1. The Physical Regions of Canada

2. Continental History
Two billion years ago all the continents were joined in a form known as Pangea.
Plate tectonics have moved the continents to where they are today.

3. The Physical Regions of Canada

4. The Physical Regions of Canada
There are seven major physical regions of Canada (We will be looking at only three)
Each region has distinct geological formations, landforms and climactic conditions .
The Three physical regions of Western Canada:
The Canadian Shield
The Interior Plains
Western Mountains (Cordillera)

5. The Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield was once a volcanic mountain range as high as the Himalayas.
Millions of years of weathering and erosion have wore it down into a landscape of exposed rocks and lakes.

6. The Canadian Shield
The Canadian shield stretches from the Arctic islands around Hudson bay to the Adirondack mountains in the United States, and across Labrador.

7. The Canadian Shield Originally it was made of igneous rock.
Igneous rock is formed by the solidification of molten material.
Over time, it has changed by heat and/or pressure into metamorphic rock.

8. The Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield is rich in minerals such as copper, gold, lead, and nickel.
The exposed rock makes the land unsuitable for agriculture and settlement.

9. The Interior Plains
It formed as eroded material from the Canadian Shield was deposited in layers.
These layers are generally horizontal and are sedimentary rock.

10. The Interior Plains
Stretches from the Canadian Shield to the Rocky Mountains, covering almost all of Alberta.

11. The Interior Plains
Millions of years ago, the Interior Plains had a tropical climate and it was covered by water, plants, and animals.
Over time, these deposits were compressed in layers of sedimentary rock to form rich deposits of fossil fuels and evaporites.

12. Terminology!
Fossil fuels are natural fuels formed by geological forces from the residue of living organisms.
Examples: oil and natural gas
Evaporites are a type of sedimentary rock that originates by the evaporation of sea water.
Example: potash.

13. The Western Mountains (Cordillera)

14. The Western Mountains The Western Mountains are a cordillera.
This means they are parallel mountain ranges, separated by a series of plateaus and valleys.
They were formed by tectonic plate collisions, causing the Earth’s crust to buckle, which lifted sections of it into the air.
Plateaus and valleys

15. The Western Mountains
Ranges from the Interior plains to the coast of B.C.

16. The Western Mountains
Tectonics also caused the terrain to form valleys, plateaus, and trenches.
Erosion from rivers and glaciers formed the jagged, rugged, and mountainous landscape we know today.

17. Western Mountains Follow these links
They will help you understand how plate tectonics works.

18. The Western Mountains

19. The Western Mountains
Sediments carried off by rivers (such as alluvium) formed fertile river valleys, such as the Fraser River Valley.
This region is rich in minerals, copper, gold, molybdenum, and coal.

20. Ancient State Canadian Shield Interior Plains Western Mountains
Volcanic
Mountains
• As high as the
Himalayas
• Igneous rock
Tropical
climate
• Covered by
water
Series of plates moving toward one another

21. Significant Changes Canadian Shield Interior Plains Western Mountains
Millions of
years of
weathering
and erosion
• Heat and
pressure
Eroded
material laid
down at edges
• Occasional
Flooding
• Deposits
compressed
Plate collision
• Pressure of
plate tectonics
• Erosion from
rivers and
glaciers

22. Results of Changes Canadian Shield Interior Plains Western Mountains
Worn down
into an
exposed
landscape of
rocks and lakes
• Changed to
metamorphic
rock
Flood deposits
of plants and
animals
• Deposits of
fossil fuels and
evaporites
Earth’s crust
buckled, lifted
into the air
• Valleys,
plateaus, and
Trenches
formed
• Fertile valleys

23. Appearance Today Canadian Shield Interior Plains Western Mountains
Hard, rigid,
exposed rocks
Horizontal
layers of
sedimentary
rock
• Flat and rolling
grasslands
Cordillera: a series of
parallel mountain ranges separated by a series of plateaus and
valleys