Continental Divide is a photograph by Jon Burch Photography which was uploaded on October 19th, 2013.
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, also known as the Continental Gulf of Division, the Great Divide, or merely the Continental Divide, is the... more
Title
Continental Divide
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture And Enhancement
Description
The Continental Divide of the Americas, also known as the Continental Gulf of Division, the Great Divide, or merely the Continental Divide, is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas. The Continental Divide extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan, and separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean - including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems that drain into the Arctic Ocean.
Though there are many other hydrological divides in the Americas, the Great Divide is by far the most prominent of these because it tends to follow a line of high peaks along the main ranges of the Rocky Mountains and Andes, at a generally much higher elevation than the other hydrological divisions.
The Continental Divide of the Americas begins at Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, the westernmost point on the mainland of the Americas. The Divide crosses northern Alaska into the Yukon, then zig-zags south into British Columbia via the Cassiar Mountains and Omineca Mountains and northern Nechako Plateau to Summit Lake, north of the city of Prince George and just south of the community of McLeod Lake. From there the Divide traverses the McGregor Plateau to the spine of the Rockies, following the crest of the Canadian Rockies southeast to the 120th meridian west, from there forming the boundary between southern British Columbia and southern Alberta.
The Divide crosses into the United States in northwestern Montana, at the boundary between Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park. In Canada, it forms the western boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park, and in the US bisects Glacier National Park. Further south, the Divide forms the backbone of the Rocky Mountain Front Range in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, heads south towards Helena and Butte, then west past the namesake community of Divide, Montana through the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the Bitterroot Range, where it forms the eastern third of the state boundary between Idaho and Montana. The Divide crosses into Wyoming within Yellowstone National Park and continues south-east into Colorado where it reaches its highest point in North America at the summit of 14,278 foot  Grays Peak. It crosses US Hwy 160 in southern Colorado at Wolf Creek Pass, where a line symbolizes the division. The Divide then proceeds south into western New Mexico. Although the Divide represents the height of land between watersheds, it does not always follow the highest ranges/peaks within each state or province.
And all this time you thought it was in Washington, D.C...
Image copyright 2013 Jon Burch Photography
Uploaded
October 19th, 2013
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