Transcript The Canadian Shield - Mrs. Howe's Geography Website

Canada’s Physical Geography
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Canada’s physical geography is as
diverse as any country in the world!
There are 3 major landform types
found in Canada. They are:
• The SHIELD
• The LOWLANDS
• The HIGHLANDS
The Canadian Shield
Lakes, rocks, and forests…
Where is the Canadian Shield?
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The Shield is Canada’s largest
landform region… by far.
The Canadian Shield
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Formed 4 billion years
ago by volcanism;
magma cooled and
became IGNEOUS
rock (granite)
While the magma
cooled, metallic
minerals seeped into
cracks; these metals
are part of Canada’s
mining industry
(nickel, gold, silver)
The Canadian Shield
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The Shield has been
eroding for billions of
years by wind, rain,
rivers, glaciers and
other weathering
processes
Today, the Shield is
mainly flat and rocky
with lakes filling holes
carved out by
glaciers;
The Canadian Shield
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glaciers scraped away
much of the soil; soils
are thin and the
granite is exposed; as
a result, farming does
not occur on the
Shield.
The Shield is covered
by coniferous forests
(pine, spruce, cedar)
which can survive the
cold, harsh climate
and thin soils.
The Canadian Shield
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Major industries:
• Mining towns
(Sudbury– nickel)
• Forestry towns
(Kirkland Lake)
• Pulp and paper
towns
(Ottawa-Hull)
The Canadian Shield
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Due to the wide
network of lakes
and rivers on the
Shield, another
major industry is
the production of
hydroelectric
power;
Rivers are dammed
to produce 60% of
Canada’s electricity
The Lowlands
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Sedimentary rocks, thick soils, and cities…
The Lowland Regions
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Made up of 2 major
regions:
• Great Lakes/St.
Lawrence lowlands
• Interior plains (the
“prairies”)
• Plus the Hudson Bay/
Arctic Lowlands
Where are the Lowlands?
Interior
Hudson Bay
Lowlands
Plains
Great
Lakes- St.
Lawrence
Lowlands
The Lowland Regions
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The erosion of the
Canadian Shield and
the Highlands created
layers of sediment
that settled in shallow
tropical seas; over
millions of years,
sedimentary rock
formed.
Within the layers of
sediment, dead
organisms (plants and
animals) became
trapped and fossilized
The Lowlands– Interior Plains
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Characterized by generally flat
but rolling landscape;
Thick, fertile soils covered by
grassland;
Fossilized remains of ancient
coral reefs, trapped in the
sedimentary rock, transformed
over millions of years into oil
and gas deposits;
The Lowlands– Interior Plains
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Important to Canada
because of:
• Agriculture
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Wheat
Cattle
• Oil and gas
The Lowlands– Interior Plains
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Even though the land
is relatively flat, there
are a series of
escarpments created
by the differential
erosion of glaciers
Escarpments form
when a harder rock
layer that overlays a
softer layer resists
erosion
The Lowlands– Great Lakes/St
Lawrence Lowlands
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Gently rolling hills covered with
mixed forest (deciduous and
coniferous trees);
Thick, fertile soils used for
farming (especially tender fruit
crops on the Niagara
Escarpment);
Dominated by URBANIZATION;
Location of Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence River Basin;
The Lowlands– Great Lakes/St
Lawrence Lowlands
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The Great Lakes
are located in
basins that were
gouged out by
glaciers; when the
glaciers melted,
they left huge
lakes (even bigger
than they are
today!)
The Lowlands– Great Lakes/St
Lawrence Lowlands
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This region is the
most southerly
region in Canada;
It is well suited to
farming because of
its excellent soils
and warm climate;
The Lowlands– Great Lakes/St
Lawrence Lowlands
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The Niagara
Escarpment:
• Formed by differential
erosion;
• World famous for
grapes that make wine;
other tender fruit crops
include peaches and
cherries;
• Lake Ontario keeps the
vineyards cool in the
summer and warmer in
the winter;
• Niagara Falls produces
a significant amount of
hydroelectric power;
The Lowlands– Great Lakes/St
Lawrence Lowlands
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50% of Canada’s
population lives in the
Great Lakes/St
Lawrence lowlands even
though it’s only 1.4% of
Canada’s land area;
The region is dominated
by CITIES– including
Canada’s 2 largest cities
(Toronto & Montreal);
The region is Canada’s
manufacturing centre;
70% of Canada’s
manufacturing industries
are located here;
Toronto
Montreal
The Lowlands– Hudson Bay/ Arctic
Lowlands
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This region is located
around the
southwestern shore of
Hudson Bay;
It is a flat, low area
covered by swampy
forest;
The harsh climate
does not permit
farming; a lot of the
soil is permafrost
(permanently frozen);
The Highlands
The Appalachians
The Innuitians
The Rockies
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Mountains, glaciers,
and more mountains!
Where are the Highlands located?
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EAST of the Shield
and Lowlands:
Appalachians
WEST of the Shield
and Lowlands:
Western Cordillera
NORTH of the Shield
and Lowlands:
Innuitians
The Highlands-- Appalachians
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North America’s oldest mountain range–
300 million years old!
Sedimentary rock was uplifted and
folded when the North American plate
collided with Europe and northern
Africa;
Millions of years of EROSION have made
these mountains more like rounded,
rolling hills;
The Highlands-- Appalachians
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Sedimentary rocks are
surrounded by igneous and
metamorphic rocks
(formed by volcanism);
Sedimentary rock layers
are rich in layers of coal;
coal mining is a major
industry in the
Appalachians;
The region is home to
“drowned coastlines”–
excellent harbours for
large cities;
The Highlands-- Innuitians
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Canada’s huge
mountains in the
Arctic– formed 150
million years ago;
Contain some igneous
and metamorphic
rock, but are mostly
composed of folded
SEDIMENTARY rock;
Barren, treeless
mountains covered in
snow and icy glaciers;
Mining doesn’t occur
due to the remote
location in Canada’s
high Arctic;
The Highlands– Western Cordillera
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Canada’s youngest mountains–
approximately 100 million
years old;
Made up of 3 distinct mountain
ranges: Coast Mountains,
Columbia Mountains, and
Rocky Mountains;
Formed by the collision of the
Pacific plate and the North
American plate;
The folding, faulting, and
volcanic activity caused by the
collision resulted in the ranges
of the Western Cordillera;
The Highlands– Western Cordillera
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The north-south direction of the Western Cordillera
makes transportation from the east to the west
difficult; only a few mountain passes allow railways
and highways through the range;
The growth of the major cities in the region
(Vancouver & Victoria) are limited by the presence
of the mountains;
Most of the Western Cordillera is lightly populated
because it’s so mountainous;
The Highlands– Western Cordillera
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Outside of Vancouver &
Victoria, most people live in
farming and mining towns in
river valleys;
Mountain towns like Banff,
Lake Louise, or Jasper have
small populations but are
very important tourist
destinations;
Tourists come to see the
spectacular scenery and the
only remaining glaciers
south of the Arctic.
Canada’s Physiography
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Canada’s diversity
is found across the
3 landform types:
• Canadian Shield
• Lowlands
• Highlands
• WHAT A COUNTRY!