Landforms

Review- Rocks

• There are 4 different types of rock on/in the earth

• Magma• Igneous• Sedimentary• Metamorphic

Magma

• Formed in the mantle• Molten rock

Igneous Rock

•Formed by the cooling and hardening of Magma/Lava

Sedimentary Rock

• Formed by forces of erosion• Broken rock is buried or under water

• Intense weight compresses the sediment into the rock

Metamorphic Rock

- Created through great heat and pressure under the Earth’s surface

WHAT CAN CHANGE THE FACE OF A ROCK?

Erosion

• Erosion is one of the main forces that can destroy the landscape of an areaoThere are 3 main forces that can

physically break down rock Wind Water Ice

Wind

• Blows small pieces of rock or dirt around• These pieces can hit other rock, further eroding it

Water

• Various forms of water break down the landscape• Rain• Water falling• Waves

Ice

• When water freezes and turns into ice, it expands almost 10% Goes through the “freeze/thaw” cycle

Over millions of years various types of rock have formed; creating 7 distinct landform regions within Canada

Alberta

Nunavut

BritishColumbia Alberta Manitoba Quebec

Ontario

Northwest Territories

Canada

YukonTerritory

British Columbia

Whitehorse

YukonTerritory

Physical Regions

Western Cordillera

Interior Plains

Canadian Shield

Lowlands

Innuitians

Appalachia

Great Lakes -St. LawrenceLowlands

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Canada’s Landform Regions

The Canadian Shield

Size: covers almost ½ of Canada

How did it form?-Formed by volcanic eruptions over 3 billion years ago- erosion and glaciers caused mountains to flatten and lose most of its soil

What does it look like?- Large, smooth rock

formations, thousands of lakes and swamps

Main Type of Rock: Igneous

The Great Lakes- St. Lawrence Lowlands

Click icon to add clip artSize: smallest region

How did it form?- Sediments from the

eroded Canadian Shield built up in ancient seas and formed new land

What does it look like?- Low, fairly flat with some

hills- Covered with a rich layer

of soil

Rock type: majority is Sedimentary

The Appalachians

Size: majority of Eastern Canada

How did it form?- Plate movement

caused Sedimentary Rock on ocean floor to fold upwards to form mountains

- Erosion lowered mountains and flattened some areas

What does it look like?- Mountainous in

some areas with some flatter plains (rock)

Rock Type: mostly Sedimentary

Interior Plains

Size: Covers large area in the interior of Canada

How did it form?-sediments settled at

the bottom of inland seas

- When sea disappeared, it left a very flat area with thick, nutrient rich soil

What does it look like?- Very flat plains

Type of Rock: Sedimentary

Western Cordillera

What does it look like?- Sets of tall mountains

with a flat plateaus in between

Rock Type: all 3 types- igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic

Size: entire West Coast

How did it form?3 areas- Rocky Mountains-

plate movements folded the earth

- Coast Mountains- Volcanic eruptions

- Interior Plateau- formed from lava that flowed from the volcanoes

Hudson Bay and Arctic Lowlands

Size- large section of Northern Canada (territories)

How did it form?- Sedimentary rock left

from erosion and glacier scraping

What does it look like?- Bare rock with stony

areas

Type of Rock: Sedimentary

Innuitions

Size: Northern Canada, most of Nunavut’s northern islands

How did it form?- Folded sedimentary

rock from the ocean floor

What does it look like?-ice and snow covered

mountains

Rock Type: Sedimentary