Backbone Mountain

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/backbone-mountain

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Backbone Mountain?3,360 feet (1,024 meters)
2. What is the location?Central Appalachian Mountain Range, straddling West Virginia and Maryland
3. What is the geographical role?Forms a segment of the Eastern Continental Divide
4. How tall is Backbone Mountain?Its top in Maryland is 3,360 feet (about 1,024 meters) high.
5. Why is Backbone Mountain important for water?It sits on the Eastern Continental Divide, so rain that falls on one side flows to the Atlantic Ocean while rain on the other side flows to the Gulf of Mexico.

Physiographic Feature: A natural landform or body of water that characterizes a region.
Watershed: An area of land where all of the water that falls in it and drains off of it goes to a common outlet.
Tectonic Activity: The movement and deformation of the Earth's crust, which can lead to mountain formation.
Hydrology: The scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth.