Explore US physical features map showing all the fifty states, rivers, mountains with other physical features of United States of America.
Major Rivers
Mississippi River
Missouri River
Ohio River
Rio Grande
Colorado River
Arkansas River
Columbia River
Snake River
Red River
Tennessee River
Yellowstone River
Platte River
Sacramento River
Hudson River
Yukon River
Major Lakes
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario
Great Salt Lake
Lake of the Woods
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Champlain
Lake Pontchartrain
Major Mountain Ranges
Rocky Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
Sierra Nevada
Cascade Range
Alaska Range
Brooks Range
Ozark Mountains
Ouachita Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
Wasatch Range
Major Mountain Peaks
Denali (Alaska)
Mount Saint Elias (Alaska)
Mount Foraker (Alaska)
Mount Bona (Alaska)
Mount Blackburn (Alaska)
Mount Sanford (Alaska)
Mount Fairweather (Alaska)
Mount Hubbard (Alaska)
Mount Rainier (Washington)
Mount Whitney (California)
Mount Elbert (Colorado)
Mount Massive (Colorado)
Mount Harvard (Colorado)
Kings Peak (Utah)
Gannett Peak (Wyoming)
Mauna Kea (Hawaii)
Mauna Loa (Hawaii)
Humphreys Peak (Arizona)
Mount Mitchell (North Carolina)
Borah Peak (Idaho)
Major Plains
Great Plains
Central Lowlands
Coastal Plain
Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Atlantic Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
Interior Plains
Snake River Plain
Major Plateaus
Colorado Plateau
Columbia Plateau
Appalachian Plateau
Ozark Plateau
Edwards Plateau
Snake River Plain
Allegheny Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
Modoc Plateau
Laurentian Plateau (Canadian Shield - extends into the U.S.)
US Physical Features
The United States of America occupies about 3.8 million square miles, which makes it the third largest country in the world. The climate, economy and way of life are also different because the geography is diverse and includes mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, deserts and coastal areas.
Mountain Ranges
The United States has several major mountain ranges. The Rocky Mountains run from Canada right down through the western United States, and through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. This range with its peaks over 14,000 feet determines the weather and is a great place for wildlife. The Appalachian Mountains are in the eastern part of the country and run from Alabama to Maine. Even though they are not as high as the Rockies (the highest peak is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet) they are some of the world's oldest mountain ranges. The Sierra Nevada, in California and Nevada, has Mount Whitney as the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet. In the Pacific Northwest, the Cascade Range is renowned for its volcanic activity, including the famous 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
Great Plains and Interior Lowlands
The Great Plains stretch from Texas up through North Dakota and into Canada. This vast region, noted for its relatively flat and rolling grasslands, is also the location of extensive agricultural activities, particularly in the growing of wheat and corn. The Interior Lowlands are to the east of the Great Plains and include parts of the Midwest. The soil in this region is very rich and the Interior Lowlands are the location of large-scale farming and industrial development.
Major Rivers and Lakes
The United States has a vast number of rivers that are significant waterways and water supplies. The Mississippi River is the second longest river in North America at 2,340 miles and it runs from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico draining 31 states. The Missouri River, a tributary of the Mississippi, is the longest river in the country, 2,341 miles. Some other rivers are the Colorado River, which created the Grand Canyon and provides water to the southwestern arid states, and the Columbia River, which is a key waterway in the Pacific Northwest.
The world’s biggest group of freshwater lakes are the Great Lakes which include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. These lakes shared between Canada and the United States contain about 21% of the world’s freshwater supply. Including Lake Superior, the largest of the five, it is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area.
Coastal Regions
The United States has a long coastline on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. New York and Miami are major ports and sandy beaches and barrier islands are characteristic of the East Coast. California, Oregon and Washington have coastal mountains, rugged cliffs and heavy tectonic activity — the San Andreas Fault runs through much of the third and fourth rows of the West Coast. The Gulf Coast, which runs from Texas to Florida, is warm, has a high frequency of hurricanes because of its location in the path of tropical storms coming from the Atlantic Ocean.
Deserts and Plateaus
The southwestern United of America has several deserts, amongst them the Mojave, the Sonoran, and the Chihuahuan. Death Valley in California and Nevada is part of the Mojave Desert and is the hottest place in North America with temperatures sometimes more than 130°F. The Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico portion of the Colorado Plateau is characterized by striking rock formations and deep canyons—like the Grand Canyon, which is 277 miles long and more than a mile deep.
Islands and Archipelagos
The United States comprises several island territories and states, including Hawaii and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Hawaii is in the central Pacific Ocean, and its islands are volcanic, with Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, is one of them. The Aleutian Islands, which are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and which experience frequent seismic activity, stretch from mainland Alaska to Russia.
Geology
The United States possesses one of the most diverse and intricate geological systems worldwide because its history involved tectonic collisions and volcanic eruptions and mountain-building events and glaciation and erosion and sedimentation processes throughout billions of years. The United States extends across various physiographic provinces which developed their unique geological features during separate geological time periods. The United States extends from the Canadian Shield's ancient crystalline bedrock in the north through the tectonically active Pacific Coast and includes fossil-bearing sedimentary layers of the Great Plains and the folded Appalachian Mountains thus displaying Earth's past history while providing a foundation for its future development. The geological formations create both the natural attractiveness and biological diversity of the country while providing the foundation for all its economic operations including energy generation and mining and farming and building activities..
Ancient Foundations: Cratons and Shields
The Laurentian Craton contains the United States' most ancient geologic formations which extend from the Canadian Shield into northern Minnesota Wisconsin and Michigan. The rocks within this area extend their age from 2.5 to 3.6 billion years making them the stable foundation of North America's geological core. The region consists of granitic and metamorphic rocks that originated during the Archean and Proterozoic eons and has experienced no significant tectonic activity for hundreds of millions of years. The region functions as a vital time capsule for studying early Earth crust evolution while containing significant mineral deposits of iron copper and nickel.
Eastern United States: Appalachian Mountains and Coastal Plain
The Appalachian Mountains which are among the oldest mountain ranges in North America control the eastern third of United States territory. The Appalachian Mountains developed from continental collisions that took place between 480 and 250 million years ago before reaching their peak during the late Paleozoic Era Alleghanian orogeny. The Appalachian mountain range consists of folded and faulted sedimentary igneous and metamorphic rocks which also contain large coal deposits and fossil evidence. The Atlantic Coastal Plain extends east of the Appalachian Mountains as a wide flat area composed of sedimentary deposits that rivers and rising seas deposited during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.
Central Region: Interior Plains and the Mississippi Basin
The central United States consists mainly of the Interior Plains, a vast area of horizontal sedimentary rock layers. These layers range from the Paleozoic to the Cenozoic and contain rich fossil records of marine life, dinosaurs, and early mammals. This region is cut by one of the most important drainage systems in the world, the Mississippi River Basin, and has vast alluvial plains that are among the most agriculturally productive in the country. Under these plains are enormous reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal, especially in places like the Permian Basin and Illinois Basin.
Western United States: Rocky Mountains, Basin and Range, and the Pacific Margin
The western United States shows more geological activity because of its ongoing tectonic processes. The Rocky Mountains that reach from Canada down to New Mexico formed through the Laramide orogeny which occurred between 70 and 40 million years ago. The mountain range consists of igneous metamorphic and sedimentary rocks which coexist with basins that contain fossil fuels and minerals. The Basin and Range Province extends west from Nevada through California and Utah and Arizona as a region shaped by crustal extension that created alternating mountain ranges and valleys.
The Pacific Coast runs along the boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates which includes California Oregon and Washington. The region is geologically young and seismically active because of the San Andreas Fault system which is a major strike-slip fault that has caused many historic earthquakes. The Cascade Range shows volcanic activity because the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under the continent has formed active volcanoes including Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier.
Alaska, Hawaii, and Tectonic Hotspots
The geology of Alaska is characterized by intense tectonic activity, with mountain building, glaciation, and volcanism resulting from the collision of the North American and Pacific Plates. The Alaska Range includes Denali, the highest peak in North America, which was formed by intense crustal compression. Alaska is also home to the Aleutian Islands, a volcanic arc that is still being formed by subduction. Meanwhile, Hawaii is a geologic origin that is completely different from the others: it is a chain of volcanic islands that was formed by a hotspot in the Earth’s mantle. The Pacific Plate moving over this stationary plume has created a trail of volcanic islands and seamounts, with the Big Island currently over the hotspot and actively growing.
Resources and Hazards
The United States' natural resources and natural hazards receive significant influence from geologic processes. Major oil and gas reserves exist in Texas and Alaska and along the Gulf Coast where the country holds its substantial fossil fuel deposits. The United States holds substantial mineral deposits which include copper together with gold and uranium and rare earth elements. Geological formations determine the presence of groundwater aquifers as well as soil fertility and the availability of construction materials including limestone and sand and gravel. Geological hazards including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and landslides and sinkholes affect the U.S. territory especially in areas with tectonic and karst activity. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) tracks these risks through ongoing research to enhance preparedness for hazards and improve land-use planning.
Scientific Significance and Education
The United States serves as an essential natural laboratory for scientific research and education because of its varied geological features. The United States provides Earth evolutionary insights through its exposed Grand Canyon geology and its fossil-bearing formations including the Morrison and Green River. Major universities together with geological societies perform research throughout different regions while national parks and monuments maintain some of America's most important geological landscapes for public education and recreation.
