Transcript Canada`s Landform Regions

1. Canada’s Landform
Regions
1. Canadian Shield
(Canada’s Mineral Storehouse)
• Formation –
• First landform region to be formed – 4.6 billion
years ago (Precambrian Era)
• Made from magma (lava) that cooled and
hardened into the crust (scab).
• From the beginning some form of weathering
and erosion started to ware it down.
• It was once a tall mountain surrounded by water.
• The “Shield” is North America’s – Canada’s
foundation.
• The sediment was worn off the Shield Mts.
And moved to low areas.
• This formed sedimentary rock
• Plates squeezed up to the Shield to form
other regions. Glaciers over the last 1000
– 10 000 years have scraped, gouged and
depressed the “Shield” (like a footprint).
• The many lakes today exist because of
this.
Society’s Uses
• Mining –
• We need its minerals to manufacture
products.
• Forestry –
• The Boreal Forest produces us with
construction materials and pulp for paper.
• Tourism –
• “cottage country”, wilderness, hiking,
fishing…..
• Population –
• Generally sparse – Why? Cold climate and soil
is not good for farming.
• Vegetation –
• Boreal forest.
• Rocky areas with little to no soil.
• Poor quality for farming.
• Climate - Temperate, with cool temperatures
and ample precipitation.
2. Interior Plains
(Canada’s Breadbasket, Meat locker and Oil Reserves)
• Formation –
• Once was an ancient sea.
• Aquatic life provided the nutrients to make today’s soils fertile.
These life forms died, decayed to form fertile soils.
• Sediment came from the ‘Shield’ being worn down.
• The Plains extend from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Famous for growing grass crops (wheat) and cattle rearing.
• Deposits of oil, natural gas (fossil fuels) are found here.
• Formed from vegetation falling into ancient seas, decaying, covered
by sediment and pressed into fuel.
• Climate –
• The climate is generally dry, why? – the air
masses leave most of their moisture in the
Western Mountains.
• Very warm summers and cold winters.
• Societies Uses – Agriculture – grass
crops, such as wheat.
• Cattle rearing --- beef.
• Oil reserves.
• Population –
• Generally sparse, except in major cities
such as Regina and Saskatoon.
• The Plains is the entire Landform Region,
the Praries is a specific portion of this
region that is very flat and grows wheat.
• Vegetation –
• Most areas are treeless.
• Mostly grasslands.
3. Appalachian Mountains: (North
Americas Eastern ‘Hills’)
• Formation –
• As plates moved, mountains were built up
(squeezed) along North America’s east coast.
• The rock here was formed from eroded rock
particles off of the ‘Shield’ (very old rock).
• Sedimentary rock is soft, therefore when plates
collide it is the softer rock that will old, buckle,
break = make mountains. Almost all mountains
made of sedimentary rock.
• Today, the Appalachians are big, rounded hells
worn down over millions of years.
• Climate –
• Continental clime – ample precipitation, with
warm summers and mild winters.
• Societies Uses –
• Mining – Coal and other minerals.
• Farming – potatoes
• Tourism – national parks, historical sites, etc.
• Fishing – cod, lobster, etc.
• Population –
• Settlement/manufacturing – the east coast
was the first portion of the continent to be
explored, settled and developed.
• Vegetation –
• Forests.
• Fertile Valleys.
• Iron rich soils – P.E.I.’s famous red soil.
4. Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands (Canada’s
most populated, wealthy, political strength, biggest fresh water and the warmest)
• Formation –
• Glaciers scraped and gouged and
“bulldozed” rock, soil, and other debris off
of the ‘Shield’ and deposited this onto our
region – fertile soil.
• The weight of the glaciers depressed the
land to help form lakes of various sizes,
example – like your footprint in the sand.
• Vegetation –
• Variety of lush vegetation, farms and forested
areas.
• Climate –
• Very pleasant, the warmest in Canada.
• Societies Uses –
• Farming – tender fruits, tobacco, vegetables,
corn, etc.
• Tourism – Niagara Falls, Toronto, etc.
• Manufacturing – Many businesses.
• Population –
• Highest population density in Canada.
• Large cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Quebec
City, Hamilton, London, St. Catharines, etc.
• This region is naturally two (2) separate regions:
• A) The St. Lawrence Lowlands borders along
the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec
City on both sides.
• The land is fertile, many farm, forests and a
decent climate.
• B) The Great lakes Lowlands is basically south
of Barrie. We live in this region!!! More than half
the population of Canada lives here. Why ???
• The Great lakes acted as a natural inland
waterway for the earth explorers, and even
today for the St. Lawrence Seaway.
• Major cities started from; A) earliest military and
fur trade posts. B) Natural harbours found along
the water system, example – Toronto, Thunder
Bay, Montreal, Hamilton.
• Urbanization – Changing farmland to “city” land.