The Rocky Mountains
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
The Rocky Mountains
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture And Enhancement
Description
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America stretching more than 3,000 miles from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. Within the North American Cordillera, the Rockies are distinct from the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada which all lie farther to the west.
Initially formed from 80 million to 55 million years ago during the Laramide orogeny during which a number of plates began to slide underneath the North American plate as the North American plate began to uplift even further. The angle of subduction was shallow, resulting in a broad belt of mountains running down western North America. Since then, further tectonic activity and erosion by glaciers have sculpted the Rockies into dramatic peaks and valleys.
At the end of the last ice age, humans started to inhabit the mountain range. Explorers such as Sir Alexander Mackenzie and the Lewis and Clark expedition, started to wander the range, minerals and furs drove the initial economic exploitation of the mountains, although the range itself never became densely populated. Currently, much of the mountain range is protected by public parks and forest lands, and is a popular tourist destination, especially for hiking, camping, mountaineering, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding.
This image was made along Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes, Colorado.
Image copyright 2013 Jon Burch Photography
Uploaded
September 2nd, 2013
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Comments (8)
John M Bailey
Congratulations on your feature in the Fine Art America Group "Images That Excite You!"
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