous
stratovolcano that have formed at convergent
plate boundaries where subduction is taking
place.
• Volcanic eruptions have been the major
geologic process in this area for millions of
years.

20. “
”
Rocky Mountains

21. Pictures
Currently, much of the mountain range is protected by public parks and forest lands, and is a
popular tourist destination, especially for hiking,
camping, mountaineering, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding.

22. Formation • Rocky mountains were initially formed from 80
million to 55 million years ago during Laramide
Orogeny, in which number of plates began to
slide underneath the North American Plate.
• The angle of subduction was shallow (more
likely continent- continent convergence
because of shallow angel), resulting in a broad
belt of mountains running down western North
America.
• Since then, further tectonic activity and
erosion by glaciers have formed sculpted the
range into dramatic peaks and valleys.
• The rocks in the Rocky Mountains were formed
before the mountains were raised by tectonic
forces.

23. “
”
Appalachian Valley

24. Pictures
The Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma were originally part of the Appalachians as
well, but became disconnected through geologic history.

25. Formation • The Appalachians first formed roughly 480
million years ago during Ordovician Period and
once reached elevations similar to those of the
Alps and the Rocky mountains before they
were eroded.
• A look at rocks exposed in today's Appalachian
mountains reveals elongated belts of folded
and thrust faulted marine sedimentary
rocks, volcanic rocks and slivers of ancient
ocean floor, which provides strong evidence
that these rocks were deformed during plate
collision.
• marks the first of several mountain-building
plate collisions that culminated in the
construction of the supercontinent Pangaea
with the Appalachians near the center.