Download Landforms - PP - Mr. Neuendorff

LANDFORM CONNECTIONS
North America is made up of three distinct types
of landforms. The Canadian shield, lowlands
and highlands.
1. The Canadian Shield:
• More than half of Canada is covered by
the Canadian Shield, it also stretches into
the Northern USA.
• Most of the shield is relatively flat,
because the ancient mountains which
once existed here were eroded by glacial
activity.
• The most common rocks are igneous and
metamorphic, which contain great
quantities of minerals such as gold, nickel,
copper, etc. suitable for mining. Even
diamonds have been found and are
commercially mined.
• Some of the oldest rocks in the world can
be found here.
Granite rocks of the shield.
• The towns in this region rely on recreation
in the form of hunting, fishing, etc. to bring
in tourist dollars. www.turtlebaylodge.ca/
• The fact that Hudson Bay is lower in
elevation than the Shield which surrounds
it creates the perfect conditions for hydroelectric power along its many rivers.
• The Shield is not suited for agriculture
because of the thin, poor quality soils and
its cool climate.
• Formation of Minerals –The minerals
present in the molten rock (magma), are
forced up into cracks in the crust of the
earth. The magma cools, and the
minerals separate into layers based on
their densities. This allows for efficient
mining of the various ores which we use
daily.
• See Fig. 10-3 on page 95, for a diagram.
2. The Lowlands
• The Lowland regions are areas of
undisturbed flat-lying sedimentary rock.
• The typical landforms in these regions are
plains - large flat areas.
• The three lowland areas of Canada are
the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands,
the Interior Plains, and the Hudson Bay Arctic Lowlands
•
• The soft soil that
covers most of
Manitoba was
created by
erosion from
Lake Agassiz: a
sea that existed
between 30,000
and 10,000
years ago
• When the sea
went away, rich
soil was left
behind.
3. The Highlands
• The Highland regions are areas where the rock has been
disturbed - by being raised by mountain building
(folding, faulting, and volcanism) and lowered by
erosion. The characteristics of the regions largely
depend on their age.
• There are three main highland areas in Canada: The
Appalachian Region, the Innuitian Mountains, and the
Western Cordillera
• The youngest, highest, and most jagged mountains are
found in the Western Cordillera. This is an area of still
active mountain building.
• The Appalachian Region
mountains have been heavily
eroded, and are relatively short
and rounded.
• The Innuitian Mountains consist of
middle-aged mountains; they have been
less eroded than the Appalachians, and so
they're higher.
• The youngest, highest, and most jagged
mountains are found in the Western Cordillera.
This is an area of still active mountain building.
This is where we find The Rocky Mountains.
What now?
• Draw the borders of the landforms of
Canada, and colour in the different regions
on a map (see page 6 of the atlas for help)
• Label the different regions
• Label the major cities with populations
over 500,000 (use your atlas to find them)