Download Canadian Geography 1202 - Nova Central School District

Canadian
Geography 1202
Chapter 3 Landforms
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General Information
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1.Canada – has the largest coastline of any
country in the world.
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2. Canada has four basic types of landforms:
A. Canadian Shield
B. Interior Plains
C. Lowlands
D. Mountain Rim
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3. Canadian Shield
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Shield is outlined in Red !!
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Canadian Shield
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- is the foundation of the Canadian land
mass and is made of hard granite rock
(bedrock) which contains some of the
oldest rock in the world.
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- The four eras of our geological past are:
A. Cenozoic
 B. Mesozoic
 C. Palaeozoic
 D. Precambrian
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Geologic Timeline
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4.a. Rock Cycle
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Rock Cycle – is a group of changes . Igneous
rock can change into sedimentary rock or into
metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock into
metamorphic or into igneous . Metamorphic into
igneous or sedimentary rock.
A. Igneous Rock – is very hard , impervious
rock formed from hot molten magma beneath
the earth’s surface.
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B. Sedimentary Rock – is rock composed of
sediment , usually formed in layers.
C. Metamorphic Rock – is rock that has been
transformed by heat or pressure beneath the
earth’s surface.
- Most of the Canadian Shield is formed from
hard igneous rock ( common type is granite .)
Granite is an impervious rock meaning that
water cannot pass through it.
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4.b. Composition of the Rock Cycle
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Rock
A. Rocks are created from hot , melted magma
that rises from beneath the earths crust.
B. Molten rock cools, hardens and forms
igneous rock.
C. Igneous rock that is exposed to erosion and
weathering is broken down into sediment.
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D. Under great pressure this sediment
sticks together and becomes sedimentary
rock.
 E. If sedimentary rock is exposed to heat
and pressure it is transformed into
metamorphic rock. This type of rock
often contains many valuable mineral
resources.
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Rock Cycle
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Rock Cycle
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5. Topographic maps: reading the
landscape
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A. Topographic map – is a map that uses
grids and symbols to provide detailed
information about human and physical
features.
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Topographic Map of St. John’s
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B. Area symbols – are colored paterns that
represent physical features . Ex. Lakes
and woods.
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C. Line symbols – represent linear
features like roads and railways.
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D. Point symbols – represent specific
features like bridges and buildings.
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E. Easting – is a reference on a map ,
drawn vertically from north to south ,
identified by the numbers displayed from
west to east across the map.
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Eastings on the bottom (ex 47 and 48 )
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F. Northing – is a series of reference lines on a
map running east- west and identified by
numbers increasing from south to north
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Northing is on the side (ex. 98 and 99)
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G. Grid Reference – is the co-ordinates of
the easting and the northing that identify a
specific point. The easting is always given
first. (ex. 4798)
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H. Four – figure grid reference – useful for
identifying a large feature or a grid square.
Ex. School 7332
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I. Six – figure grid reference – useful for
identifying a specific point.
 Ex. 829 543 for the red square.
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6. Forces of Erosion
- The elevation ( height above sea level )
of the Canadian Shield was once greater
than it is today. It was once over 6000m
high.
 - Today the elevation of the shield is
between 300 – 500m. The Shield was
subjected to erosion and was worn away
until it became a stable landmass.
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Erosion – is the gradual wearing down of land
or rock by a variety of natural forces.
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Forces of Erosion
A. Temperature – rocks expand with hot
temperatures and contracts with cold
temperatures. Constant change in temperature
eventually weaken the rock , causing parts to
break away into small pieces. (ex. Beach rocks
in a beach fire )
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B. Running Water – rainfall , running
water and wave action eventually wear
down the surface of the rock . As it
weakens it begins to break away.
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C. Ice – when water freezes in the cracks
of rocks it expands , causing small pieces
to break off. Glacial movement also wears
away rock surfaces.
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D. Wind - wind action carries away small
particles of the rock surface . Small rock
particles carried in the wind also cause
other rock to brake away on impact.
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E. Vegetation – when vegetation takes
root in small cracks , rocks are weakened .
Small pieces of rock gradually break away.
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7. The ICE Age
- a period in our geological history that started
about 1 million years ago and lasted up until
10,000 years ago.
 - during this period, massive ice sheets , some
up to 3km thick , covered most of Canada
and the northern part of the United States.
- the force of the moving ice eroded parts of the
landscape.
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Terms
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A. Glacier – is a massive ice sheet formed
during the ice age.
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B. Drumlin – is an oval shaped hummock
or hill left behind by a melting sheet of ice.
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C. Esker – is a long ridge of material
deposited by a melt water stream, it can
extend for hundreds of kilometers.
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D. Moraine – is a hill formed along the
edge of a glacier . These would look
similar to eskers but are actually formed in
margins between glacial sheets.
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8. The Interior Plains
- As erosion wore away the Canadian
Shield , the rock particles were carried
westward and deposited in the Interior
Plains causing the build-up of sedimentary
rock.
 - the rock layers of the Interior Plains
contain valuable mineral resources as well
as fossils.
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Interior Plains
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9. Relief
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A. Relief – is the shape , slope and
altitude of the earth’s surface in relation to
sea level.
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B. Contour Lines – are lines on a
topographic map that connect areas of the
same elevation.
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C. Contour lines reveal the shape of the
landscape
 - if lines are close together the land is
steep
 - if lines are far apart there is a gentle
slope
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D. Contour Interval – is the difference
between one contour line and another.
The contour interval is always constant on
a map.
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Contour Interval
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What is the contour interval ?
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E. Bench Mark – is the specific point
locations on the earth for which the
altitude above sea level has been
determined . These are measuring points
from which surveyors map the land.
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10. Scales on Topographic Maps
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A. Scale is represented by a ratio scale.
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Ratio Scale- is a ratio that indicates that the
distance on the ground is a number of times
greater than the same distance on a map.
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Ex. 1:50,000 is the same as 1cm on the map
equaling 50,000 cm on the ground.
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B. Large Scale Maps
- shows small areas
 - they tend to show more detail
 - 1:10,000 to 1: 1,000,000 is the range for
the scale of large maps
 - road maps are large scale maps
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Large Scale Map
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C. Small Scale Maps
- show larger areas
 - show less detail
 - 1: 1,000,000 to 1: 10,000,000 is the
range for the scale of small scale maps
 - a map of a country or a continent is a
small scale map.
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Small Scale Map
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11. The Lowlands
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There are three Lowland Regions in Canada
A. The Great Lakes – St. Lawerence
- is the smallest of the three regions (physically)
- often considered Canada’s heartland
- most densely populated region of Canada
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- during the last Ice Age , sediments from the
Canadian Shield were deposited in this region.
Layers of limestone , sandstone and shale lie
beneath the surface
- the movement of ice sheets carved out the
areas that are now the Great Lakes
(originally they were much larger)
- millions of tons of till or glacial sediment were
deposited in this region. This provided excellent
conditions for farming.
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B. The Hudson Bay
- found south of Hudson Bay
- flat layers of sedimentary rock rest on the
Canadian Shield
- many valuable mineral are found here.
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C. The Arctic
- scattered among islands of the far north
- consists of sedimentary rock on top of the
Canadian Shield
- many valuable mineral resources are found
here
- ground remains frozen for much of the year.
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12. The Mountain Rim
Formation of the Mountain Rim
- Approximately 2900 m below the surface of the
earth is a hot form of semi-liquid rock that
circulates in a process called convection.
- Over time, a pressure is created through this
process of convection and the surface of the
earth cracks and creates plates. These plates
are free to slowly move in specific directions.
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- If the plates move apart , magma or liquid rock
moves to the surface , cools and forms new
igneous rock.
- If the plates move toward each other they will
scrape or push on top of each other. The lighter
plate is usually forced up over the heavier one .
This movement often results in the folding of the
lighter plate. This creates Fold Mountains. They
are easy to identify because of the huge (folds )
or ripples in the rock structure.
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Fold Mountains
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- When two plates come together and one
plate that is pushed beneath the other, the
lower plate will melt into the earth’s
interior. The plate will be transformed into
new metamorphic rock when it eventually
rises and cools on the earth’s surface.
This process is called subduction.
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Subduction
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13. Landform Regions of the
Mountain Rim
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A. Western Cordillera
- Young fold mountains that were created about
65 million years ago.
- They were formed as a result of the collision of
the American and Pacific Plates ( Refer to
diagram pg.44. )
- many valuable minerals are found in these
mountains
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- They consist of three ranges of
mountains , the Coastal Mountains , the
Columbia Mountains, and the Rocky
Mountains. They are located on the west
coast of Canada in British Columbia and
Alberta.
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B. The Appalachians
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- they contain one of the oldest mountain
systems in Canada
- they were created when the American and
European Plates collided about 300 million
years ago
- because the mountains are so old , erosion
has worn then down and today they are rarely
higher than 500m above sea level
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- Much of the landscape consists of smooth
rolling hills and glacial valleys, some of which
are excellent for farming
- In some places, the glaciers have cut deep
into the valleys, creating fiords as the land
plunges into the sea.
- The Appalachian Region is on the east coast
of Canada.
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C. The Innuitians
- They are the least known mountains in
Canada.
 - They were created through the folding
and faulting of the earth’s crust between
225 and 70 million years ago.
 - They are located in the far north of
Canada.
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