The Geography of the Rocky Mountains explained

Yellowstone Video: • The Wild History of Ye...
Learn all about the physical #Geography and peculiarities of the #Rockies in this deep dive into North America's most interesting #Mountain range.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:43 Physical Geography
3:11 Inside the Rockies
7:06 The Continental Divide
Thumbnail art by / arq.mosquera

[@pieterjan29]

If you continue to follow the mountain ranges undersea you see that the mountain range continue to Antartica.

[@strongninjagaming9210]

Yeah, with that in mind, you could say that the mountain ranges go from the Arctic to the Antarctic

[@robbicampbell7890]

I just saw that too. Fascinating.

[@jaylee6769]

God is an amazing architect

[@Calligraphybooster]

@@murdercom998 Do you happen to know ‘the non stamp collector’? Find him on KZbin. Honestly, you’ll love him.

[@patrickford7992]

​@@murdercom998LOL, look at this edge lord

[@stevefritz5182]

You didn't touch on my favorite aspects. That is the existing mountains are actually version 2.0. A range existed and eroded down before the Laramie uplift created the current range. We mine sandstone from this along the Front Range and elsewhere for building and landscaping. The famous Red Rocks Amphitheater, Boulder Flat Irons, and Garden of the Gods are some of the formations protected from weathering because they have been lifted to a near vertical plain. A short walk along what is called the Hogback, will traverse hundreds of millions of years in geology within just a short mile, near Red Rocks. There are impressive dinosaur tracks there as well.

[@evanhughes3027]

I am heading that way tomorrow (from about 350 miles away), by complete chance. Thanks for the food for thought and goals for feet.

[@ryanguzman4480]

How about I touch on your aspect? How bout that? 😛

[@forkthepork]

Dinosaur Ridge is lots of fun, especially with young kids.

[@niubi42069]

we weren’t even there for that, why would we care

[@RandyVazquez]

I live in Colorado Springs and I like to share this information with friends and family who come to visit too!

[@learningisfun2108]

I just love that little creek which divides into two different continental drainage basins. So cool.

[@WellTrainedWolf]

I live near the Rocky Mountain Trench in British Columbia. Because of the rain shadow effect, there is a small inland rainforest that has some of the largest and oldest trees on the planet.

[@toddwood5190]

Don’t forget Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. Rain falling upon it goes in three directions: west to the Pacific, southeast toward the Gulf of Mexico, and northeast toward Hudson Bay.

[@1ntwndrboy198]

Yes, I didn't know that Glacier national park is as big as Texas 😮

[@mkp1214]

@@1ntwndrboy198it’s not, it’s not even as big as Dallas

[@JesusFriedChrist]

There is another, the triple continental divide at Snow Dome on the border of Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. It is the more true triple divide, as water drains west to the Pacific, north to the Arctic, and northeast to Hudson Bay which is part of the Atlantic. 3 different oceans. The Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park sends water to only two oceans, the Pacific and Atlantic.

[@7g7na7]

@@JesusFriedChrist Not true. The St. Mary's River flows into the Oldman River, then into the Saskatchewan River, then into Hudson Bay. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Divide_Peak_(Montana)#/media/File:NorthAmerica-WaterDivides.png

[@convincedlutheran]

@@7g7na7 Unless I'm missing something, which of you are right depends on whether Hudson Bay is considered part of the Arctic or Atlantic Ocean, the debating of which is apparently a big thing for people who care about that sort of thing. (I am not one of them.) If Hudson Baby is considered part of the Atlantic, @JesusFriedChrist is right (because in that view, water flowing to the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay ends up in the same ocean). But if Hudson Bay is part of the Arctic, you're right (because in that view, water flowing into Hudson Bay ends up in the same ocean as water flowing directly into the Arctic). Since all three oceans are ultimately connected, the whole thing seems a little silly to me, though the way water drains in different directions from both sites is still fascinating.

[@timtwoface]

I've travelled through the Rocky Mountains in all US States, and they're phenomenal - but I must admit that the Canadian Rockies are even more spectacular and dramatic, especially on the National Parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay (in both BC and AB, making up an interconnected World Heritage Site).

[@KatJackson2]

This sounds like a dream! Hope to experience more of the Rockies soon. Do you overland?

[@timtwoface]

@@KatJackson2 Oh yes, they're all interconnected by national/provincial highways, as well as man trails (and even rails in some cases)!

[@5kdamian]

Agreed. I have been to the Rockies in Canada and the US and overall the Canadian Rockies are the most impressive. And I have heard that from others as well.

[@gabrielmatatall3838]

I go to college on the opposite side of the Rockies in Canada and get to drive all the way through them 4 times a year for school! It’s so amazing

[@jondoolio]

I hiked up Mt. Elbert (tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain Range) and Mt. Massive (2nd tallest). I will never forget those moments

[@isiahaalejandro]

Are we all here cause we cant sleep?

[@HONGKELDONGKEL1888]

I searched for it. Geologic history of the rocky mountains and Colorado plateau, leading to the Columbia river flood basalts and early Yellowstone hotspot volcanism, the mid tertiary Ignimbrite flare up, and the remnants of a once massive plate now known as the Juan de Fuca plate, all that good stuff makes for great educational material.... And the occasional lullaby 🤣

[@KatJackson2]

Studying geology for overland adventuring, and yahhhh... because I can't sleep 😅

[@isiahaalejandro]

@@KatJackson2 that’s sounds fun have a safe adventure

[@oldmandan7057]

Yes 100%

[@hari-po1fv]

yees

[@PierceyeG]

I grew up at the foothills of the Rockies outside of Denver. I had family on the Western slope, so we drove back and forth a number of times. In my thirties, life brought me to Virginia. I found it truly bizarre to hear people calling the Appalachians "mountains." They're steep hills to be sure, but calling them mountains seems like one hell of a stretch to me.

[@scottenlow5249]

They are there oldest mountains in the world. Visit WNC for some of the most spectacular views on Earth.

[@PierceyeG]

@@scottenlow5249 I heard that same thing in a documentary and learned while I was there that the New River is the oldest continuously flowing river channel in the world. It's also unusual since it flows generally in a Northern direction.

[@LlamaNihilist]

funny its called the NEW river

[@PierceyeG]

@@LlamaNihilist I found that sort of peculiar myself.

[@MrZrazies]

Same when people said Arizona is full of flat desert. Flat? When i show videos of snowing up north Arizona and my long tine best friend goes. Wait. Snow in Arizona?

[@OutWestRedDirt]

You'd think plains of Colorado are low, but in some areas you actually gain elevation by going east in Colorado. Plain towns can be higher than Front Range towns.

[@unseenadventures8130]

I moved to wyoming 10 years ago from NY. I love the rockey mountains and know why it has fueled the dreams of so many people

[@BrandonStRandy-jo3ot]

I lived in Jackson for 15 years. The Tetons are incredible but the Winds are hands down the most beautiful mountains I've ever backpacked thru.

[@rickittyrickith7028]

@@BrandonStRandy-jo3ot there are enough gumbies in the Winds shitting everywhere and letting their dogs ruin the meadows, please don't tempt anymore people to wreck that beautiful area.

[@chiron14pl]

In addition to the Great Basin, west of the Rockies, there is a small "Great Divide Basin" in Wyoming. I-80 runs right through it.

[@jburnett8152]

He took it out ?

[@joeg5414]

I live in the Rocky Mountains in Southwest Colorado, in a range called the San Juans. I've lived all over the US - from Las Vegas to Fairbanks Alaska and a whole bunch in between. This is my favorite by far.

[@selz6225]

the San Juans are absolutely the most breathtaking in the rockies. my favorite every summer.

[@fredharvey2720]

Beautiful country. Drove through there via Four Corners going back to Denver. What mountain is the one so prominently above and east of Cortez?

[@selz6225]

@@fredharvey2720 it shoulddddd be mount wilson if im not mistaken, it’s a 14er here

[@DPRyan-vd5pp]

We live near Denver, Colorado and love seeing that mountain range on my way to work every morning driving down County Line Road/Centennial, Colorado. Texas Native, been in Colorado since 2009.

[@Atlasworkinprogress]

It's important to note that while the Teton Range is geographically located within the Rockies, it's uplift has been caused mostly by Basin And Range extension, and the Teton Range itself was not built in the Laramide or Sevier Orogenys that built the Rocky Mountains.

[@Mcfreddo]

I've been to the Tetons. Absolutely stunning! (Years ago it was.)

[@captaincole4511]

I grew up in North Idaho in the mountains and It was amazing

[@mpaulm]

I fell in love with the Columbia River last year. Seeing in person and reading about its history and where it flows is amazing.

[@benbrookes1738]

Hey Mr Spark, your videos just get better and better! Thank for keeping me entertained and informed 🙂

[@albrigo]

Great geographical illustrations which make your explanations crystal clear ! It makes me want to visit them !

[@rapcom]

Thank you for providing measurements in Metric for the rest of the world viewers. Your channel is highly recomended. Keep up the setup.

[@brandonguild1666]

Well this guy doesn’t sound American, generally people outside the US will have metric measurements in their videos

[@dmanwainright2132]

I wouldn't touch the metric system with a 4.048 meter pole!...😂😂

[@nsbmofo]

The graphics are so well done, helped the video so much. Very professional and impressive

[@honglybongly]

You should make a video about the Appalachian mountains! Yes, the Rockies have high peaks, but there’s something about being in mountains that are older than bones that does it for me.

[@lukeramirez8060]

Don’t forget that the world’s largest elk herd lives in the Rocky mountains in Colorado. The Rockies also offer some of the most amazing hunting opportunities in the world!

[@randomandology]

Great videos, man. Well done.

[@samholleman7195]

I hiked to the top of Mount Elbert. Pretty dope to see it on this vid. A great accomplishment of mine

[@rabanal_josh64]

Loved it so much. Please make a video about the Peruvian altiplano.

[@alexbradmckay]

During the fateful summer of 1988, the year when Yellowstone burned up, I was called up from my regular job with the Forest Service to serve on a crew of twenty firefighters from the Targhee National Forest. My crew was assigned to work on the Mink Fire, which was a massive wildfire that covered a large area in the southeastern corner of Yellowstone Park and into the surrounding National Forest lands. During the five weeks we were deployed (roughly July 15-August 21), we were based in two separate Spike Camps. The first was located in the general vicinity of the North Buffalo River just south of the National Park boundary within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. After two weeks living and working there, this spike camp (in which around 500-1000 firefighters had been stationed) was disbanded, and the crews were reassigned to other fires or sent home. My crew was singled out to be reassigned to a new spike camp located just north of the boundary inside Yellowstone National Park in the meadows of the Upper Yellowstone River near Thoroughfare Gap. We were instructed to hike to the new spike camp along the Continental Divide Trail that went through this area, and to clear the trail of any downed trees and debris that might have occurred. Along the way to the new spike camp, we passed through the Two Oceans Pass, where we took a lunch break. Some of us took off our boots and soaked our feet in the cool refreshing creek water. It was quite amazing to see this meadow that looked like any other Rocky Mountain meadow, except it had a single creek that flowed downhill out of the meadow in two separate places. Being that it was situated directly on the Continental Divide, this meant that the creek flowing out one end of the meadow was destined to flow into the Mississippi River and out to the Gulf of Mexico, and the same creek also flowed out of the other end of the meadow and on to the Snake River and Columbia River and on to the Pacific. The reason this could happen was obviously because there were springs in the meadow that fed the creek, and that perhaps because of beaver activity these two outflows had been connected in the past and were now a single uninterrupted creek. There were indications that humans did not make it to this area very often. Several times we had small birds fly down and sit on top of peoples' heads or shoulders, completely unafraid of us. When we saw deer or other wildlife, they would stand and watch as we walked by, sometimes within just yards of them, curiously watching us humans. This and other indications gave us the understanding that humans simply were not a frequent sight in this part of the country. It was literally the most remote place I'd ever been in the contiguous United States! We continued on the hike until we reached our second spike camp in the beautiful open meadowlands of the Thoroughfare area in the southeastern corner of Yellowstone National Park, where we continued to fight what had become the merged Mink and Snake Fires.

[@patbrennan6572]

This was very educational, thanks a million.

[@RB01138]

Excellent video, subbed!

[@garyhirtz4392]

Thanks for the to the point 10 minutes study.

[@diegosalazar25]

u should do a video on the geography of venezuela, truly some of the most amazing stuff i’ve seen, great video btw

[@anthonydolio8118]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@lser8606]

amazing video

[@jamess5415]

Excellent!

[@SangeevSelvaratnam]

North America has 3 drainage basins. Pacific, Atlantic and artic

[@aka99]

Amazing clips!

[@AlbertJackson-wk9mh]

Thanks for video!

[@LLzx75]

Incredible!!!

[@RogerCollectz]

I love being from Colorado, and having our part of the Rocky Mountains especially the tallest peaks in the Rocky Mountains

[@skyybluu3118]

Great video thank you 👍🏻

[@christianbezille3297]

You should make a video about nahanni national reserve in canada. Some consider it part of the rockies!

[@DakotaRomanLucas]

Don’t forget that the Rocky Mountains are very Rocky Mountains

[@owen.hates.school]

i live right in utah valley and im so thankful that every day i get to look outside and see these mountains every day. mainly mount timpanogos

[@ragnaringibergsson562]

Just a comment about all rivers draining into either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans; the Athabasca river, which you mentioned, flows from the rockies through Jasper National Park into the Mackenzie River system and comes out in the Arctic Ocean.

[@nosho409]

Yeah that was a pretty weird claim to make. The Arctic Ocean watershed is huge.

[@spyderlogan4992]

Someone forget to fill the coffee pot at 0:25...

[@razzle1964]

Good spot … (and lousy props)!

[@Jarvisdell]

I came looking for a comment about that. That empty coffee pot was odd.

[@lonwabolungaselaledi9189]

On the topic of mountains can you make a video on the Drakensberg mountains, Cape Fold mountains and the South African plateau?

[@Raymonddurann]

Very cool video thank you

[@cliftonsargent1572]

Wtf? How is your sub count so low but you’re killing it with views???? You got my sub, f the other people not giving you the subs you deserve, Great video

[@ludvigsilva1]

I live in the Mexican Rockies, we call them Sierra Madre.

[@turboturtle01]

9:50 looks just great.

[@jaypitts7937]

Very nice thank you 😊

[@justbe1451]

You were definitely interesting 🤔 I appreciate the great lesson, u made many cool insights! "One raindrop ends up..."

[@insoucyant]

Thanks for the video. The topographic pic/map/satellite view towards the end was fabulous. What are the mountains to the west of Rocky called? Like Himalayas were formed when the Indian plate merged with the Eurasian plate, how were the West continental American mountains formed?

[@arislopes1924]

Fun fact about the American cordillera also know as the continental divide because of the way in divides regions in the continents creating different climates and weather conditions. The lowest point in the entire American cordillera is the Rivas isthmus in Nicaragua where small hills separate the pacific from lake Nicaragua and into the Costa Rican border

[@brentgurski9021]

love the Narrators voice and like longer more detailed videos ,verry informative . Lucky to have grown up around them

[@hectorcardenas2171]

Fu*k his voice. FOCUS on the content!

[@StephenLatimerWoody]

thanks for the video but it is not true that drainage is only to the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Canada's largest river system starts in the Rockies and drains into the Arctic ocean via the Athabaska-MacKenzie River system that starts in the Columbia Ice Field..

[@hera7884]

I live in Colorado, the Rockies are literally right beside me lol I live in the foothills

[@joeg5414]

I live way out in the mountains in southwest Colorado. Coolest place I've lived by far, and I've lived all over the country.

[@OutWestRedDirt]

Front Range

[@hera7884]

@@OutWestRedDirt No honey, I live in the foothills of the front range. Front range is just another word for “Rocky Mountains”

[@vcash6014]

Nobody has poured coffee like that in the history of humanity.

[@aboutmyworld]

I like your great explaination❤

[@Eastcentralstainingco]

The plains of Colorado add to the average height of the whole state. The elevation at the Kansas/Colorado line is around 4900' feet near I-70.

[@ernestomondragonromero3024]

One video of the Sierras Madres of Mexico 🇲🇽 🙏

[@paulbergen6574]

Your continental divide is complicated by the Arctic ocean which slices through the high prairie near the Niobrara River of Nebraska. However, Ice Age Glaciers have repeatedly blocked access to the continent's natural slope based drainage patterns. The Upper Missouri has invaded the Arctic Ocean's portion of the continental divide using runoff from the great glaciers to invade the Arctic's portion of the continent. At Fort Union ND, there's a warf which was situated at river level less than two centuries ago which is now twenty feet above river level. That marks a remarkable rate of erosion which is largely a consequence of periodic ice floes. Therefore, this invasion continues even without the huge glaciers that periodically arise in the region.

[@Bornintheseat]

There is also the fascinating Arctic/Pacific lakes where water flows to the arctic or pacific separated only by a very small wet piece of land.

[@arlancage5811]

do you know anything or have any channel videos about the bulge in the Continental Divide along the borders of Idaho and Montana, and its unique geography/geology?

[@7g7na7]

This was mentioned below, but to clarify. At the Triple Divide in Glacier National Park, water flows into three oceans, Pacific, Acrtic and Atlantic. Hudson Bay is 60 degrees north latitude, so is technically in the Arctic Ocean. At Triple Divide it flows into the St. Mary's River, then Oldman River, then Saskatchewen River, then Hudson Bay.

[@2M3TAL4U]

There's lots of places in the Alberta and BC Rockies where you can climb to the top and everywhere you step is fossils

[@aboutmyworld]

A great 🎉 video❤

[@TectonicBadger]

Cool video. Would be cool if you used a 3D globe projection instead of a 2D map projection though.

[@zkosn]

I would ask geologists about the Rockies. The geology is far more interesting than the geography (which is also interesting and beautiful). The Rockies are special in that it's not a plate boundary, they rose independently, and the reason for their existence is still rightly debated. (Not to forget the mysterious Ancestral Rockies that were there hundreds of millions of years before, and eroded flat.)

[@ilgatto7327]

You should have included the discussion of the Columbia Icefield’s triple divide to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

[@vivianmalhiers]

I would like to add that a small portion of the rockies stretch also into the northeastern portion of Washington State. The specific boundaries of its furthest extend still remain unclear to me. Some say it’s the Okanogan highlands, whereas others have described it extending into the Columbia river plateau. Always an interesting subject here amongst Washingtonians who love their mountains 🏔️

[@user-pq5rb4mr5u]

I do believe in Wyoming there is a spot where the stream of water splits and the water divides to end up in both oceans, Atlantic and Pacific. This place is called 'Parting of the waters'

[@1ntwndrboy198]

Yellowstones super volcano was once out in the Pacific ocean. Then the continent ran into it and scraped it to where it is because it didn't move the Continental crust did. It left behind trails of volcanoes through idaho and others.

[@paulbergen6574]

I saw an article about the discovery of a large lithium deposit at McDermott NV. It identified this mineral formation with the Yellowstone hot spot which you refer to.

[@douglassauvageau7262]

I am interested in the correlation of geography to modern economic development.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

It really shows how insane it would have been to traverse West in the early days in America. I live in Oregon and the cascades and coastal mountain range seem daunting enough. I couldn't imagine having to face them AFTER traversing the Rockies.. It would have felt like never ending crazy landscapes

[@RoseNZieg]

rivers were very important for travel back in the old days.

[@michaelglendinning1738]

I like the old maps where California is like an island. I heard a theory that India did something similar. I wish I could see that in fast motion. It's like mountains are simply a result of a slow motion crash. I am not a Globe believer. That shocks a lot of people, but if you carefully seek, you will find that the evidence against the Globe is overwhelming. Anyway, I personally think we are within the mind of a living thing. I think time is relative as well. What I mean by that is the sun we see in the sky is like it's conciousnes. It moves extremely fast to the giant living thing it is within. I think that sun is microscopic to its owner. To us, a few minutes for that giant could be many years. When you discover a lot of really big lies like I have, this giant hypothesis is an elegant guess. I'll tell you this much; whatever this place is, there is a power that comes with caring about it's health. The largest military can't even be deployed against it. This Giant theory is my favorite. Another one I like is what I call "Sperm Theory". A prophet or son of God is comparable to the sperm that makes it to the egg. In this idea, our sun is the consciousness of a being that is still in the womb. The slow motion crashing of Geology here always make me think of how time for us could really be very fast to the larger picture. There are a lot of false thrones here. We are all the throne. We need to take care of God!!!!

[@TheAsian_Flyfish]

There was no coffee in that pot.

[@sternuens]

Americans: These mountains are rocky, I think we'll call them the Rocky Mountains.

[@danny.belanger]

Anyone please. What is the link of that topographic 3D map. It's so awesome

[@stigfloberghagenphotography]

Nice

[@deepspire]

Both channels of Two Ocean Creek drain into a common swampy area which then drains in both directions.

[@leothelion634]

"What should we name these mountains?" "Oh I dunno, how about Rocky Mountains" 😐

[@Wolfkiller24]

There's a mountain in glacier national park. That snow melt goes to 3 different oceans. Atlantic Pacific and Arctic oceans.

[@Damidas]

I think all of these mountain ranges are actually ancient melted cities built by a race of advanced giants

[@danielnaranjo953]

0:22 that was sad. My expectations were high

[@ianjimeno3075]

Awesome video! As a hobbyist geologist I must know where that outcrop is that splits the creek to go to the Pacific or the Atlantic at 8:49! Does anyone know where that is?

[@FactSpark]

It's called "Parting of the Waters" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parting_of_the_Waters

[@ianjimeno3075]

Awesome thank you!!@@FactSpark

[@unseenadventures8130]

I have been waiting to go see that to. I know it's in northwest wyoming I'm in southeast wy so not yo far away

[@jaybugo]

8:50 World-builders with splitting rivers: YES, PRECEDENT!

[@ernestomondragonromero3024]

I thought “the Rocky Mountains” was the name for ALL the cordillera in the USA and Canada not only that little part. So what is the name of the rest of the mountains???

[@Travel-sh6yb]

In Canada, the Columbia Mtns, named for the river, are just west of the Rockies, almost as high, almost as sharp, even more snow and the world's only INLAND temperate rainforest. West of them is a plateau and basin region, then the Coast Mtns run right along the ocean in Canada and southeast Alaska, about as high as the Rockies, very remote, sharpness varies from rounded tops to jagged spikes, they are called the Cascades in the NW USA, where they are more volcanic. They are dry on the east side, very wet with a temperate rainforest on the west side, and massive snow in the middle regions. On the extreme western edge is a lower but occasionally jagged range which forms the islands of Canada, south Alaska and the west edge of the NW USA, it has many names along its length but I will give only one here which is the Olympic Mtns. of Washington State, it also has a temperate rainforest along its length which once had huge swaths of giant trees but like most other regions outside of parks has been heavily exploited by the timber industry.

[@thecowboyofdrag]

You forgot to mention the Tularosa Basin which also splits the continental divide.

[@deaddegenerategeneration7441]

I drive through the rocky mountain trench all the time, ive slept in mcbride a couple times.

[@bryanfox2735]

The Rockies in Montana drain into 3 oceans.

[@MotoMeeple]

Rocky Mountain High..... Colorado! ❤🎵🎶

[@tommunyon2874]

I could see the Sangre de Cristo mountains from my dining room widow in the Jemez mountains. The Sangres are included in the Rockies. The Jemez are not.

[@CamAteUrKFC]

You said at 7:14 that all water drains into the Atlantic or The Pacific, but actually a very large portion of water in Canada flows into the Arctic Ocean. In fact youshowed and used the North and South Saskatchewan's rivers as examples, and they in fact, form the largest river delta in North America. This flows into lake Winnipeg which in turn drains into the Hudson Bay. The Hudson bay is a part of the Arctic Ocean, not the Atlantic.

[@user-xg6wn4eu5q]

Anything that drains into the Hudson Bay goes into the Arctic Ocean, not the Atlantic Ocean. Montana is the only US state that drains into three oceans.

[@loganpotts9623]

0:25 WILL the coffee ever pour out??

[@razing303]

Video on the coastal range?

[@Anskiere100]

All of that discussion on the continental divide and no mention of the hydrological apex on Mount Snow Dome?

[@midnightindigo2364]

That first shot of the empty pitcher pouring nothing destroyed the whole video, gotta get better b roll