Landforms of the West Coast - Fine Art Print Map
The Canadian Coast Ranges continue across the border as the North
Cascades, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada, separated by a series of
structural valleys from the coast ranges. The dominating north-south
orientation shifts abruptly at the Transverse Ranges in southern
California due to the Pacific tectonic plate’s change in direction
(reflected in the Gulf of California rift opening).
The San Andreas system is currently active, but signs of past (and
possible future) comparable activity are evident throughout the West.
Visible lineations extend over great distances: consider Baja
California’s San Pedro Mountains, the east front of the Sierra, through
Lake Tahoe and the Warner Mountains. Utah’s Wasatch Range points
straight at the Lemhi and Bitterroot valleys and the great Alaska
Trench.
This map includes the three West
Coast states, nearly all of Nevada, significant portions of Idaho,
Arizona, and adjacent Mexican and Canadian territory. Coastal Southern
California looks very different when seen as the northern end of Baja
California.
Dimensions: All map dimensions are approximate.
