Download Canadian Shield

The Canadian ShieldLocation
The Canadian Shield is the
largest of Canada's 6
physical regions. This area
completely surrounds the
Hudson's Bay in the shape
of a horseshoe. It includes
the Northwest Territories,
Nunavut, Quebec, Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba,
Ontario and Newfoundland
and Labrador (Labrador
only).
The Canadian Shield- Location
• Only a few people live in the northern part
of the Canadian Shield. Most of the people
live in the southern central part.
The Canadian Shield-Landforms
• It mainly is rock that
was once mountains
millions of years
ago. Through the
process of erosion,
water, ice, glaciers
from the Ice Age, and
wind wore down this
rock so that it became
flatter.
The Canadian Shield-Landforms
• Over those millions of
years, rivers, rapids,
lakes and valleys
have been carved out
by the forces of
nature.
The Canadian Shield-Landforms
• When all of the erosion
was finished, the rock
was very close to the
surface. As a matter of
fact there isn’t a lot of
depth to the soil. Trees
like the fir, pine and
spruce love it here but the
shallowness of the soil
wouldn't work for plants
that have a deep root
system.
The Canadian Shield-Climate
• The Canadian Shield
is so large that the
climate is different
in areas at different
times of the year.
The Canadian Shield-Climate
• In the northern part
of the Canadian
Shield there is less
snow. Long cold
winters and short
cool summers are a
fact of life in this
area.
The Canadian Shield-Climate
•
The northern part of
the Shield gets only
about 45 centimeters of
precipitation each year
and is usually very cold
because of its location.
Much of the
precipitation falls as
snow but rain in the
summers is also
common.
The Canadian Shield-Climate
• Summers in the far
north are brief but the
days are very long.
Summer days are hot
and the nights are cool.
Summer months are
warm because of gulf
air. Long hours of
daylight make very hot
weather because the
sun is out longer.
The Canadian Shield-Climate
• The region has
warmer summers in
the south. Also during
the summer months,
warm gulf air and long
hours of daylight
produce very hot
weather.
The Canadian ShieldNatural Resources
• The Canadian Shield has many natural
resources. The northern section of the
Canadian Shield is very rocky meaning
there is very little or no farmland due to
this poor soil. Most people work in forestry
industries.
The Canadian ShieldNatural Resources
• Most of the cities and
towns in the
Canadian Shield are
close to mines and
paper mills.
The Canadian ShieldNatural Resources
• Furs - from fur
bearing animals
(hunting and trapping
is still a large
industry).
The Canadian ShieldNatural Resources
• Minerals - this makes
a lot of sense
because the Shield is
solid rock. Canadians
extract copper, gold,
nickel , zinc and lead
from this area.
The Canadian ShieldNatural Resources
• Forests are a natural
resource and are
linked to landforms
because the trees
root into rock and
grow well in the
Canadian Shield.
The Canadian ShieldNatural Resources
• Another important
natural resource of
this area is water.
One third of the
Canadian Shield is
covered in water.
The Canadian ShieldIndustry
• Hydro Electricity -Since the
Shield surrounds the Hudson's Bay and
there are many rivers in this area, a great
deal of electricity is generated for
Canadians as well as for our neighbors
the U.S.A.
The Canadian ShieldIndustry
• Forestry - remember
those fir, pine and
spruce trees. Some of
them are turned into
newspaper. It is really
cool to think that the
morning newspaper
that you've just read
began in the
Canadian Shield.
The Canadian ShieldIndustry
• Tourism - of course the
rugged beauty of the trees,
lakes, rivers, rapids and
valleys certainly leads to
recreation and
tourism. Many foreigners
view Canada as a place to
get back to nature - to get
away from the hustle and
bustle of the city. Well in
this case .... they are right!!!