Download The Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield
Pg 153 questions #1 a(2), b(3), c(2)
#3 a(2), b(4), c(2), and
organizer (10)
#1a) What types of rock make up the platform on
which most of the rest of Canada is built?
• The two main types of rock that make up the
platform on which most of the rest of Canada is
made are igneous and metamorphic rocks.
#1b) What is the topography of the Shield like?
The topography of the Shield has the following
characteristics;
-Low rounded hills that have been eroded by
glaciers
-Mainly coniferous (evergreen) forests
- Thin, not very fertile soils
- Many rock outcrops
- Many lakes and swampy areas
#1c) What geologic processes created this
topography?
Two geologic processes have created the
topography of the Shield, they are;
- Volcanic activity which created the
mountain range of the Shield.
- The many forms or erosion (temperature,
water, wind, plants, and ice) which have since
worn down the mountains of the ancient Shield.
#3a) Why is the Canadian Shield called Canada’s
storehouse of metallic minerals?
The Canadian Shield is referred to as Canada’s
storehouse of metallic minerals because it has
so many mining sites which yield minerals such
as;
Gold, silver, copper, nickel, zinc, and iron ore
These are present in large quantities because
the Shield is composed of volcanic (igneous)
rock.
#3b) Using your own words describe how mineral
deposits form.
• Metallic mineral deposits are created in two
ways;
Metallic minerals are dissolved
in magma coming from the
mantle.
The magma seeps into cracks in
the earth’s crust where it
cools.
As the magma cools the metallic
minerals solidify into seams
that run through the volcanic
rock, which is then mined.
Metallic minerals are dissolved in
super-heated in the earths crust.
The water seeps into cracks in the
earth’s crust where it cools.
As the water evaporates in the
lower pressures near the
surface, the metallic minerals
solidify into seams that run
through the volcanic rock,
which is then mined.
#3c) Why are nickel and copper often found
together?
• Nickel (8.91 g/cm3) and copper (8.96
g/cm3) are often found together because
they have similar densities and so they
solidify near each other in the seams of
the rock.
List at least five products and the raw material from
which they are made that come from the Shield.
Resource
Metallic mineral
(Gold, silver, copper, nickel, zinc, and iron
ore)
Diamonds (from the Ekati and other
diamond mines)
Product
Money, Jewellery, Steel products
etc…
Industrial tools (saws, drills), and
Jewellery
Water
Construction wood, Pulp and
Paper, Furniture
Recreation, Hydro-Electricity
Animals (Moose, Deer, Pike)
Food, recreation (fishing & hunting)
Rock
Decoration (granite counters),
construction (sand & gravel)
Trees (Spruce, Pine, and Cedar)