1+Montane+Cordillera

When we think about Canadian mountains, most people think about the rugged mountains of the Montane Cordillera. With an area of about 473 000 square kilometers, the Montane Cordillera is the most diverse of Canada’s ecozones. It consists of some of the wettest, driestzones hottest and coldest conditions in the country. This ecozone covers most of southern British Columbia and stretches into the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta.
 * __Introduction__**

Since the Montane Cordillera is so diverse, the climate could very depending on location. Areas that are west of the coastal mountains have high rainfall due to orographic precipitation. This results in up to 1500mm of rainfall down the leeward side of the mountain, making it a polar maritime climate. However just east of the mountain range the climate is a polar continental climate because of the 300mm of rain that it gets.
 * __Climate__**

The diversity of this ecozone can even be seen in the temperature range, with a range of 0.5ºC in the north and 7.5ºC in the south, this is due to variation in altitude. The Montane Cordillera experiences dry summers and wet, mild winters. The growing season ranges from 140 to 240 days.

Here is a climate graph of Kamloops, B.C. Tourism plays a big part in the Montane Cordillera ecozone. Tourism also plays a big part in their economy and creates jobs for the. There are many national parks, provincial parks, shopping malls and ski hills in Montane Cordillera. Montane Cordillera has some of Canada’s most famous and beautiful parks such as: Banff national park, Yoho National Park, and Glacier National Park. Some of the things you can do in the Montane Cordillera are hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing and sightseeing. These are all attractions that can be enjoyed with the whole family. There are also some of the world’s most high class ski hills such as the [|Red Mountain Resort] and the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort which runs all day through October to April! The Montane Cordillera is a great place to plan a vacation and to enjoy a great and memorable time with your family and love ones.
 * __ Tourism __**

For More Informatation go to: [|http://www.britishcolumbia.com/parksandtrails/parks/bcr.asp?regionID=7#top]

The Montane Cordillera is 473 000 square kilometres, and stretches from north-central British Columbia to southwestern Alberta. This region is known for the mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, beaches, wetlands, and also the rock outcropping. This ecozone is mostly rugged and mountainous. The Columbia and Rocky mountains within this ecozone have a complex geology consisting of large folded, and faulted sedimentary bedrock. As the Pacific Plate subducted under the North American Plate, it caused pressure throughout the whole North American Plate. It was being compressed by its own movement, and the Pacific Plate. Over millions of years the pressure started to go up. It was released as rock strata cracked and moved on top of each other.
 * __ Landform Region __**

Vegetative cover varies widely in the Montane Cordillera. The type of plants that it has is Douglas fir, Forage grass, White spruce, Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, Bunch grass/sedges, Alpine fir, Engelmann spruce, Hemlock, and red cedar. The soil conditions depend greatly on the altitude of the region, as well as the climate. The soil on the inland plains supports the growth of the grasslands and the grassland vegetation, while north of this, richer soils are dominant, allowing for vineyards, cash crops (sellable crops), and other lively vegetation to grow. These areas in the Montane Cordillera contribute greatly to the agricultural jobs in the area. In the mountainous regions, specifically in the warmer areas, poor acidic soils can be found, which limit the plant growth to a great extent. Once again, we can easily see the diversity of the Montane Cordillera, this time through vegetation and soil.
 * __ Soil and Vegetation __**

The Montane Cordillera consists of sedimentary, volcanic rock and some intrusive rock. A significant amount of mining is done in the Montane Cordillera. The Montane Cordillera has many different types of rocks and minerals which allows there to be lots of mining throughout. Some of these rocks and minerals that are mined are gold, copper, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, barite and many others. The plains meadows and valleys of the mountane cordillera are made up of igneous rocks, while the Rocky Mountains and many other mountains in the montane cordillera are made of sedimentary rock. The rocks of the montane cordillera have formed over many different geological time eras. Some old and some young in geological time. 17.91% of rocks in the moutane cordillera were formed in the Cenozoic age, while 40.55% of it was formed in the Mesozoic age, 18.98% was formed in the Paleozoic age, 12.80 % was formed in the Precambrian era, and also 1.32 % of the rocks era is unknown. There is also much rock type in the montane cordillera. 38.10% of the rocks found in the Montane Cordillera are igneous rock, 2.81 % of the rocks are metamorphic, 57.12 of the rocks are sedimentary, 1.96% of the rocks found in the Montane Cordillera are sed-leg rocks.
 * __ Rock types and minerals __**


 * __Fun Facts__**
 * The Montane Cordillera has the highest concentration of National Parks in an ecozone. This includes Banff, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, Yoho, Mount Revelstoke, Glacier and Kootenay national parks.
 * Considered the most diverse ecozone in all of Canada.
 * Kamloops got its name from a crater on Mars.
 * Land is well suited for mining purposes, agricultural use, urban use, plant life and animal life
 * Highest peak: Mount Robson at 3954 metres.

> a) Mount Robson is the lowest peak in the Montane Cordillera. b) The Montane Cordillera is the largest ecozone in Canada. c) The Montane Cordillera’s air masses include Maritime Polar and Continental Polar.
 * __Test__**
 * 1) Which of the following statements is true?

2. Why do you think there are so many national parks in the Montane Cordillera? True or False: The Montane Cordillera is the most diverse landform region 3. How were the Rocky Mountains formed? 4. Why is the such dramatic temperature differences throughout the Montane Cordillera?


 * __Answers__**
 * 1) c) The Montane Cordillera’s air masses include Maritime Polar and Continental Polar.
 * 2) This is because there are great mountains and landforms.
 * 3) True
 * 4) Two plates in the mantle underneath the Earth’s crust collided, pushinf one of the plates go downwards and the other upwards. This then forced the crust up, creating mountains.
 * 5) Variations in altitude

Eventually, the Montane Cordillera will probably decrease in population because the minerals in the ground will eventually run out. Since this is a major industry some will move away looking for jobs. Then, global warming will make snow on the mountains not so good for skiing on, which will detract tourists. These changes will probably not happen soon, but they will affect the economy of the Montane Cordillera.
 * __Ecozone’s Future__**

MonsterEman69. "Ecozones - Montane Cordillera - YouTube." //YouTube //. 3 May 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .
 * __Sources__**

O., Jake. "Montane Cordillera." //Ecozone-Experts //. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

"Canadian Biodiversity: Ecozones: Montane Cordillera." //Canadian Biodiversity //. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

"Canada's Ecozones." //Evergreen //. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

"Parks Canada - Montane Cordillera Ecozone." //Parks Canada //. 2 May 2005. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

"The Atlas of Canada - Major Rock Categories." //Natural Resources Canada //. 14 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. .

"Geological Diversity and Geological History of Canada." //Geomatics //. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. .