Ch 13 River Systems and Divides Map Activity

Learning Target:Identify the major river systems of the United States andthe divides thatseparate them.

MATERIALS: 6 different colored pencils-Textbookpages 708–709, Physical United States Map

BACKGROUND: Every second, over one-half of a million cubic feet of water pours from the Mississippi River into the Gulf ofMexico. This water originally fell as precipitation in places as far away as Montana and Pennsylvania. Overtime, the water flowed through the various tributaries of the Mississippi River system, working its way to theGulf. The other large river systems in the United States include the Colorado, Rio Grande, Columbia and St. Lawrence Rivers. In Virginia, most rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay and therefore are a part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Humans can expand rivers systems by building canals. A famous canal in the U.S. is the Erie Canal, whichwas completed in 1825. It was built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. This was time when bulk goods were limited to pack animals and there were no railways, so water was the most cost-effective way to ship bulk goods. The canal created a population surge in upstate New York and opened regions farther west to settlement.

Please read and follow all Procedures carefully!

  1. Label your map-“River Systems and Divides Map Activity” in the box at the top of the map.
  1. Label the other boxes on your map with: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean or Gulf of Mexico
  1. Using the map on the board, find the Potomac, James and RoanokeRivers, which run through Virginia. Trace over each river in a colored pencil of your choice and label their names the map.
  1. Using the map on the board, draw and label the Erie Canal on your map. You can read about the canal in the background information.
  1. Locate the Mississippi River on your map using the Physical United States Map as a reference onpages 708-709. Trace over the Mississippi River and all of its tributaries with a colored pencil of your choice. (Tributary – smaller feeder rivers or streams)
  1. With the same colored pencil, draw a circle around the rivers youtraced in Step 4. This will represent the divide or boundary between watersheds. The circled region should include theentire Mississippi River and its tributaries, but should not include any of the other rivers.
  1. In the same color, lightly shadein the circled area representing the Mississippi watershed. Remember, a River System and all the land that drains into is called a Watershed or Drainage Basin!
  1. Label the circled areathe “Mississippi River System”.
  1. Repeat steps 5-8for the rivers listed below. Use a different color to outline and lightly shade each river system. Keep in mind that neighboring river systems share the same divide like a border. There should not be gaps or “white space” between watersheds.

Colorado River

Rio Grande River

ColumbiaRiver

St. Lawrence River(includes the Great Lakes)

  1. Draw and label the Continental Divideon your map. Use a dark color to show its location. (Hint: it will follow the boundaries of the divides you have already drawn).

Name: ______Date: ______Block: ______

River Systems and Divides Map Activity –Analysis and Conclusions

  1. In 1825 engineers completed construction of the Erie Canal, which connects the Hudson River Lake Erie. The Erie Canal[ increases/ decreases ]the size of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin.
  1. Why was the Erie Canal builtback in 1825? ______
  1. What is the water source that feeds the St. Lawrence River? ______
  1. What general direction does the St. Lawrence River flow? [ NE / SE / NW / SW ]
  1. What is the Continental Divide? ______
  1. Locate the rivers in central Nevada. Why are these rivers not part of a river system that flows to the ocean? (Hint: Look at the feature located to the west of Nevada.)

______

  1. Identify the 3 rivers systems whose headwaters (source)are located in Colorado.

A)______B) ______C) ______

  1. The headwaters of 3 river systems are also found in Wyoming. Identify the 3 river systems that are found there.

A)______B) ______C) ______

  1. What topographic feature marks the Continental Divide? [ Appalachian Mts. / Rocky Mts. ]

USE THE MAP BELOW TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

  1. What major watershed are the James and Potomac Rivers a part of? ______
  1. Rain that falls in the state of New York can end up in the Chesapeake Bay. [ True / False ]
  1. What topographic feature marks the western boundary of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed?

______

  1. How canthe land area surrounding the Susquehanna River affect the water quality off the shores of Virginia?

______

______

  1. If a pollutant was placed into a river located at the star, the pollution would most likely travel into the _____. (Refer to your river system map!)

a)Pacific Ocean

b)Arctic Ocean

c)Chesapeake Bay

d)Gulf of Mexico