Waterforms of Pennsylvania

Lesson 2

5 Themes of Geography• 1. Location – location of city or your community• 2. Place – where something is in relation to its

surroundings ex. City in contrast to smaller communities

• 3. Human-Environment Interaction – how people depend on the environment or change land

• 4. Movement – connection between places and patterns of movement

• 5. Region – ex. Tourist, political, business, rural, urban, suburban, or even school district

5 Landform Regions of Pennsylvania

Vocabulary – 3 minutes to copy into your notes, leave spaces between words

Rivers and Tributary Systems

• 45,000 miles of rivers, tributaries, and 256 lakes.• Tributary – smaller stream flowing into a larger

stream of lake• Reservoirs – an artificial lake where water is

stored and collected for water supply• 3 major river systems– Western Pa – 3 rivers– Susquehanna River– Delaware River

Western PA River Systems

• Allegheny River Headwaters– Begins in Pennsylvania, flows into New York, and

back into PA. Flows southward towards Pittsburgh

• Monongahela River– SW Pennsylvania, begins in West Virginia and

flows northward to Pittsburgh.– Youghiogheny River – starts in Maryland, flows

into the Monongahela. Wild river – white water rapids.

• Ohio River– Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet in

Pittsburgh to form a third river – Ohio River.

– Important in the development of PA and other states they were used as transportation routes for commerce (freight).

– Commerce – the exchange or buying and selling of commodities

– Freight – Cargo

Susquehanna River System

• Headwaters starts in New York, flowing southward through the entire state.– Headwaters – source of a stream– Source – the beginning of a stream of water

• Major tributaries:– West Branch of the Susquehanna– Juniata Rivers• Serves as a watershed for central PA• Watershed – geographic area or region into which all

the creeks and tributaries flow into a large river.

• Too shallow to allow travel.• Mouth of the Susquehanna River is

Chesapeake Bay– Mouth – part of a river where its water empties

into another body of water.

Delaware River System

• Begins in New York• Forms a natural border between

Pennsylvania and New Jersey• Two major tributaries:– Lehigh River– Schuylkill River

• Philadelphia is a major deep-water port located on the Delaware River– Large ocean ships use this port

Lakes and Wetlands

• More than 2,000 small lakes in PA• Only 76 of them exceed 20 acres in size• Natural lakes created by glacial forces –

created by force when glaciers once covered northern Pennsylvania, digging holes which later became lakes.

• Wetlands – lowland area, such as a marshy or swampy place, that holds moisture.

• Excellent habitat for wildlife.• 200,000 acres of wetlands in PA, mainly

located in the northeast and northwest.

• Reservoirs – An artificial lake where water is stored and collected for a water supply.– Helps keep water flowing at a steady pace during

drier times and prevents flooding after large storms or winter melt.

– Hydroelectric Power – producing electric by harnessing the power of flowing water

– Other uses include recreation – fishing, boating, swimming, and water-skiing, for Pennsylvanians and tourists.

Reservoirs and Dams

Review Questions

• Answer questions 1-6 on page 9