Canada and the World’s Geologic Evolution
EARTHVIEW APP
Getting to know the APP:
1. The left side of the app shows a series of bright coloured rectangles. These
rectangles split up the last 540 million years into smaller more manageable chunks of
time called ________________. How many time periods are there? _____________
2. During each of these periods, major geological and biological events were occurring
on Earth. What popular creatures were around during the Jurassic time period?
_______________________. When did the Jurassic period end?____________________
3. The ruler beside the periods tells you how far into the past you are by scrolling the
grey circle downward.
When did the Cretaceous period start?________________________
When did the Cretaceous period end? ________________________
How long did it last? (do a little math) _________________________
4. Scroll the grey circle all the way to the bottom. How long was a day on Earth 540
million years ago?_______________________. This means the Earth actually rotated
______________ than it does today! Scroll it back to the top.
5. Center your map so that North and South America are visible. Slowly scroll back in
time to the end of the Cretaceous period. What direction (NSEW) did North America
move? ____________________________.
Press the play button at the bottom of the ruler and watch North America drift into its
current location.
With this information, describe which direction North America will drift in the next 5-10
million years:________________________________________________________________________
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6. Shift your view so that you can see the entire South Pole and Antarctica. Scroll the
grey circle all the way to the Cambrian period (540 mya). Press play and observe the
simulation.
Which 5 major cities were once located at the South Pole at some point in Earth’s
history?______________ _______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
7. Click on the view button along the bottom and turn on the layer “Geological Events”.
Describe the major geological event that occurred 300mya. (click on the word and it will
provide info)
Name of Event: ____________________________
Which two continents collided to form this “supercontinent”?
___________________________
_____________________________
Using the App to Understand Canada’s Geologic Past
There are 4 major geologic events that created the physical landscape of Canada that
we know today. These events occurred long ago but the evidence of each event still
exists today!
Formation of Canadian Shield (540 mya)
Find the Canadian Shield as it formed. What (present day) geographic areas did the
shield cover? Use specific provinces, states, countries!
______________________________________________________________________________
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Which 3 cities would have been located right on the shield if they existed back then?
__________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________
Formation of Appalachians (350-480 mya)
Scroll the grey circle to the 355 mya mark. Try to locate present day cities of North
America. You will notice a brown colour line that looks like a backwards C.
Which 3 Canadian provinces did the forming Appalachians cover 355 mya?
__________________________ ______________________________ _________________________
What do you expect these provinces to look like nowadays?
(flat? jagged mountains? rolling hills?) Explain your answer!
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Press play on the simulation and watch the Appalachians move to their present location
Formation of Prairies (80-105 mya)
Scroll to the Cretaceous period 85 mya. What covered central Canada during this time
period? _______________________________________. How many millions of years were the
prairies covered? _________________________. This occurrence is responsible for the
present day topography of the prairies.
Explain what the prairies look like today and relate it to the blanks above.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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Formation of Rockies (50-85 mya)
The Western Cordillera (all mountains on the west coast) formed around the same time
as the prairies. They are the youngest landforms in Canada. Scroll to their creation and
watch them form. Using plate tectonics terminology, describe what happened to create
the mountains.
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