Saturday, February 29, 2020

Geography of the Rocky Mountains

Geography of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains are a large mountain range located in the western part of North America in the United States and Canada. The Rockies as they are also known, pass through northern New Mexico and into Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. In Canada, the range stretches along the border of Alberta and British Columbia. In total, the Rockies stretch for over 3,000 miles (4,830 km) and form the Continental Divide of North America. Additionally, because of their large presence in North America, water from the Rockies supplies about  ¼ of the United States. Most of the Rocky Mountains are undeveloped and is protected by national parks like the Rocky Mountain National Park in the U.S. and local parks like the Banff National Park in Alberta. Despite their rugged nature though, the Rockies are a popular tourist destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping skiing, fishing, ​and snowboarding. In addition, the high peaks of the range make it popular for mountain climbing. The highest peak in the Rocky Mountains is Mount Elbert at 14,400 feet (4,401 m) and is located in Colorado. Geology of the Rocky Mountains The geologic age of the Rocky Mountains varies based on location. For example, the youngest parts were uplifted 100 million to 65 million years ago, whereas the older parts rose 3,980 million to 600 million years ago. The rock structure of the Rockies consists of igneous rock as well as sedimentary rock along its margins and volcanic rock in localized areas. Like most mountain ranges, the Rocky Mountains have also been affected by severe erosion which has caused the development of deep river canyons as well as intermountain basins such as the Wyoming Basin. In addition, the last glaciation which occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch and lasted from about 110,000 years ago until 12,500 years ago also caused erosion and the formation of glacial U-shaped valleys and other features such as Moraine Lake in Alberta, throughout the range. Human History of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains have been home to various Paleo-Indian tribes and more modern Native American tribes for thousands of years. For example, there is evidence that Paleo-Indians may have hunted in the region as far back as 5,400 to 5,800 years ago based on rock walls they constructed to trap game like the now-extinct mammoth. European exploration of the Rockies did not begin until the 1500s when the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado entered the region and changed the Native American cultures there with the introduction of horses, tools, and diseases. In the 1700s and into the 1800s, exploration of the Rocky Mountains was mainly focused on fur trapping and trading. In 1739, a group of French fur traders encountered a Native American tribe that called the mountains the Rockies and after that, the area became known by that name. In 1793, Sir Alexander MacKenzie became the first European to cross the Rocky Mountains and from 1804 to 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was the first scientific exploration of the mountains. Settlement of the Rocky Mountain region then began in the mid-1800s when Mormons began to settle near the Great Salt Lake in 1847, and from 1859 to 1864, there were several gold rushes in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. Today, the Rockies are mostly undeveloped but tourism national parks and small mountain towns are popular, and agriculture and forestry are major industries. In addition, the Rockies are abundant in natural resources like copper, gold, natural gas, and coal. Geography and Climate of the Rocky Mountains Most accounts say that the Rocky Mountains stretch from the Laird River in British Columbia to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. In the U.S., the eastern edge of the Rockies forms a sharp divide as they rise abruptly out of the interior plains. The western edge is less abrupt as several sub-ranges like the Wasatch Range in Utah and the Bitterroots in Montana and Idaho lead up to the Rockies. The Rockies are significant to the North American continent as a whole because the Continental Divide (the line which determines whether water will flow to the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean) is in the range. The general climate for the Rocky Mountains is considered highland. Summers are usually warm and dry but mountain rain and thunderstorms can occur, while winters are wet and very cold. At high elevations, precipitation falls as heavy snow in the winter. Flora and Fauna of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains are very biodiverse and has various types of ecosystems. However, throughout the mountains, there are more than 1,000 types of flowering plants as well as trees like the Douglas Fir. The highest elevations, however, are above the tree line and thus have lower vegetation like shrubs. The animals of the Rockies the elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcat and black bears among many others. For example, in Rocky Mountain National Park alone is populated by about 1,000 head of elk. At the highest elevations, there are populations of ptarmigan, marmot, and pika. References National Park Service. (29 June 2010). Rocky Mountain National Park - Nature and Science (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/index.htm Wikipedia. (4 July 2010). Rocky Mountains - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains

Thursday, February 13, 2020

To study at a young age in abroad Research Paper

To study at a young age in abroad - Research Paper Example In the past, studying abroad was considered as greater luxury that was beyond the reach of everyone except the bright scholarship students and the rich students. However, the trend has changed subsequently where more students go abroad at their younger age to study without visualizing the dark sides of studying in the alien countries. Studying abroad leads to considerable expenses and most of the families need to possess large sum of money so that they can finance their loved ones. Many of them feel very lonely without the families and many face identity crisis. Moreover, it has also been found that students studying abroad tries to inculcate that particular countries culture and have hard times in getting back to their own culture and way of life (Chung, â€Å"Study Abroad of Young Korean Children: Gain and Losses†). It can be said that the student over 18 years can be allowed to send to foreign countries because after that age the students learn to be responsible and don’t tend to forget their individuality and become more self aware. There has been number of studies that show that students who are studying abroad are at risk for mental health issues. From the study it was evident that the students feel very depressed and have trouble in acclimatizing. Moreover, they can face problems of depression, addiction, anxiety, obsessive compulsiveness, post-traumatic stress disorders, eating disorders and others. College tends to be a stressful place for the young students as they make the changeover from home to liberty. The students going abroad to study are required to separate from their family as well as friends. This becomes even more existent for students who are far from their family and friends. This kind of students faces feeling of loss and separation anxiety. Cultural shock has been one of the main problems that the students of younger age face when

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Funding a new biotechnology firm Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Funding a new biotechnology firm - Assignment Example Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the primary source of fundraising for the public limited companies only. Other sources of funds can be used by sole traders and partnerships. Debentures are special types of loans which are mostly secured. Apart from debentures, the companies can apply for normal types of loans and leases. Government grants can be another option. However, the most famous and used source of fund for the new businesses is the venture capitalists. The venture capitalists are firms which provide the new entrepreneurs with the required initial investment (Soderblom & Wiklund, 2006). According to Lebherz (2010), as middlemen in the financial industry, VC (venture capitalist) obtain funds or finance from the investors and then provide these funds to different entrepreneurs but is only available to the private organisations. The main aim of the VC is to ensure that at exit the overall return is maximised, either by selling of the firm or by IPO and it often use to facilitate the process of internal growth. To a large extent, institutional investor including PE (private equity) is another approach for external finance. However, these entities have prior knowledge for the economic market and often take many precautions before involving money in. POSSIBLE FUNDING OPTIONS FOR THE START UP BIOTECHNOLOGY FIRM: Today, although labelled with ‘fast-growing’, biotech venture is avoided by a number of investors. In order to decide for the funding options for the start up biotechnology firm, it is better to study and explore the market trend in this regard. Different Technology Based Small Firms (TBSF) have been able to achieve growth in the previous three years. Different research studies have shown that the Technology Based Small Firms are usually discouraged... After exploring and analysing the current market situation along with the funding history, it can be concluded that the existing financial and market situation has made it difficult for the start-up business to acquire funds from the external sources and there have been increasing financial gap. Apart from this there is increasing uncertainty among the entrepreneurs about the approval of the applications for funds. All this information and data implies that the new biotechnology firm should first go for internal sources of funds and the group of entrepreneurs should pool in the available money. Then, the remaining funds should be financed through the venture capitalists firms. Venture capitalists firms are ready to facilitate the new innovative business in the process of collecting required funds and finance. Also, these firms ensure a successful exit strategy and provide the entrepreneurs with their valuable insights and opinions. As the venture capital cycle turns bigger and strong er in this way, institutional investors might be tempted in this new venture which beneficial to further growth. In the third stage the biotechnology firms can go for Initial Public Offering.