Download Canada`s Landform Regions

Unit 2 Chapter 2
Canada’s Physical Geography
Canada’s Landform Regions
• Canada is so large that geographers have
divided it into eight different regions to make
it easier to study.
• A region is an area that is defined on the
basis of the presence or absence of certain
characteristics.
• Geographers classify landform regions
according to:
»
»
»
»
»
Age of rock
Type of rock
Relief
Gradient
Process that has shaped the area
The landform regions of Canada
Canadian Shield
• The rocks of the Canadian Shield are about
four billion years old.
• Throughout its history, the Shield has
undergone many changes.
• Most of the Shield has thin, acidic soils called
podzols.
• This region is mostly covered with coniferous
forests with a few area suited for agriculture.
• Covers Central Canada: Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, the
Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
Appalachian Mountains
• It is thought they were formed about 375 million
years ago when the North American Plate and
the Eurasian Plate collided during the formation
of the supercontinent Pangaea.
• These mountains have been worn down by ice
and water over the years. Their typical height is
1000 m.
• The vegetation is a mix of coniferous and
deciduous forest. With coniferous trees
populating the cooler north.
• The region covers most of Atlantic Canada.
Western Cordillera
• This region is made up of a series of parallel
mountain ranges – The Coast Mountains, the
Columbia Mountains, and the Rocky
Mountains, separated by extensive plateaus.
• The height of many of these mountains
reaches over 3000 m.
• The city of Vancouver is built on a large
delta, rich soils deposited by the Fraser River
as it empties into the ocean.
• This region includes British Columbia, Yukon
Territory, and part of Alberta.
Innuitian Mountains
• In the Far North, the Innuition Mountains
have rugged peaks that rise over 2000 m
with steep sided valleys.
• These mountains include Ellesmere
Island.
• They are younger than the Appalachians,
so erosion has not yet worn down their
summits.
• This area is too cold for trees to survive.
Arctic Lowlands
• To the south of the Innuitians are the Arctic
Lowlands, a region of upland plateau
surfaces and lowland plains.
• This is a region of tundra, and treeless
plain, with a cold, dry climate and poorly
drained soil.
• A short growing season allows for only
sparse vegetation of lichens and moss.
• Most of the Arctic Lowlands are located in
Nunavut.
Interior Plains
• Between the Shield and the Western
Cordillera is an extensive area of plain that
was created when island seas receded.
• Erosion carved out three prairie plains
separated by two long escarpments.
• In parts of the Plaines, the soil is more than
25 cm deep. This black earth is known as
chernozem, and is ideal for growing wheat.
• The Plains cover most of Alberta, and large
sections of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and
the Northwest Territories.
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
• To the south of the Shield, The Great
Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands is another
region of plain.
• When the Champlain Sea waters retreated
many years ago, the area was left nearly
level with an excellent base for the
formation of a fertile soil called brown
earth.
• The Lowlands stretch from southwestern
Ontario along the Great Lakes and the St.
Lawrence River to the mouth of the
Saguenay River in Quebec.
Hudson Bay Lowlands
• The Hudson Bay Lowlands region is a low
area within the Shield with accumulations of
Paleozoic rocks to a depth of 2000 m.
• The land is mainly flat and poorly drained
with recent coverings of materials from seas,
rivers, and glaciers.
• The soil in his area is generally a mix of
tundra and podzols, leading to the growth of
swamp forests.
• The Lowlands are located in northern Ontario
and Manitoba.