Native American Migration

Native Americans have to have gotten to North America somehow, and to get here, they would have to cross the Bering Strait.  The three main theories on how Native Americans got to what is now called Washington are that there was once a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska (land bridge theory), the Bering Strait was frozen and created an ice bridge (ice bridge theory), or the water was receded enough so that the continental shelves were exposed enough for the Native Americans to walk across (continental shelf theory).  I think that the most believable theory is that there was once a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska (land bridge theory).

According to Lambert's Washington: A State of Contrast, the ocean level was several hundred feet lower than it is now.  That means that there could potentially be a land mass hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean connecting Siberia and Alaska.  Scientists also discovered huts, fire pits, and ancient skeletons on the ocean floor in the Bering Strait.  That means that Native Americans were traveling across the land bridge in the Bering Strait thousands of years ago.

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World Wide Web

1. The Begining: Score 100% Code NTXYR
2. Getting Started Online: Score 100% Code FBCAL
3. Staying Safe: Score 100% Code MHRAC
4. Using Your Browser: Score 100% Code QRPXT
5. Searching Online: Score 100% Code AZLMP
6. Trying Top Tricks: Score 100% Code VNYRW
7. The Challenge: Score 100% Code FTMWH

What I learned that was most interesting to me was that you can play games with people around the world.  It's pretty cool that I could play a game with someone in Russia if I wanted to without even leaving my bedroom!

The Region of Washington State I Want To Live In.

I would want to live in the Columbia Basin region of Washington state.  This is because the climate there is very harsh, meaning the summers are hot and the winters are cold.  There is also drifting snow in the winter.  Since I love swimming, hot summers will allow me to swim during summer.  I also love to go tubing and sledding, so drifting snow will make it possible to do those activities.  Boating is another thing I like to do in my down time, and the Columbia River runs through the Columbia Basin region.  Vegetation is sparse there, and I'm not fond of forests and thick undergrowth.  Therefore, this region suits me very well.  That is the region I would like to live in and why.

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How the Rainshadow Influences Washington's Economy

The rainshadow greatly influences the economy of Washington state by making different climates on the east and west sides of the Cascades.  The rainshadow makes the west side of the Cascade mountains very lush and green with vegetation.  The climate in some parts of the western side of the Cascades are good for farming, but not all climates are good for farming since too much water can hurt the crops.  The east side of the Cascades is dry, so not as many people have farms.  The economy on the west is very agricultural, and it isn't on the east side.  Since agriculture thrives on the west side of the Cascades, the economy on the west side is based on agriculture, and since agriculture doesn't thrive on the east side, the economy on the east is not based on agriculture.  Agriculture only thrives in the west because of the climate, and the climate is the way it is because of the rainshadow caused by the Cascade mountains.  Therefore, the rainshadow influences the economy in Washington state by creating different climates.

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Geological Processes

I believe that glaciation has affected Washington state's geological appearance the most.  There were three major lobes that helped create Washington.  They were the Polson Lobe, the Okanogan Lobe, and the Puget Lobe.  The Puget Lobe carved out Puget Sound, home to many of Washington's major cities.  The Okanogan Lobe blocked the Columbia River with a huge ice dam, and when the ice melted a little bit, the water broke the dam and sent a huge flood over most of the state.  The flood waters made Dry Falls, Steamboat Rock, Grand Coulee, and many other unique landforms.  The Polson Lobe blocked the Clark Fork river with an ice dam, making a giant lake called Lake Missoula.  When the dam broke, the water flooded the state, creating the Channeled Scablands.  Without glaciation, these landforms would never have been created.  They are a huge part of our state, which means glaciation had a major impact on the geological appearance of Washington state.