Relief and minerals of North America

The mainland of North America covers a significant area. In size, it is the third in the world. Due to this, the relief and minerals of North America are very diverse. This will be discussed further ...

Geographical position

The continent is located in the northern and western terrestrial hemispheres. It is washed by the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic, the Arctic Ocean, represented by many bays and seas. From South America, the continent separates the Isthmus of Panama, in the west with Eurasia it is divided by the Bering Strait.

The continental part of North America is an area of 20.36 million square meters. Km. The islands of the mainland include Greenland, the West Indies, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and others. From north to south, the length of the continent is 7,326 kilometers, from the west to the east - 4,700 kilometers.

The territory of the continent is located in almost all geographical zones. The USA and Canada together with the Bahamas, Bermuda and Greenland make up the North American region. The southern part, which is located in the tropical latitudes, is part of the Central America region.

Relief

The relief and minerals of North America are striking in variety. The surface of the continent is represented by contrasts - here there are mountains and canyons, plains and hills. Plains occupy most of the territory, on both sides they are surrounded by mountains. The height of the plains can vary within a few hundred meters, which makes the relief quite wavy.

In the northern part there is the Laurentian Upland, fringed in the south by a chain of large lakes. The influence of the glacier provided a smooth form of rocks and hills, the formation of basins. To the south are the hilly Central Plains, and immediately behind them - the Mississippi Lowland.

In the Western part there are the Great Plains - the foothills of the Cordillera. They reach up to 1500 meters in height. Cordilleras are the most folded zone, the highest altitude is the peak of McKinley in 6193 meters. Their eastern part is the Rocky Mountains (up to 4200 m) and the Cascade Mountains.

In the east are Appalachians, represented by medium-elevated hills with individual high massifs up to 2000 meters. In the south of the continent are the Mexican and the Atlantic lowlands, not exceeding two hundred meters. Near the coast they are represented by bars, terraces, lagoons, braids.

Geotectonic structure

The mainland is made up of the North American Platform, most of which is occupied by the Canadian Shield, formed in the early Precambrian. Its edges are omitted, there are deposits of lead, nickel, gold, cobalt ores and other minerals of North America.

From the east, the Appalachians are superimposed on the Canadian shield. In these folded-blocky mountains there are processes of destruction. Blurred areas turned into valleys, and more resistant rocks remained in the form of hills.

In the western part of the continent, the Cordillera region is of medium folding, formed by the collision of tectonic plates. This process continues even now. The formation of the Cordillera was also influenced by the glacier. Therefore, both sedimentary and magmatic minerals in North America are located in this region.

The great plains are located on the border of the platform and the Cordillera. They are formed by marine and continental sedimentary rocks. The Central Plains have a similar origin. In their southeastern part, karst rocks emerge, creating deep labyrinths - Mammoth caves. Sedimentary rocks formed and the Mexican lowland.

North America: minerals (briefly)

Geological structure is of paramount importance for the formation of certain mineral resources. Thanks to a special structure, the minerals of North America are found practically throughout the continent.

In the area of the Canadian Shield, there are significant deposits of uranium and iron ore, molybdenum, nickel, copper. In coastal lowlands, as well as in the Cordilleras and Alaska, there are reserves of fossil fuels. Here, minerals of North America are mined as oil and natural gas.

In the central regions and hollows of Appalachia there are deposits of coal. In the Cordilleras there are various sedimentary and magmatic minerals, for example, gold, ores of non-ferrous metals, mercury. Large deposits of phosphorites are located on a peninsula called Florida.

Minerals of North America: table

For better perception, we decided to compose all the information and present it in the form of a table, which is presented below.

Conclusion

Mainland North America is located in the northern and western hemispheres of our planet. Its geographical position, natural conditions and geological structure influenced the formation of mineral resources.

The main minerals of North America are non-ferrous metal ores, non-metallic ores and combustible minerals. Among them are natural gas, oil, coal, phosphorites, uranium, lead, zinc, nickel, silver ores, gold, platinum and others.

Due to the large number and diversity of resources, the two main states on the mainland are able to provide for themselves and not depend on other countries.