Science unit 7 Lesson 4 Flashcards
What is a fall line?
The Atlantic coastal plain is a large, mostly flat low area along the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions.
Farther inland is an area where the land goes from low and flat to an elevated highland; this area is called the fall line. The fall line marks the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau and the coastal plain.
As the name suggests, the fall line is where waterfalls and rapids are found.
What the definition of fall line?
a narrow zone between an elevated region and a plain where rivers form falls and rapids
Describe upstream rivers.
Upstream from the fall line rivers move swiftly through narrow valleys.
Describe downstream rivers.
Downstream from the fall line, the rivers of the coastal plains are large, relatively calm, and navigable by large boats.
In early America, how the lowland of the costal plains help the newcomers?
Settlements such as Jamestown sat on the coastal plain, the lowland area between the ocean and the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Using the large rivers that cross the coastal plain, colonists were able to sail their ships upstream to continue exploring and settling new land.
How did Earth’s topography shape America’s culture development on the east coast?
(Chesapeake Bay)
Large ships entering from the Chesapeake Bay were able to navigate inland as the rivers were broad, deep, and slow moving. At the Piedmont plateau, the rivers became narrow and swift, filled with rapids and waterfalls.
The fall line marked a natural boundary for larger ships. How did this influence westward expansion?
The fall line marked a natural boundary for larger ships. Trading posts were established up and down the fall line as ships stopped to unload their cargo. As westward expansion continued, and more and more people and goods arrived at the fall line, these small outposts grew into early American cities.
Where is a fall line located?
The point of change, where the coastal plain meets the plateau, is the fall line.
What is Richmond, Virginia’s relationship with water?
Richmond, Virginia, is located on the fall line of the James River, and is one of the oldest major cities in the United States. Its history, like the history of most other cities, was shaped by the availability of water resources.
What made the Powhatan stop wanting to have peaceful trading relationships with the English?
They were angered by the English continuing to encroach into their territory.
How did the colonists rely on the James River?
The colonists relied on he James River for bringing in supplies from England and for sending out tobacco to trade.
Why did George Washington want to build a canal?
George Washington wanted to find a way to connect the James and Ohio Rivers to enable goods to the shipped west of the Appalachian mountains.
Why was the canal abandoned?
The canal was abandoned when railroads were able to be built faster and more cheaply.
List three ways that water resources were important to Richmond’s development.
The James River helped the colonists explore the region, it was crucial to transporting goods to and from Richmond, and the canal helped to make Richmond an economic center.
What has the highest elevation of any land feature?
Moutains
