1. Unit 2: Chapter 2 (Canada’s Physical Landscape)
Grade 9 Social Studies
Unit 2: Chapter 2 (Canada’s Physical Landscape)

2. 2.1 – Building Landforms
Canada and the Earth have some of the oldest rocks, at about 4 billion years old
Over time layers in our earth formed with the denser materials settling in its core

3. 2.1 – Building Landforms There 4 layers of our earth:
Inner Core: at the centre, solid under extreme pressure
Outer Core: liquid, just above the inner core
Mantle: middle layer of the earth between the outer core and the crust
Crust: solid outer layer of the earth
Magma: molten rock that moves around in the mantle

4. 2.1 – Building Landforms
German Scientist Alfred Wegener discovered that our land masses used to all be connected over 100’s of millions of years ago
A supercontinent called Pangaea

5. 2.1 – Building Landforms
He discovered this by noting the eastern side of South America is similar to the Western side of Africa
From this observation, he developed the theory of continental drift (the movement of the earth’s plates)

6. 2.1 – Building Landforms
This means that the earth’s crust is divided into a number of plates (or sections) that move due to the slow moving currents in the mantle
The concept of this plate movement is called plate tectonics

7. 2.1 – Building Landforms
Canada is located on the North American Plate, moving away from the Eurasian Plate at 2-4cm per year along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Pacific Plate is moving upwards, thus creating a subduction zone, where one plate moves on top of another
This creates crust to move upward to produce mountains and volcanoes, or downward to produce trenches and rift valleys

8. 2.1 – Building Landforms
The heat of the earth’s interior creates convection currents in the mantle.
These currents are what causes the magma beneath the earth’s surface to break through as lava and Volcanic Ash

9. 2.1 – Building Landforms
There are 4 different ways that mountains are formed:
1. Mountains from Magma – magma rises from our earth’s mantle to create a large volcano

10. 2.1 – Building Landforms
2. Dome Mountains – magma rises and hardens over time to form a gradual mountain

11. 2.1 – Building Landforms
3. Fold Mountains – formed when one plate moves under another plate (called subduction), causing one to move and fold

12. 2.1 – Building Landforms
4. Fault Mountains – formed when a fault block is raised due to either plate separation (divergent) or plate compression (convergent)

13. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

14. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Landforms
Landforms are the topography, or natural features, of the land's surface.
Landscape is an area's landforms + its cover of vegetation, water, ice and rock

15. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Landforms
Topography may be described in the following terms:
Elevation (height above sea level)
Relief (difference in elevation between points on the surface)
Gradient (the steepness of slopes)
Geology (types of rocks and history of those rocks)
General Appearance (landform descriptions. Ex. Mountains may be young, sharp peaks and steep ridges; or old, rounded and worn down)

16. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Canada is so large that geographers divide it into regions to make it easier to study.
Geographers classify landforms based on a combination of characteristics:
age of rock
type of rock
relief
gradient
process that has shaped the area

17. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Canadian Shield
Age of Rock: about 4 billion years old
Type of Rock: varies - mountains, plains, much of which is now sediment and pushed around to other areas of N.A. through glaciers and plate movement. Soil is thin and acidic, good for forests, but not for agriculture except where deposits left by glaciers
Relief: varies from Appalachian Mountains to lowlands
Gradient: mainly flatter land
Process to shape area: moving water and ice through glaciers and plate movement
Area: parts of Sask., Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, NWT and Nunavut

18. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

19. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Appalachian Mountains
Age of Rock: Approx. 375 million years, N.A. and Eurasia plates collided
Type of Rock: Deposits in valleys have developed deep, fertile soils.
Relief: Typical mountain height about 1000m
Gradient: not steep, but low, rounded mountains and wide valleys
Process to shape area: worn down by ice and water with rolling hills and broad valleys
Area: Most of Atlantic Canada

20. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

21. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Western Cordillera
Age of Rock: formed during Cenozoic era
Type of Rock: many soils are rich and fertile due to sand and silt deposited by rivers, especially in delta areas
Relief: Many mountains over 3000m
Gradient: steep mountains (Coast, Columbia and Rocky Mountains)
Process to shape area: young mountains, steep, separated by plains.
Area: B.C., Yukon, part of Alberta

22. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

23. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Innuitian Mountains
Age of Rock: formed during Mesozoic era (younger than Appalachians)
Type of Rock: soil not great or fertile. Too cold in area for trees
Relief: Many mountains over 2000m
Gradient: rugged peaks with steep-sided mountains
Process to shape area: erosion has not yet worn down mountains.
Area: Far north areas of Canada, including Ellesmere island

24. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

25. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Arctic Lowlands
Age of Rock: Mesozoic Era
Type of Rock: upland plateaus and lowland plains
Relief: not far above sea level
Gradient: mainly treeless plains and tundra
Process to shape area: poorly drained soil
Area: Far north areas of Canada, south of the Innuitians

26. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

27. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Interior Plains
Age of Rock: early Paleozoic to Cenozoic Eras
Type of Rock: rich soil up to 25cm deep, ideal for wheat
Relief: varies, there are 3 plains areas carved out by erosion
Gradient: flat lands
Process to shape area: created when inland seas receded
Area: Most of Alberta, Sask, Manitoba and NWT (and south to the Gulf of Mexico)

28. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

29. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Hudson Bay Lowlands
Age of Rock: Paleozoic era
Type of Rock: Paleozoic rock to depths of 2000m
Relief: lower than Shield areas
Gradient: mainly flat and poorly drained
Process to shape area: poor drainage leads to swampy forests, tundra and bog (referred to as Muskeg)
Area: Within the Canadian Shield, areas of Northern Ont. and Manitoba

30. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

31. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
Age of Rock: formed in the Paleozoic era
Type of Rock: some volcanic and faulting action left fractures in crust, with harder rock types, but mainly sand and clay
Relief: lower than Shield areas, located south of the Shield
Gradient: nearly level with soil referred to as 'brown earth'
Process to shape area: was flooded by the Champlain Sea yrs ago, then drained, leaving good base for soil
Area: from Southwestern Ont. along the St. Lawrence River to the mouth of the Sagueny River in Quebec

32. 2.2 – Canada’s Landform Regions

33. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
Weather - The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, taking into account the:
temperature
moisture
wind velocity
Climate – the weather conditions over an extended period of time
snow and cold over the next six weeks of winter
Temperature – the weather conditions over a short period of time
25˚C over a 3 day weekend in July

34. 2.3 – Climate and Weather 7 Elements that effect Climate
1. Latitude - areas closer to the equator are warmer
2. Air Masses and Winds - tend to travel west to east because of prevailing westerly winds and a high jet stream (10 000m high and 400km/hr fast, wind that blows west to east across the Canada – US border)

35. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
There are 4 different air masses that flow over North America:
Maritime Tropical – warm water makes the air warm and moist
Maritime Polar - cold water makes the air cold and moist
Continental Arctic / Continental Polar – cold land makes the cold and dry
Continental Tropical – desert makes the air hot and dry

36. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
3. Ocean Currents - move immense amounts of heat around the world. The temperature of the current affects the air mass above it.
In Canada, the Gulf Stream brings warm currents and the Labrador Current brings cold currents off the East Coast; while the North Pacific Current brings warm currents and the Alaska Current brings cold currents to the West Coast of Canada

37. 2.3 – Climate and Weather 4. Clouds and Precipitation
Clouds are masses of suspended solid and liquid water particles may form when water vapour in the air cools below the temperature at which condensation occurs. This is called the dew point
Three types of precipitation:

38. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
Frontal – when one air mass displaced another

39. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
Convectional – vertical movement within a mass of air

40. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
Relief or orographic – moist air moves over a mountain barrier

41. 2.3 – Climate and Weather
5. Altitude - air temperature drops as altitude increases. The rate of change of temperature with elevation is called environmental lapse rate.
6. Bodies of Water - water heats up more slowly than land, but retains heat for longer periods
7. Mountain Barriers - mountains cause air masses to rise and cool. Precipitation therefore may start as rain but become snow over higher altitudes

42. 2.3 – Climate and Weather Climate regions in Canada
A) Tropical climate : Canada does not have any tropical climates
B) Dry Climate : evaporation and transpiration may exceed precipitation ( Lower Alberta/Sask. border)
C) Warm, Moist Climate: warm, humid, summers and mild winters (Southern coastal British Columbia)
D) Cool, Moist climate: 70% of the country
E) Polar Climate : Very cold and dry ( tundra zone & ice cap area)
*** Map of Page 39 of your text***

43. 2.3 – Climographs - Gander Month (Gdr) Jan Feb. Mar Apr May June July
Aug
Sept
Oct.
Nov
Dec
Temp.(°C) -8 -5 3 8 12 15 5 2
Precip. (mm)
105
100
110 95 80 85 75 90
115

44. 2.3 – Climographs - Calgary
Month (Cgy)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Temp.(°C)
-10 -9 -5 4 10 13 17 15 5 -2 -7
Precip. (mm) 20 25 35 50 90 60

45. Study Guide Test Format Important Information Monday, October 7th 2013
10 Multiple Choice Questions
10 Fill in the Blanks (word bank provided)
3 of 4 Short Answer Questions
1 Diagram Question
Important Information
Each student is required to know information from their notes, text and classroom conversations as well as all key definitions (notes and text)

46. Study Guide Key Points to Remember 2.1: Building Landforms
Age of rocks on the earth
4 layers of the earth (inner/outer/mantle/crust) + diagram
Alfred Wegener + how he discovered plate movement
Plates and plate tectonics (what plate we are a part of)
How plate tectonics is responsible for earthquakes and tsunami’s
How plate tectonics is responsible for how mountains are formed
4 ways mountains are formed (magma/dome/fold/fault)
2.2: Canada’s Landform Regions
General idea where each of the 8 regions are located on a map (pg 27 of text)
Able to name each of the 8 landform regions
Difference between landforms and landscape
Know basic information about each specifically the location of each in Canada

47. Study Guide 2.3: Climate and Weather
Difference between weather, temperature, and climate
7 elements that effect weather (latitude, winds, currents, clouds, altitude, bodies of water, mountains)
4 different air masses in Canada (mT, mP, cA&P, cT)
Which ocean currents bring cold and warm water to different parts of Canada
3 different types of cloud formation (frontal, convectional, orographic)
5 different climate regions in Canada (tropical, dry, moist, cool, polar)
Climographs (how to create one)