Pacific Coast
|
|
The Pacific Coast is any coast fronting the Pacific Ocean.
| Contents |
Geography of the Pacific Coast
The Americas
In the Americas the Pacific coast is the west coast.
- North America
- South America
- See also the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
Asia
In Japan, the Pacific (East) Coast area is one of six climate zones. Winters are cold, with little snowfall, and summers are hot and humid due to the southeast seasonal wind.
Australia and New Zealand
Australia's population is largely centred on the fertile land along the eastern, Pacific, coast. This includes the cities of Sydney and Brisbane. Coastal features of the northern section of this coast are dominated by the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism is an important industry to this region, with many surfing, diving, game fishing, and swimming locations along the coast.
In New Zealand, the east coast of both main islands is met by the waters of the Pacific. In the North Island, much of this coast is covered by two large bays, the Bay of Plenty and Hawke Bay. In the South Island, a long, mainly straight coastline is broken by two peninsulas, Banks Peninsula and the Otago Peninsula. As with Australia, surfing and game fishing are major tourist attractions, and at Kaikoura whale watching is a popular attraction.
Geology of the Pacific Coast
The geology of the Pacific's rim is dominated by the Pacific Ring of Fire, a ring of volcanic and seismic activity encircling the ocean. Active and dormant volcanoes exist in many of the Pacific rim countries, such as Mount St. Helens in the United States, Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand, Mount Erebus in Antarctica, and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. This ring is also noted for earthquakes, with regions such as Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand and California being particularly prone to seismic tremors.
The earthquake faults that surround the pacific have also led to high mountain ranges surrounding much of the ocean's rim, notably the Rocky Mountains, the Andes (Cordillera de la Costa), Southern Alps, Australian Alps, Owen Stanley Range, as well as the mountains of Japan and Kamchatka. It has also led to several subduction island arcs, notably those of Japan and the Aleutian Islands.