Land Form Regions of Land Form Regions of CanadaCanada

Landform RegionsLandform Regions►Precambrian ShieldPrecambrian Shield►Great PlainsGreat Plains►Western CordilleraWestern Cordillera►Great Lakes / St. Lawrence LowlandsGreat Lakes / St. Lawrence Lowlands►AppalachiansAppalachians►Northern Mountains & LowlandsNorthern Mountains & Lowlands►Hudson Bay LowlandsHudson Bay Lowlands

Precambrian ShieldPrecambrian Shield

► Covers almost half of CanadaCovers almost half of Canada

►PrecambriaPrecambriann means that means that it was formed it was formed before the before the Cambrian Cambrian Period (600 Period (600 million years million years ago).ago).

► It is geologically It is geologically complex - it has seen complex - it has seen cycles of mountain cycles of mountain building and erosion, building and erosion, repeated repeated faultingfaulting, , foldingfolding and and volcanismvolcanism..

► Today the area has Today the area has been reduced to a been reduced to a peneplainpeneplain (almost a (almost a plain). Elevations plain). Elevations seldom exceed seldom exceed 600m.600m.

► The The Canadian Canadian Shield is Shield is known as known as ““Canada’s Canada’s Mineral Mineral StorehouseStorehouse”. ”.

► It is rich in It is rich in gold, copper, gold, copper, nickel, lead, nickel, lead, zinc, iron & zinc, iron & other metals.other metals.

Great PlainsGreat Plains►The The

plains plains were were formeformed after d after the the PrecaPrecambrian mbrian shieldshield

►Shallow seas, Shallow seas, full of hard-full of hard-shelled sea life, shelled sea life, invaded North invaded North America during America during the early eras. the early eras.

►The shells The shells formed thick formed thick strata of strata of limestone & limestone & chalk.chalk.

►Material from Material from both the Shield both the Shield and later the and later the Western Western Cordillera eroded, Cordillera eroded, adding to the adding to the rock layers of the rock layers of the plains.plains.

►The plains are not completely flat. They The plains are not completely flat. They are divided into Three Prairie Levels. The are divided into Three Prairie Levels. The Manitoba EscarpmentManitoba Escarpment separates the 1st separates the 1st and 2nd Prairie Levels. The 3rd Prairie and 2nd Prairie Levels. The 3rd Prairie Level was protected by a tough cap rock. Level was protected by a tough cap rock.

► The The Missouri Missouri Coteau Coteau EscarpmentEscarpment is is less distinct - like less distinct - like a row of hills.a row of hills.

Other relief features:Other relief features:► deep valleys cut by deep valleys cut by

riversrivers► scattered moraines scattered moraines

(glacial features) from (glacial features) from the last ice age.the last ice age.

► AridArid badlands of Alberta of Alberta► Foothills at the Foothills at the

Cordillera edge Cordillera edge ► Cyprus HillsCyprus Hills across across

the Alberta - the Alberta - Saskatchewan border.Saskatchewan border.

►Oil & gas have Oil & gas have collected in the collected in the porous sedimentary porous sedimentary rocks.rocks.

► Rich soils developed Rich soils developed as a result of glacial as a result of glacial deposits.deposits.

Western CordilleraWestern Cordillera► The highest & most The highest & most

rugged landscape of rugged landscape of Canada. Canada.

► The mountains The mountains formed when the formed when the Pacific PlatePacific Plate was was subducted under subducted under the the North American North American PlatePlate about 65 about 65 million years ago.million years ago.

Cross Section of the Western Cross Section of the Western CordilleraCordillera

Coastal Mountains

Eastern Mountains

InteriorPlateau

VancouverIslandPacific Ocean

Fraser

River Valley

Rocky Mountains

Mainland or Coastal Mountains

Columbian Mountains

Rocky Mountain Trench

Strait of Georgia

► British Columbia consists British Columbia consists of a large of a large interior plateauinterior plateau in between two mountain in between two mountain ranges. ranges.

► Both ranges are further Both ranges are further divided by deep trenches.divided by deep trenches.

► The Interior Plateau The Interior Plateau resembles areas of high resembles areas of high hills or low mountains. hills or low mountains.

►Glaciers & rivers have cut Glaciers & rivers have cut deep into the land leaving deep into the land leaving deposits great for farming.deposits great for farming.

The Eastern MountainsThe Eastern Mountains► The The Rocky Mountain TrenchRocky Mountain Trench divides the divides the

Eastern Mountains into the Eastern Mountains into the RockiesRockies (east) & (east) & the the Columbian MountainsColumbian Mountains (west). (west).

► Formed mostly of folded sedimentary rock, Formed mostly of folded sedimentary rock, some of which are rich in fossils.some of which are rich in fossils.

►The The Columbian Columbian Mountains are Mountains are older and older and more faulted / more faulted / metamorphosmetamorphoseded►The highest The highest peak is peak is Mount Mount RobsonRobson at at 3954m.3954m.

The Coastal MountainsThe Coastal Mountains► Also split in two by a trench (filled by the Also split in two by a trench (filled by the Strait of Strait of

GeorgiaGeorgia) ) ►On the west are the On the west are the off shore islandsoff shore islands & on the & on the

east are the east are the mainland mountainsmainland mountains along the coast. along the coast. ► The highest peak in The highest peak in Mount LoganMount Logan (Yukon) at (Yukon) at

5951m.5951m.

Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Great Lakes & St. Lawrence LowlandsLowlands

► The The landscape landscape is very is very favorable favorable for for agriculture agriculture & & settlement.settlement.

► The area was The area was submerged by inland submerged by inland seas. seas.

► Sediments were Sediments were deposited on it from deposited on it from the shield & the the shield & the Appalachians. Appalachians.

►When the seas When the seas drained away they drained away they left a varied strata of left a varied strata of limestones, limestones, sandstones and sandstones and shales.shales.

►The The Niagara EscarpmentNiagara Escarpment was formed was formed when the soft material was eroded north when the soft material was eroded north and east of the tough and east of the tough Lockport DolomiteLockport Dolomite. .

Niagara Escarpment

Grimsby, Ontario

►The Niagara River flows over the cap The Niagara River flows over the cap rock forming the famous rock forming the famous Niagara Falls..

►Glacial ice scoured Glacial ice scoured deepened the Great deepened the Great Lakes. Lakes.

►Melt waters at the Melt waters at the end of the last ice end of the last ice age caused the age caused the lakes to overflow.lakes to overflow.

►As the ice melted As the ice melted and the area and the area became covered became covered by a by a ground ground morainemoraine - a - a postglacial postglacial blanket of blanket of material.material.

►The The Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence LowlandsLowlands has a different has a different top layer of sediment. top layer of sediment.

►As the ice melted the As the ice melted the water rushed inland water rushed inland forming the forming the Champlain Champlain SeaSea. .

►Over time the land Over time the land rebounded forcing the rebounded forcing the water off & leaving water off & leaving marine deposits and rich marine deposits and rich soils.soils.

AppalachiansAppalachians►The St. Lawrence Lowlands & the The St. Lawrence Lowlands & the

Appalachian Mountains are separated Appalachian Mountains are separated by a fault line called by a fault line called Logan’s LineLogan’s Line..

► Appalachians are Appalachians are the remains of an the remains of an ancient mountain ancient mountain chain.chain.

► Formed by the Formed by the collision of the collision of the North American North American PlatePlate & & Eurasian Eurasian PlatePlate 200 million 200 million years ago. years ago.

► After the collision After the collision volcanoes erupted, volcanoes erupted, magma intruded magma intruded and faults occurred.and faults occurred.

►Millions of Millions of years of years of erosionerosion has has greatly greatly changed changed the original the original mountain mountain formation.formation.

►The last ice age The last ice age scoured the scoured the landscape, landscape, formed glacial formed glacial valleys & valleys & deposited glacial deposited glacial moraines.moraines.

►Mount CarletonMount Carleton – – the highest point in the highest point in NB (about 820m)NB (about 820m)

►The highest point is The highest point is Mt. Jacques CartierMt. Jacques Cartier at 1260m.at 1260m.

Northern Mountains & Northern Mountains & LowlandsLowlands

► The Northern The Northern Mountains of Mountains of the Arctic the Arctic Archipelago Archipelago Islands formed Islands formed mostly from mostly from folding & folding & faulting faulting processes.processes.

►The The highest highest peak is peak is Barbeau Barbeau PeakPeak at at 2616m.2616m.

Hudson Bay LowlandsHudson Bay Lowlands► The shield is The shield is

shaped like a shaped like a saucer. The saucer. The numerous lakes numerous lakes & rivers tend to & rivers tend to drain toward the drain toward the Hudson Bay.Hudson Bay.

►The lowlands The lowlands are divided into are divided into two areas - the two areas - the Hudson Bay Hudson Bay lowlandslowlands and and the the Southern Southern Islands of the Islands of the Arctic Arctic Archipelago.Archipelago.