Answer to Question 1
Students may point out that the region around Butte and Anaconda, Montana, is a major copper mining center, and the region also has deposits of silver, gold, lead, and zinc. Other major mining areas include Wallace, Idaho, for lead and zinc, and the area near Colorado's front range for molybdenum and other minerals.
There are also coal and oil deposits in the region with Wyoming the leading coal-producing state in the country. Helena, Montana, is mentioned in the text as historically having gold mining in the region. Students could also refer to Box 12.3, which talks about the mining history of Butte, Montana. This area was known by 1870 as the Richest Hill on Earth because of the gold and silver, and later copper, found in the region. Mineral deposits and oil were also found in the Canadian Rockies.
Answer to Question 2
Plants in this region have adapted to the nutrient poor, sand and rocky soils that have little water. Plants are usually perennial groundcovers that protect themselves from the cold and wind by staying close to the ground.
Animals in the region are of a generally hardier variety. They have short tails, legs, and ears along with layers of fat under their skin to preserve heat.
Animals of this region also tend to hibernate, or migrate to lower elevations when it is excessively cold. They have large lungs and more red blood cells and hemoglobin, which allow them to exist where there is very little oxygen.
Rocky Mountain Elk
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