Interior plateau
| Interior plateau | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Interior Plateau |
|
| location |
British Columbia (Canada), Washington (USA) |
| part of | British Columbia Interior |
| Coordinates | 50 ° 15 ′ N , 120 ° 30 ′ W |
The Interior Plateau is a plateau in the interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia , which extends to the north of the US state of Washington and is part of the British Columbia Interior .
physical geography
To the east limit the mountain ranges of the Monashee Mountains and the Cariboo Mountains , to the north the Omineca Mountains and the Cassiar Mountains close the plateau. It is separated from the coast by the Hazelton Mountains , the Coast Mountains, and the Cascade Range . To the south it continues in the Columbia Plateau.
The plateau consists of different parts, which are usually separated from each other by river valleys:
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Fraser plateau
- Chilcotin Plateau (bounded by Blackwater River , Fraser River and Coast Mountains)
- Cariboo Plateau (bounded by the Fraser River, Cariboo Mountains, and North Thompson River )
- Nechako Plateau (bounded by the Blackwater River, Fraser River, the Omineca Mountains, and the Cassiar Mountains)
- Thompson Plateau (bounded by Thompson River, Cascade Mountains and Monashee Mountains)
Fraser and Thompson Plateau were originally between 1200 and 1500 meters altitude, filled with glacial deposits basins, from which some mountain ranges and hilly countries rise. The partially lake-like dammed systems of the Fraser River and the Okanagan River divide the plateaus.
climate
The climate of the Interior Plateau is characterized by sharp daily and seasonal temperature differences. The location in the rain shadow of the Coastal Range and the Cascade Mountains ensures dry and - depending on the altitude - warm to hot summers, in which the maximum daily temperature in the lowlands of the south can reach 40 ° C in July. On the other hand, there can still be night frosts in July, as the cloudy sky and dry air ensure unhindered heat radiation. A significant drop in temperature can already be recorded in September, at the latest by the beginning of November the winter, which also lasts in the lowlands until April, with increasing snowfalls from north to south and from east to west, arrives. The precipitation is distributed relatively evenly over the year.
Web links
- Interior plateau . In: BC Geographical Names (English)