Download Landform Regions of Canada

Landform Regions of
Canada
An Overview
Canada’s Landforms



Canada is made up of three distinct landforms
– shield, highlands, lowlands.
There are 7 Landform Regions of Canada.
Where are we?
Canada’s Landform Regions







Great Lakes-St.Lawrence Lowlands
Canadian Shield
Appalachian Mountains
Arctic and Hudson Bay Lowlands
Innuitian Mountains
Interior Plains
Western Cordillera
The Canadian Shield



The foundation of Canada, which covers more
than half of Canada.
Some of the world’s oldest rocks are located in
the shield (3.96 billion years old)
Today the Canadian Shield is relatively flat
with rounded hills of rock.
Money from the Shield

Two types of rock form the shield:


The shield contains valuable minerals:


Igneous and Metamorphic
Lead, Gold, Nickel, Copper
Diamonds have also been found in the ancient
rock.
How did these minerals get there?



Mineral deposits were present in magma that
forced its way into the cracks of the shield.
As it cooled, the minerals were deposited into
these cracks.
This process deposited a wealth of minerals
which are the foundation of our northern
mining industry.
Mining Towns



Sudbury, Ontario
Thompson, Manitoba
Yellowknife, NWT.
They rely on the minerals of the shield to create
jobs and generate exports to be sent across
Canada and the World.
The Canadian Shield - continued




The shield is not well suited for farming
It is an ideal place for recreation because of the
scenic rivers, forests, waterfalls, lakes, and
rock outcrops.
The glaciers gouged out depressions in the
bedrock which created thousands of lakes.
The bedrock is impervious so the water stays.
The Lowlands


The bedrock under the lowlands is formed
mainly of sediments eroded from the Shield.
The sediments were laid down in the seas that
existed millions of years ago, and the
compression formed sedimentary rock.
Interior Plains



Part of the Great Plains of North America.
The inland seas that formed these contained
coral reefs, that eventually eroded away and
compressed deep below the surface.
These ancient reefs formed into the famous oil
and gas deposits of Alberta.
Interior Plains - continued



The differential erosion of the sedimentary
rock has created escarpment of hard to erode
material.
Glacial erosion created the many lakes across
the plains including Lake Winnipeg.
The soil that developed on the sediments is
very fertile and as a result the Prairies have
become our ‘breadbasket’, because of the
production of wheat.
Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands



This region consists of two parts that are
separated by a thin line of the Shield.
Similar to the Interior Plains, the inland seas
formed sedimentary rock.
The differential erosion can be seen at the
Niagara Escarpment.
Great Lakes



The Great Lakes portion was heavily affected
by glaciation. Evidence can be seen in the
rolling landscape.
The Great Lakes are located in basins that
were gouged out by glaciers.
The lakes used to be much bigger, and the old
shorelines can still be seen today.
St. Lawrence Lowlands




Formed by a rift valley that developed by
faulting.
The rift valley was flooded at the end of the last
ice age.
This landform region is great for agriculture
because of excellent soil and warm climate.
About 50% of Canada’s population lives in this
region, which comprises only 14% of Canada’s
area.
Hudson Bay – Arctic Lowlands




A very flat and low lying area of swamps.
The Arctic lowlands are made up of a series of
islands in Canada’s far north.
The harsh climate does not permit farming, as
the ground is permafrost.
The sedimentary rock contains coal, oil, and
natural gas deposits.
Appalachian Mountains





Stretch from Georgia to Newfoundland.
Oldest highland region in Canada, and millions
of years of erosion have reduced them to
rolling mountains and hills.
Glaciation played a big role in the erosion.
Drowned Coastline was formed when river
valleys were drowned by rising sea levels.
Major harbours were created by this.
Innuitian Mountains




They measure up to 2500 metres in height in
Canada’s far north.
Formed in the Mesozoic when the North
American Plate moved north.
They are younger than the Appalachians, so
erosion has not affected them as much.
These mountains are barren due to their
location above the tree line.
Western Cordillera




The great height and rugged appearance tell us
they are younger mountains.
Created by the collision of the North American
and Pacific plates.
They run in a north-south direction and present
a barrier for transportation.
The mountains contain many alpine glaciers
that are actively carving the ranges.
Western Cordillera

1.
There are three major mountain divisions:
Eastern Mountains

2.
Interior Plateaus

3.
Rocky Mountains and Columbia Mountains
Okanagan Valley – fruit basket of Canada
Coast Mountains

Many fjords formed after glaciation.
Western Cordillera


The continuous movement of the North
American and Pacific plate make the Coast
Mountain area the most active earthquake
centre of Canada.
In the past 70 years there have been more than
100 earthquakes.