The Colorado River
Geographers can tell you that the one thing that most rivers and their
adjacent flood plains in the world have in common is that they have rich
histories associated with human settlement and development. This especially
true in arid regions which are very dependent upon water. Two excellent
examples are the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates rivers which show use the
relationship between rivers and concentrations of people. However, the Colorado
River is not such a good example along most segments of its course. There is no
continuous transportation system that parallels the rivers course, and
settlements are clustered. The rugged terrain and entrenched river channels are
the major reasons ...
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turn of the century, most present day cities and towns were
already established. Trails, roads, and railroads linked several areas with
neighboring regions. Although the Colorado River drainage system was still not
integrated. In the mid 1900's many dams had been built to harness and use the
water. A new phase of development occurred at the end of the second World War.
There was a large emphasis on recreation, tourism, and environmental
preservation.
The terrain of the Colorado River is very unique. It consists of Wet
Upper Slopes, Irregular Transition Plains and Hills, Deep Canyonlands, and the
Dry Lower Plains.
Wet Upper Slopes: Consist of numerous streams that feed into the
Colorado River from stream cut canyons, small flat floored valleys often
occupied by alpine lakes and adjacent steep walled mountain peaks. These areas
are heavily forested and contain swiftly flowing streams, rapids, and waterfalls.
These areas have little commercial value except as ...
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River was first navigated by John Wesley Powell,
in his 1869 exploration through the Marble and Grand Canyons. The Colorado
River begins high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The water begins from
melting snow and rain, and is then supplemented by the Gunnison, Green, San
Juan, Little Colorado, Virgin, and Gila Rivers. Before any dams were built, the
Colorado River carried 380,000 million tons of silt to the Sea of Cortez. Along
it's path, it carves out the Marble, Grand, Black, Boulder, and Topok Canyons.
The Grand Canyon being the most popular, which is visited by numerous tourists
every year, plays a large role in western tourism. The Grand Canyon is in fact
one of the World's ...
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The Colorado River. (2004, June 23). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Colorado-River/9954
"The Colorado River." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 23 Jun. 2004. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Colorado-River/9954>
"The Colorado River." Essayworld.com. June 23, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Colorado-River/9954.
"The Colorado River." Essayworld.com. June 23, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Colorado-River/9954.
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