1. Warm-up September 21, 2017
What do you think is grown in the fertile soil of the Great Plains in Texas?
What other resources do you think come from the Great Plains?

2. The Great Plains Borders North: Oklahoma South: Edwards Plateau
Chapter 1, Section 4
Borders
North: Oklahoma
South: Edwards Plateau
East: Caprock Escarpment
West: New Mexico

3. Great Plains Most of Panhandle and Edwards Plateau
E border Caprock Escarpment
S border is Balcones Escarpment

4. The Great Plains Land Northern High Plains: mostly flat; some canyons
Chapter 1, Section 4
Land
Northern High Plains: mostly flat; some canyons
Southern High Plains: The Llano Estacado is smooth and level
South: The Edwards Plateau has hilly terrain
Vegetation
The Great Plains region is dry and has very few trees
Much of the region is grassland
Parts of the region are important farming areas

5. Land Flat grasslands with few trees
Canyons – Palo Duro Canyon (just east of Amarillo)
Llano Estacado—staked plain
Caprock Escarpment
Edwards Plateau
Red River
Pecos River
Photo of Palo Duro Canyon by Mike Wilson

6. Llano Estacado
Shaded relief image of the Llano Estacado; the escarpments marking the edge of the Llano are clearly visible

7. Caprock Escarpment

8. Climate Mostly dry region.
Summer and Winter is cooler than lower elevations to the east.
Farming done by irrigation out of the Ogalla Aquifer.

9. Climate Dry air (not humid)
Hot summers DPS photo March 2009 blizzard Amarillo
Cold winters (snowfall is common)
Dust storms
Tornadoes
16-20 inches of rain/precipitation per year
1935 Dust Storm Amarillo - Louise George

10. Major Economic Activities
Farming – cotton, wheat (irrigate from wells)
Ranching – cattle, sheep, goat (mohair, especially around Edwards Plateau area)
Oil and gas deposits in the Permian Basin

11. Land Use Cattle, sheep, and goat ranching
Corn, wheat, and cotton farming
Oil and natural gas found in the panhandle area.
Following the drought of the 1930s, it was turned back mostly into grasslands for soil and land conservation.

12. Mesquite Tree
Angora Goat
Cedar Tree
Sorghum Plants
Longhorn Cattle
Cotton/Cottonseed

13. Cities Amarillo – largest in region, wheat and cattle production.
Lubbock – cottonseed production
Midland and Odessa – oil and natural gas production
Del Rio – Trade with Mexico
Fredericksburg and Kerrville – resort towns settled by Germans. Known for peach orchards.

14. Closing
How does the geography of the Great Plains affect the way people live in this region? Write at least a paragraph about resources produced and how you use them.