11) – CGC 1D1 NOTES: Canada’s Landform Regions
• are made from oceans, lakes, glaciation, folding,
faulting, erosion, and the deposition of soils and rocks.
• The oldest Landform Region in Canada – The_____________________is
4 Billion years old.
LANDFORMS:
-
are the
or natural features, of the land's surface.
is an area's landforms and its cover of vegetation, water, ice and rock
Topography may be described in the following terms:
Elevation
Relief
Gradient
Geology
General Appearance
Canada is so large that geographers divide it into regions to make it easier to study.
Geographers classify landforms based on a combination of characteristics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Questions to answer for each Landform Region:
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
1
CANADIAN SHIELD: PAGES
The core (geologically speaking) of the country is the
(or
)
Shield. This is the ancient hard rock (4 billion years old) and it is what all the other areas were created from.
-
and
make up the Shield and because it is so old it is
relatively flat
compared to other regions. It is often called the
of Canada's metallic
minerals (many deposits of lead, gold, nickel, copper
and zinc).
The area has been subjected to a number of major
or
. The
scraping and gouging action of the ice has left depressions in the bedrock which have filled with water to form
hundreds of thousands of lakes.
The soil is not good for
but is ideal for
rivers and vast forests. The
industry is very important for regions in the Southern
parts of the Shield with
,
, and
with its scenic
.
The
is impervious – water does not pass through it. The sand and gravels deposited
by the
(from the scraping and gouging) have forced the rivers to flow in
many different
directions – resulting in a very
disorganized pattern of winding rivers, lakes
and swamps.
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Candian Shield also known as When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
2
INTERIOR PLAINS: Pages Many people think of the
as flat, but for the most part they are composed of
rolling
hills and deep, wide valleys. Overall, the land
This is due to
from west to east.
, since harder and denser rocks erode more slowly than
the softer rocks and soil deposits.
The area was once covered by glacial seas (
they formed
) . After the sediments
Rock (
) creating oil deposits, as well as
potash and natural gas.
, that now make up very -
As the lakes from the glaciers receded they left behind
_
and
and is often know as:
soil. This region is excellent for growing
"
".
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Interior Plains
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
The GREAT LAKES/St. LAWRENCE LOWLANDS: Pages-
3
and
Made up of two parts: separated by thin wedge of
that jets across the St.
Lawrence River (near Kingston)
Made up of
rock (from the
era) - many areas of
differential
erosion
(Niagara Escarpment &
Niagara Falls.)
Great Lakes portion - formed from
gouging out the landscape leaving a rolling
landscape with flat plains, glacial hills (
&
) and deep river
valleys.
St. Lawrence Lowland portion - is a
created when the land between
dropped or sank down (
)
Due to
,
filled soils and
- The area is great for
agriculture.
Very
land - excellent for
(
% of Canada's population lives in the Great
Lakes-
St. Lawrence Lowlands, which only makes up
% of Canada's total land area)
Could be considered Canada's
and
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
1, HUDSON BAY/2, ARCTIC LOWLANDS: Pages4
heartland
1, Hudson Bay area is very flat, low area covered by
. The region has layers of
rock overtop of the ancient
.
In this region the swampy areas are called
– the water is often stagnant (never moving).
Several rivers meander through the area. The vegetation is mostly
and isolated
.
2, The Arctic Lowlands includes a group of Northern Islands with a gently rolling landscape.
Very harsh
does not permit
Sedimentary rock
formed in
(ground is frozen for most of year) era does contain some
.
(a poor quality of coal), oil
and natural gas deposits.
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Hudson Bay/Arctic Lowlands
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
HIGHLANDS:
Canada is surrounded by a
rim, also made up of, in part sediments from the
Shield. Unlike the lowland areas, the
rocks have been uplifted by
The highlands include:
5
forces.
: the
and the lowest Mountains
due to longer erosion
: of the very far north
: the
, and highest. This is actually a series of several different
ranges dominated by the famous
.
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS: Pageshighland region in North America formed at the end of
These mountains are made of mainly
Though there are areas where
rock (rich in deposits of non-metallic minerals [i.e. coal])
activity and
and metamorphic
era (300 million years ago).
have created igneous
(plateaus which consist of metallic minerals [i.e. Iron and zinc]).
Millions of years of
have reduced the once
peaks to
mountains and hills. More recent glaciations have added to the
leveling of these mountains. As the land sank
(due to the
provide deep
) long bays were created and now they
for ocean
and
have become the sites for major
cities.
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Appalachians
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
6
INNUITIAN MOUNTAINS: PagesFormed in
of the
era when the North American plate moved
northward.
Mainly composed of
rock.
than Appalachians, so they have not have been worn down as much.
landscape, covered by
and
resources have not been explored as the region is too
too much
to
snow.
, it would cost
.
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Innuitian Mountains
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
WESTERN CORDILLERA: PagesConsists of a range of
along the
separated by plateaus and
valleys.
7
Created when
plate
under the
plate, causing
a great deal of folding, faulting and volcanic activity.
Great
and
appearance means they are geologically young (
Era). Many people use the term ‘
the
are just a small part of the Western Cordillera. SEE FIG.
The mountains run in a
an
‘ to describe the Western Cordillera - but, in truth,
-
-
direction This creates a PROBLEM, all travel routes run in
direction so there are only a few
through the region. This makes the region lightly
Most people live in
and
or gaps to allow travel
.
or
towns
located in river valleys (__________
).
Many
created as glaciers scraped out
, and when the glaciers melted the
sea
the valleys. With this and the beautiful mountains the region thrives on
SECTION REVIEW QUESTIONS: Western Cordillera
When was it formed?
What is the geology of the area?
What does it look like?
How was it created?
Why is it important?
SUMMARY OF ERAS AND MAJOR EVENTS:
8
.
Ordovician
9
Many geological events occurring over hundreds of millions of years have created Canada's diverse landforms.
Canada could be described as a "
” surrounded by lowlands and then
highlands on three sides.
Profile of Southern Canada's Landform Regions
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
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11