Physiographic Regions of the North By: Joon, Atcha, and Drew
The Physiographic Regions of the North There are 5 Physiographic Regions in the Canadian North. Innuitians Arctic Lowlands Canadian Shield Pacific Cordillera Interior Plains
The Innuitians Older than the Western Cordillera’s Mountains. Younger than the Shield’s Mountains. Formed by folding Mainly made of sedimentary rock (there is some igneous and metamorphic rock)
The Innuitians (continued) Mountain tops are not as jagged as the Rockies, but sharper than the shield. Features caused by erosion. Due to climate there is limited activity and human uses.
Arctic Lowlands Made up of the islands in the far north Mainly sedimentary rock. Ground remains frozen all year Poor for farming Gently rolling landscape
Arctic Lowlands (continued) Sedimentary rock contains lignite (coal). Also contains oil and natural gas deposits. Used for mining. Bedrock underneath soils are formed from sediments from the Shield.
Interior Plains Mainly Sedimentary rocks Digging for oil/ mining Glaciations (rolling hills) Wet climate soils Infertile soils from leaching (in the North) Minerals washed away by precipitation Boreal and Taiga forests Coniferous and some deciduous trees Spruce, pines, cedar, hemlock
Western Cordillera Rocky mountains Youngest mountain range Tall and rugged Sedimentary rock Rock was folded and faulted upwards Lakes (lorains)were formed by melted glaciers Complex soils in mountain ranges Many different varieties of soil types Cordilleran Vegetation Coniferous forests Meadows, flowers shrubs High altitudes - rocks, snow, ice - no vegetation Copper, silver mines
Canadian Shield Rock Type: Igneous Metamorphic Formed by: Molting/ Volcanism Topography + Soils: Valuable minerals (e g. lead, gold) Human uses: Recreation (Canoeing) Hydroelectricity Mining
Canadian Shield (continued) Characteristics: The oldest rock in Canada Formed lots of lakes and has disordered lands Infertile to farm Covered by a thin layer of soil, and the bedrock is visible in many places