Transcript Landform Regions of Canada

Landform Regions of
Canada
An important theme in Geography is Space
Not Outer Space
The area of the earth is 150,000,000 sq km
The area of Canada is 9,976,140 sq km
Land Form Regions
In order to help describe the Large space that Canada occupies, Canada has
been divided in a number of different way.
One way in which Canada has been divided is politically.
Land Form Regions
Today we are concerned with “Landform Regions”
A landform region is an part of the earth with a unique set of physical
features that people often use to meet their needs.
So when we are talking about Land Form regions we are
talking about Physical Characteristics.
Mushroom cut
Cartoon character
Short Shorts
Physical Characteristics
Few People
Lakes
Igneous Rock
Christmas Trees
(Coniferous Trees)
Land Form Regions of Canada
Canada has Seven Land Form Regions
Can you think of where these Regions might be located?
Hint: Think of the Various Physical Characteristics of the Provinces and
Territories
So Why Does Canada have different Physical
Characteristics in different Regions?
Well… Not all of Canada is the Same age….
The longer the region has been around the longer it has been
effected by the forces of Erosion. Older Region = More Erosion
Your Text book compares the growth of Canada to
a Tree Trunk growing out from the center.
But Canada did not grow Evenly….
The Seven Land Form Regions of
Canada are…
The Canadian Shield
Characteristics
Formed by Volcanoes starting 3 billion years ago.
Igneous and Metamorphic Rock.
Glaciers = Billions of years of Erosion … they scraped
away much of the soil and marked the land with hollows
and depressions.
This created a land of lakes and
swamps some glacial lakes dried
up forming clay belts with good
soil.
Great-Lakes St. Lawrence
Lowlands
• A Low Lying Area
• Sedimentary Rock which eroded from the Canadian Shield.
• Rock is about half a billion years old.
Glaciers deposited a lot of soil
Glaciers scraped out large basins = Great Lakes.
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Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment formed because the escarpment is made
of hard Limestone rock surrounded by softer sedimentary stone like
Sandstone and Shale. Niagara Falls is an example of the
Escarpment.
The Appalachians
The mountains of the Appalachian region
began to form 250 million years ago
Plate movements forced Sedimentary
rock to fold upwards
Forces of Erosion ground the mountains
down to a fraction of their height and the
ocean has eroded the coast line forming
many natural harbors.
Interior Plains
Wide open area, with no Mountains and
few trees.
Mostly 200 million year old sedimentary rock.
Ancient sea beds.
Glaciers deposited very rich soil
Western Cordillera
• Igneous, Metamorphic
and Sedimentary rocks.
• Rocky Mountains
• Formed by Volcanos and
folding
• Interior Plateau
The Innuitians
Another Region formed the same way as the Appalachians and the
Rockies.
It is the middle child, older than the Rockies and younger than the
Appalachians.
Sedimentary Rock
Currently covered by Large Glaciers.
Arctic
Cold! The coldest day in Canada was at Pelly Bay, Nunavut. The
temperature with the wind chill was -91 Celsius.
Islands = Sedimentary Rock.
The land has been scraped bare by moving Ice = Erosion
Now we have examined Physical Characteristics and Climate but how does
it effect us?
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Rocks & Resources
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Population
the Canadian Shield
Few Major Cities
Hydroelectricity
Poor Soil, Coniferous Trees
Mining
the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence
Lowlands
Escarpment
Large Cities
Industrial Heartland
the Appalachians
Sedimentary Mountains
A few cities over 100’000
Many Natural Harbors
Interior Plains
Oil and Natural Gas
2 cities nearing 1 million
Farming
Flat Sedimentary Rock
Western Cordillera
Tourism
Large population in the
Victoria-Vancouver Area
Sedimentary Mountains
Igneous Mountains