The Geography of the Rocky Mountains explained 

If you continue to follow the mountain ranges undersea you see that the mountain range continue to Antartica.

You didn't touch on my favorite aspects. That is the existing mountains are actually version 2.0. A range existed and eroded down before the Laramie uplift created the current range. We mine sandstone from this along the Front Range and elsewhere for building and landscaping. The famous Red Rocks Amphitheater, Boulder Flat Irons, and Garden of the Gods are some of the formations protected from weathering because they have been lifted to a near vertical plain. A short walk along what is called the Hogback, will traverse hundreds of millions of years in geology within just a short mile, near Red Rocks. There are impressive dinosaur tracks there as well.

I live near the Rocky Mountain Trench in British Columbia. Because of the rain shadow effect, there is a small inland rainforest that has some of the largest and oldest trees on the planet.

I just love that little creek which divides into two different continental drainage basins. So cool.

I hiked up Mt. Elbert (tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain Range) and Mt. Massive (2nd tallest). I will never forget those moments

Don’t forget Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. Rain falling upon it goes in three directions: west to the Pacific, southeast toward the Gulf of Mexico, and northeast toward Hudson Bay.

I've travelled through the Rocky Mountains in all US States, and they're phenomenal - but I must admit that the Canadian Rockies are even more spectacular and dramatic, especially on the National Parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay (in both BC and AB, making up an interconnected World Heritage Site).

I grew up at the foothills of the Rockies outside of Denver. I had family on the Western slope, so we drove back and forth a number of times. In my thirties, life brought me to Virginia. I found it truly bizarre to hear people calling the Appalachians "mountains." They're steep hills to be sure, but calling them mountains seems like one hell of a stretch to me.

I go to college on the opposite side of the Rockies in Canada and get to drive all the way through them 4 times a year for school! It’s so amazing

In addition to the Great Basin, west of the Rockies, there is a small "Great Divide Basin" in Wyoming. I-80 runs right through it.

I moved to wyoming 10 years ago from NY. I love the rockey mountains and know why it has fueled the dreams of so many people

It's important to note that while the Teton Range is geographically located within the Rockies, it's uplift has been caused mostly by Basin And Range extension, and the Teton Range itself was not built in the Laramide or Sevier Orogenys that built the Rocky Mountains.

Are we all here cause we cant sleep?

I live in the Rocky Mountains in Southwest Colorado, in a range called the San Juans. I've lived all over the US - from Las Vegas to Fairbanks Alaska and a whole bunch in between. This is my favorite by far.

Hey Mr Spark, your videos just get better and better! Thank for keeping me entertained and informed 🙂

You'd think plains of Colorado are low, but in some areas you actually gain elevation by going east in Colorado. Plain towns can be higher than Front Range towns.

We live near Denver, Colorado and love seeing that mountain range on my way to work every morning driving down County Line Road/Centennial, Colorado. Texas Native, been in Colorado since 2009.

I grew up in North Idaho in the mountains and It was amazing

I fell in love with the Columbia River last year. Seeing in person and reading about its history and where it flows is amazing.

Great geographical illustrations which make your explanations crystal clear ! It makes me want to visit them !

Don’t forget that the world’s largest elk herd lives in the Rocky mountains in Colorado. The Rockies also offer some of the most amazing hunting opportunities in the world!

The graphics are so well done, helped the video so much. Very professional and impressive

Great videos, man. Well done.

Loved it so much. Please make a video about the Peruvian altiplano.

This was very educational, thanks a million.

Thanks for the to the point 10 minutes study.

u should do a video on the geography of venezuela, truly some of the most amazing stuff i’ve seen, great video btw

Excellent!

Thank you for providing measurements in Metric for the rest of the world viewers. Your channel is highly recomended. Keep up the setup.

Excellent. Thank you.

I hiked to the top of Mount Elbert. Pretty dope to see it on this vid. A great accomplishment of mine

Excellent video, subbed!

I love being from Colorado, and having our part of the Rocky Mountains especially the tallest peaks in the Rocky Mountains

You were definitely interesting 🤔 I appreciate the great lesson, u made many cool insights! "One raindrop ends up..."

Great video thank you 👍🏻

amazing video

During the fateful summer of 1988, the year when Yellowstone burned up, I was called up from my regular job with the Forest Service to serve on a crew of twenty firefighters from the Targhee National Forest. My crew was assigned to work on the Mink Fire, which was a massive wildfire that covered a large area in the southeastern corner of Yellowstone Park and into the surrounding National Forest lands. During the five weeks we were deployed (roughly July 15-August 21), we were based in two separate Spike Camps. The first was located in the general vicinity of the North Buffalo River just south of the National Park boundary within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. After two weeks living and working there, this spike camp (in which around 500-1000 firefighters had been stationed) was disbanded, and the crews were reassigned to other fires or sent home. My crew was singled out to be reassigned to a new spike camp located just north of the boundary inside Yellowstone National Park in the meadows of the Upper Yellowstone River near Thoroughfare Gap. We were instructed to hike to the new spike camp along the Continental Divide Trail that went through this area, and to clear the trail of any downed trees and debris that might have occurred. Along the way to the new spike camp, we passed through the Two Oceans Pass, where we took a lunch break. Some of us took off our boots and soaked our feet in the cool refreshing creek water. It was quite amazing to see this meadow that looked like any other Rocky Mountain meadow, except it had a single creek that flowed downhill out of the meadow in two separate places. Being that it was situated directly on the Continental Divide, this meant that the creek flowing out one end of the meadow was destined to flow into the Mississippi River and out to the Gulf of Mexico, and the same creek also flowed out of the other end of the meadow and on to the Snake River and Columbia River and on to the Pacific. The reason this could happen was obviously because there were springs in the meadow that fed the creek, and that perhaps because of beaver activity these two outflows had been connected in the past and were now a single uninterrupted creek. There were indications that humans did not make it to this area very often. Several times we had small birds fly down and sit on top of peoples' heads or shoulders, completely unafraid of us. When we saw deer or other wildlife, they would stand and watch as we walked by, sometimes within just yards of them, curiously watching us humans. This and other indications gave us the understanding that humans simply were not a frequent sight in this part of the country. It was literally the most remote place I'd ever been in the contiguous United States! We continued on the hike until we reached our second spike camp in the beautiful open meadowlands of the Thoroughfare area in the southeastern corner of Yellowstone National Park, where we continued to fight what had become the merged Mink and Snake Fires.

Incredible!!!

You should make a video about nahanni national reserve in canada. Some consider it part of the rockies!

Amazing clips!

Someone forget to fill the coffee pot at 0:25...

love the Narrators voice and like longer more detailed videos ,verry informative . Lucky to have grown up around them

On the topic of mountains can you make a video on the Drakensberg mountains, Cape Fold mountains and the South African plateau?

You should make a video about the Appalachian mountains! Yes, the Rockies have high peaks, but there’s something about being in mountains that are older than bones that does it for me.

Thanks for video!

Thanks for the video. The topographic pic/map/satellite view towards the end was fabulous. What are the mountains to the west of Rocky called? Like Himalayas were formed when the Indian plate merged with the Eurasian plate, how were the West continental American mountains formed?

Very cool video thank you

I like your great explaination❤

i live right in utah valley and im so thankful that every day i get to look outside and see these mountains every day. mainly mount timpanogos

Very nice thank you 😊

Just a comment about all rivers draining into either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans; the Athabasca river, which you mentioned, flows from the rockies through Jasper National Park into the Mackenzie River system and comes out in the Arctic Ocean.

The plains of Colorado add to the average height of the whole state. The elevation at the Kansas/Colorado line is around 4900' feet near I-70.

Fun fact about the American cordillera also know as the continental divide because of the way in divides regions in the continents creating different climates and weather conditions. The lowest point in the entire American cordillera is the Rivas isthmus in Nicaragua where small hills separate the pacific from lake Nicaragua and into the Costa Rican border

Wtf? How is your sub count so low but you’re killing it with views???? You got my sub, f the other people not giving you the subs you deserve, Great video

I live in Colorado, the Rockies are literally right beside me lol I live in the foothills

There is also the fascinating Arctic/Pacific lakes where water flows to the arctic or pacific separated only by a very small wet piece of land.

Cool video. Would be cool if you used a 3D globe projection instead of a 2D map projection though.

thanks for the video but it is not true that drainage is only to the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Canada's largest river system starts in the Rockies and drains into the Arctic ocean via the Athabaska-MacKenzie River system that starts in the Columbia Ice Field..

I would like to add that a small portion of the rockies stretch also into the northeastern portion of Washington State. The specific boundaries of its furthest extend still remain unclear to me. Some say it’s the Okanogan highlands, whereas others have described it extending into the Columbia river plateau. Always an interesting subject here amongst Washingtonians who love their mountains 🏔️

There's lots of places in the Alberta and BC Rockies where you can climb to the top and everywhere you step is fossils

One video of the Sierras Madres of Mexico 🇲🇽 🙏

A great 🎉 video❤

You should have included the discussion of the Columbia Icefield’s triple divide to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

This was mentioned below, but to clarify. At the Triple Divide in Glacier National Park, water flows into three oceans, Pacific, Acrtic and Atlantic. Hudson Bay is 60 degrees north latitude, so is technically in the Arctic Ocean. At Triple Divide it flows into the St. Mary's River, then Oldman River, then Saskatchewen River, then Hudson Bay.

I am interested in the correlation of geography to modern economic development.

There's a mountain in glacier national park. That snow melt goes to 3 different oceans. Atlantic Pacific and Arctic oceans.

I do believe in Wyoming there is a spot where the stream of water splits and the water divides to end up in both oceans, Atlantic and Pacific. This place is called 'Parting of the waters'

Anyone please. What is the link of that topographic 3D map. It's so awesome

It really shows how insane it would have been to traverse West in the early days in America. I live in Oregon and the cascades and coastal mountain range seem daunting enough. I couldn't imagine having to face them AFTER traversing the Rockies.. It would have felt like never ending crazy landscapes

North America has 3 drainage basins. Pacific, Atlantic and artic

Awesome video! As a hobbyist geologist I must know where that outcrop is that splits the creek to go to the Pacific or the Atlantic at 8:49! Does anyone know where that is?

Your continental divide is complicated by the Arctic ocean which slices through the high prairie near the Niobrara River of Nebraska. However, Ice Age Glaciers have repeatedly blocked access to the continent's natural slope based drainage patterns. The Upper Missouri has invaded the Arctic Ocean's portion of the continental divide using runoff from the great glaciers to invade the Arctic's portion of the continent. At Fort Union ND, there's a warf which was situated at river level less than two centuries ago which is now twenty feet above river level. That marks a remarkable rate of erosion which is largely a consequence of periodic ice floes. Therefore, this invasion continues even without the huge glaciers that periodically arise in the region.

Moving on to Andes and then Himalayas,

Nobody has poured coffee like that in the history of humanity.

Yellowstones super volcano was once out in the Pacific ocean. Then the continent ran into it and scraped it to where it is because it didn't move the Continental crust did. It left behind trails of volcanoes through idaho and others.

8:50 World-builders with splitting rivers: YES, PRECEDENT!

I drive through the rocky mountain trench all the time, ive slept in mcbride a couple times.

Nice

Both channels of Two Ocean Creek drain into a common swampy area which then drains in both directions.

Video on the coastal range?

There was no coffee in that pot.

Don’t forget that the Rocky Mountains are very Rocky Mountains

0:22 that was sad. My expectations were high

You forgot to mention the Tularosa Basin which also splits the continental divide.

All of that discussion on the continental divide and no mention of the hydrological apex on Mount Snow Dome?

Americans: These mountains are rocky, I think we'll call them the Rocky Mountains.

I could see the Sangre de Cristo mountains from my dining room widow in the Jemez mountains. The Sangres are included in the Rockies. The Jemez are not.

"What should we name these mountains?" "Oh I dunno, how about Rocky Mountains" 😐

I would ask geologists about the Rockies. The geology is far more interesting than the geography (which is also interesting and beautiful). The Rockies are special in that it's not a plate boundary, they rose independently, and the reason for their existence is still rightly debated. (Not to forget the mysterious Ancestral Rockies that were there hundreds of millions of years before, and eroded flat.)

What is the mountain range west of the rockies called? I always thought that was the rockies too. :D

Rocky Mountain High..... Colorado! ❤🎵🎶

3:49 Top right is Mistaya Canyon Bottom right is Moraine Lake You should’ve included Peyto Lake too!!

There's rocky mountains all over BC too

That first shot of the empty pitcher pouring nothing destroyed the whole video, gotta get better b roll

Bad Ass Vid🤙

I live in the Mexican Rockies, we call them Sierra Madre.

Some of North American rain fall drains into the Arctic Ocean.

All's good, weird music tho

Increase volume a scoach. Pls

Yep the water starts with us. That is a huge responsibility that I think many in this area fail to understand here in Wyoming °~•.☆.•~°