Montana is a place of broad dimensions and sharp contrasts Treasure State 147138 square miles Nations fourth largest state 535 miles from east to west 275 miles from north to south Population of less than a million people ID: 802800
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Slide1
MONTANA
in
PREHISTORY
Slide2Environment
Montana is a place of broad dimensions and sharp contrasts
Slide3“Treasure State”147,138 square miles
Nation’s fourth largest state
535 miles from east to west
275 miles from north to south
Population of less than a million peopleCountry’s sixth least populated state“acreage state”- lots of land and few people
Slide4Granite Peak- 12,850 feet
Kootenai River- 1,800 feet
Temperatures vary from the very hottest, occasionally over 110 degrees in the far eastern section , to a low of nearly 70 degrees below zero at Rogers Pass near Helena in 1954
Slide5Slide6TopographyAlpine peaks of Glacier National Park to rolling plains near the Dakota state line.
Slide7Slide8Geologic Past
Sixty million years ago
The mountains of western Montana were formed by massive shifts of the earth’s surface and the explosive spurting of lava through volcanoes and fissures.
Slide9Geologic Past
Ancient seas and lakes rose and fell, covering at various times all of today’s Montana, leaving behind fascinating geological formations and sedimentary deposits of limestone, phosphates, and many other compounds
Slide10Geologic PastGreat swamps formed east of the mountains and were later buried to become coal and oil fields.
Slide11After the
S
eas Receded
Dinosaurs roamed the plains east of the Rockies.
Slide12Fossils found in Montana
Tyrannosaurus fossil
Found north of Jordan in 1908
Judith Basin
Bears Paw Mountains
Rocky Mountain Front in the Two Medicine Formation
Duckbilled Maiasaura
Choteau
Slide13Dinosaurs died off sixty to eighty million years ago at the dawn of the age of mammals.
Slide14Pleistocene Era
Glacial Moving
Glaciers moved south from present day Canada into present day Montana. Four different times the glaciers moved south as far as Great Falls and Glendive. Each time the glaciers melted and receded
Forming U-shaped valleys and causing debris to dam huge lakes.
Slide15Slide16Slide17Lake Missoula
Flooded all of the valleys west of the Rockies to a depth of 800 feet or greater
Glaciers in the mountains hallowed out and formed wider valleys and more lakes
Slide18Slide19Slide20Changed WaterwaysMissouri River
First flowed to the Arctic north of Hudson Bay. Ice sheets blocked and shifted it eastward and eventually southward to the Gulf of Mexico.
Slide21Western Montana
Western third of the state has the Rocky Mountains
Slide22Eastern MontanaEastern two thirds of the state are plains
Slide23Continental Divide
Follows the primary mountain chains southward from Glacier National Park to Butte, where it bows westward to the Bitterroot crest like an inverted question mark, then turns south eastward again into Yellowstone Park, enclosing the Beaverhead Basin of southwestern Montana in the Atlantic drainage.
Slide24Slide25Slide26A 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 travels to one
ocean
or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another, generally on the opposite side of the
continent
. Because the exact border between bodies of water is usually not clearly defined, the continental divide is not always definite for any continent (The
International Hydrographic Organization
's publication
Limits of Oceans and Seas
defines exact boundaries of oceans, but it is not universally recognized). Moreover, some rivers empty into inland seas, and thus do not end up in the oceans.
Slide27East side of Continental Divide- waters flow east into the Missouri River , which flows into the Mississippi and finally into the Gulf of Mexico.
West side of Continental Divide-
waters flow west into the Columbia River Basin and finally out into the Pacific Ocean.
Slide28Early Immigrants
15 to 20 thousand years ago
Bering land bridge
Following Pleistocene animals
Slide29Slide30Slide31The Three Ecological Regions of Montana
Driving across Montana is like passing through three different countries. Within its boundaries lie three distinctly different ecologies:
The western region (Columbia Plateau)
The central region (Rocky Mountain Front)
The eastern region (Northern PlainsGeography, climate, and resources have shaped the history and culture of each region differently.
Slide32The Western Region: Rugged Mountains, Forested Ridges, High Precipitation
Western Montana is crumpled into continuous mountains, winding rivers, and thick forests.
Natural Mountain Passes
Wide Fertile Valleys
Precipitation (rain and snow)Rain-average of 15 to 25 inches per yearSnow-some areas more than 300 inches per yearGreener region and supports more vegetation than any other region in the state.
Slide33What to look for:
Montana’s western rivers feed the Columbia River, which flows west to the Pacific Ocean.
Slide34Flathead Lake, encompasses 197 square miles of northwestern Montana, and is the larges natural freshwater body of water west of the Great Lakes
Slide35Ash, elm, cedar, and larch trees grow only in the western region.
Montana Elm
Western Larch
Montana Cedar
Slide36The tallest pine tree in Montana is a 300-year-old ponderosa pine over 180 feet tall, growing near St. Regis
Slide37A grove of giant cedar trees, unlike any other trees in the state, grows near LibbyMost of Montana’s grizzly bears live in western Montana.
Slide38Bear grass and bitterroot (the state flower) grow mostly in the western region.
Slide39Central Region: Isolate Mountains, High Plains, Chinook Winds
Central Montana spreads east from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Its small scattered mountain ranges rise above gently rolling plains.
Prominent mountain clusters
Sweetgrass
Hills, the Bear’s Paws, the Little Rockies, the Highwoods
, the Moccasin-
Judiths
, the Big
Snowys
, the
Crazys
, the
Pryors
, the Big and Little Belts and the Bighorns.
Slide40What to look for
Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and spruce trees cover the mountains, while blue bunch wheatgrass, timothy grass and fescue fill the grasslands
Slide41Lupines, larkspur and Indian blanket flower grow on the hillsides, and prickly pear cactus and sagebrush grow in the lowlands
Slide42Montana’s two largest river systems, the Missouri River and the Yellowstone River, begin in central Montana.
Slide43Mule deer and pronghorn spread throughout the lowlands, with black bear, elk and moose in the forests and hills.
Slide44Pheasants, sage grouse and Hungarian partridge hide in the brush, and hawks, falcons, and eagles soar in the sky.
Slide45Trout, sturgeon and bass are the most important fish species
Slide46Eastern Region: Rolling plains, persistent winds, the endless sky
Almost uninterrupted grassland.
The Missouri Breaks and the badlands in
Makoshika
State Park form two of the most dramatic examples of a landscape sculpted by water and wind erosion.Eastern Montana is dry, windy, and extreme
Slide47Irrigation-Bringing in a supply of water to make farmland more productive
Ranches and farms require more irrigation, more space for grazing, and a little more patience than in the other regions.
Slide48What to look for:
The Fort Peck Dam forms the Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri River
The fifth largest human make reservoir in the US.
134 miles long, 220 feet at its deepest and 1,520 miles of shoreline.
Slide49Woody shrubs like juniper thrive in the dry, elevated soils of eastern Montana, while ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and spruce trees grow in the high elevations.
Slide50Symbols of the Treasure StateSymbols help us express feelings like respect for the land, pride in our communities, and a sense of place.
Slide51State Seal
A sunrise shines over snowy mountains
Pick, shovel, plow-symbols of Montana’s mining and farming heritage
Mountains, hills, trees, cliffs, waterfalls, and the Missouri River
Slide52State Flag
Shows the state seal on a blue rectangle with yellow edges.
“MONTANA” was added to the top of the flag in 1981
Slide53State SongThree official state songs
“Montana” -1910
“Montana Melody”-1983
“Montana Lullaby”-2007
Slide54State Gemstones:Agate and Sapphire
Agates from the east
Sapphires from the west
Slide55State Flower:
Bitterroot
Montana Indians used the dried roots of the bitterroot for food and trade
Slide56State Tree:
Ponderosa Pine
The most common pine tree in Montana.
Can grow up to 300 ft tall and 8 ft thick
Slide57State Animal:
Grizzly Bear
Most of the grizzly bears in the Lower 48 states live in Montana
Adult grizzlies can grow to 8 ft long and weigh 1,500 pounds
Slide58State Fossil:
Maiasaura
Montana adopted the Maiasaura as its state fossil after an important discovery at Egg Mountain, near Choteau.
They took care of their babies the way birds do
Slide59State Fish:
Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout
Adopted this fish to help save it from its decline due to overfishing and changes in the environment.
Name comes from the black spots that run down its back
Slide60State bird:
Western Meadowlark
Known for its loud, cheerful song
As big as a robin, with a bright yellow chest and throat under a black collar
Slide61State Butterfly:
The Mourning Cloak
Bright blue shimmering spots along the inner edge of a yellow or beige border characterize the mourning cloak’s dark brown wings
Slide62State grass:
Bluebunch
Wheatgrass
Found all over the state
Good grazing for cattle and sheep
Slide63State Nickname:“The Treasure State” and “Big Sky Country”
Treasure State- state’s valuable minerals, gems and precious metals
1960 Montana also adopted the “Big Sky Country” after a novel called
The Big Sky
by Montana author A.B. Guthrie Jr.
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