Canada’s Landform Regions

Glacial Erosion

Landform Region Map

Canadian Shield Lake near Port Cartier, Quebec Rounded hills in the background

Canadian Shield Boulder field in the Northwest Territories More evidence of glaciation

Canadian Shield Exposed rock along the lakeshore Notice the scratches in the rock They were caused by glaciers

Canadian Shield A boulder in the Northwest Territories It was deposited here by a retreating glacier

Canadian Shield Exposed rock near Abitibi, Quebec The scratches are the result of a glacier

Canadian Shield Canada’s oldest and largest landform. Forms the foundation for the rest of Canada. Very thin acidic soil. Poor for agriculture. Shaped by erosion (glaciers and weather).

Appalachian Mountains

Bald Mountain NB Notice the rounded mountains

Appalachian Mountains Aspy Bay in Cape Breton

Appalachian Mountains Cape Breton Highlands The mountains have been flattened by erosion Erosion: soil and rock is moved by wind or water to a different location.

Appalachian Mountains Atlantic Canada Rounded Mountains through erosion Rolling Hills and Valleys Fertile soil. Good for farming

Western Cordillera Mountains of the Yukon Notice the jagged peaks If you looks carefully, you will also see glaciers

Western Cordillera One of the large glaciers found in the Yukon

Western Cordillera A glacier-fed lake in Jasper National Park in Alberta

Western Cordillera Jasper National Park The valley is U- shaped because it was carved by a glacier, not the river you see here

Western Cordillera The Coast Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop in this picture of North Vancouver, BC

Western Cordillera A series of parallel mountains Are considered young as they have not been effected by erosion Valleys are good for farming as soil has been put there through sedimentation Western side has huge timber where as the eastern side has much smaller trees.

Innuitian Mountains The dramatic cliffs of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

Innuitian Mountains A glacier and its melt water on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

Innuitian Mountains Red rocks and barren landscape on Melville Island Melville Island is divided between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories

Innuitian Mountains Due to their “young” age they have not been worn down through erosion. Rugged Peaks Approx 2000m in height The area is too cold for trees to survive.

Arctic Lowlands Tundra in Nunavut Notice the flat land and strewn rocks

Arctic Lowlands The flat, exposed land of Prince Patrick Island in the Northwest Territories

Arctic Lowlands Another image of Prince Patrick Island in the NWT The flat land allows melting water to cover a vast area

Arctic Lowlands South of the Innuitian Mountains Is a region of tundra and is treeless. Cold, dry and poorly drained soil. Sparse vegetation

Interior Plains Farmland near the Red River in Southern Manitoba

Interior Plains The meandering Red River in Southern Manitoba

Interior Plains The Cypress Hills in Southern Saskatchewan

Interior Plains The Qu’Appelle Valley in Southern Saskatchewan A rare change from the flat landscape in this region

Interior Plains Cows graze in a rocky field These rocks, deposited by glaciers, are called moraine

Interior Plains Located between Shield and Cordillera. Created by a dried up inland sea and through erosion In some areas the soil is very deep (black soil due to carbon content) and in others it is almost desert like Extends to the Gulf of Mexico

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands Typical farm in Ontario

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands The city of Toronto from the air Notice the lack of hills Also notice the smog

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands Farmland near Toronto

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands Southern Ontario from the air Notice the flat horizon

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands Located south of the shield (southern Ontario and Quebec) Good soil is a the result of flooding by the Champlain Sea that receded Experienced volcanic activity a long time ago Relatively flat.

Hudson Bay Lowlands A wetland known as a muskeg in Northern Manitoba

Hudson Bay Lowlands The watery terrain outside Churchill, Manitoba

Hudson Bay Lowlands The water-filled landscape near Fort Severn, Ontario

Hudson Bay Lowlands A forested bog outside Gilliam, Manitoba

Hudson Bay Lowlands North of the shield Some places rock is 2000m thick Poor drainage and flat terrain swamp like forests.