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Canadian Landforms

Canadian Landforms. Types of Landforms. Canada is made up of three distinct types of landforms: The Canadian Shield Lowlands Highlands. The Lowlands. There are three lowland regions surrounding the Shield: The Interior Plains The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands

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Canadian Landforms

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  1. Canadian Landforms

  2. Types of Landforms • Canada is made up of three distinct types of landforms: • The Canadian Shield • Lowlands • Highlands

  3. The Lowlands • There are three lowland regions surrounding the Shield: • The Interior Plains • The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands • Hudson Bay-Arctic Lowlands

  4. The Lowlands • An area of land that is low in relation to the surrounding country. • The bedrock under these lowland is formed mainly of sediments eroded from the Shield • As rock particles collected, the weight of the upper layers compressed the lower layers into sedimentary rocks

  5. Interior Plains • It is found in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

  6. The Interior Plains • During the Paleozoic era, sediments that eroded from the Shield and the Rocky Mountains were deposited • Part of the sedimentary rock consisted of coral reefs • Today, the reefs are thousands of metres below the surface of the land and contain much of the oil and gas found in Alberta and Saskatchewan

  7. The Interior Plains • During the Mesozoic era, shallow seas covered the region of Saskatchewan • When the seas evaporated, thick layers • of mineral deposits were left behind • Potash is mined from these layers and used as fertilizer in Canada and overseas • The swamps on the edges of these ancient seas produced plants that were changed eventually into coal, which is mined today

  8. The Interior Plains • Erosion shaped the surface of the landscape • the Interior Plains are mainly flat, but the landscape is also composed of some rolling hills, and deep, wide river valleys • Overall, the land slopes gently downward from west to east

  9. The Interior Plains • Glaciation also shaped the landscape • Glaciers left deposits that produced rounded, gently, rolling landscape • Glaciers melted and formed a large lake over much of what is now southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but as land rose, it drained into the ocean • Small portions of the lake remain today, known as Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba,

  10. The Interior Plains • The soil that developed on these sediments is deep and fertile • Grain is grown in many parts of the Interior Plains - it is known as Canada’s “breadbasket” • So much wheat is grown here • Cattle is raised in places where the climate is too dry for crops

  11. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands • It is the smallest region in Canada • The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands is located at the southern regions of Ontario and Quebec. It extends from Quebec City, to Windsor, ON.

  12. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands • Sedimentary rock formed here from the Paleozoic era • The Niagara Escarpment is best known in this region. It was formed by differential erosion (different rates of erosion cause different levels of elevation)

  13. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands • In the Great Lakes portion of the lowlands, glaciation created rolling landscapes • While glaciers carried huge amounts of material from the Shield, flat plains with glacial hills and deep river valleys were formed

  14. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands • Glaciers gouged out The Great Lakes • The lakes were larger then than they are now because of the enormous volume of water from the melting glaciers • The meltwater drained into the ocean

  15. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands • The St. Lawrence Lowland was formed by a rift valley (tensional forces cause the earth’s plate to split apart. The centre block will drop down, forming steep walls)

  16. Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands • It is well-suited to agriculture because ot its excellent soils and warm climate • The flat land is ideal for transportation routes and development of cities • Canada’s two largest cities, Toronto and Montréal are located here • It is best known as Canada’s industrial and urban heartland

  17. Hudson Bay - Arctic Lowlands • Flat, low area covered by swampy forest • The waters of Hudson Bay covered much of this lowland at the end of the last Ice Age • Has a layer of sedimentary rock

  18. Hudson Bay - Arctic Lowlands • Made up of a series of islands located in the far north • Have gently rolling hills and low elevations • Contains a great deal of swamps with poor drainage • Harsh climate does not permit farming - the ground remains frozen most of the year • Oil, natural gas and lignite ( form of coal) is deposited here

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