1. Canadian Geography 1202
Chapter 3 Landforms

2. General Information
1.Canada – has the largest coastline of any country in the world.
2. Canada has four basic types of landforms:
A. Canadian Shield
B. Interior Plains
C. Lowlands
D. Mountain Rim

3. 3. Canadian Shield
Shield is outlined in Red !!

4. Canadian Shield
- is the foundation of the Canadian land mass and is made of hard granite rock (bedrock) which contains some of the oldest rock in the world.

5. - The four eras of our geological past are:
A. Cenozoic
B. Mesozoic
C. Palaeozoic
D. Precambrian

6. Geologic Timeline

7. 4.a. Rock Cycle
Rock Cycle – is a group of changes . Igneous rock can change into sedimentary rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock into metamorphic or into igneous . Metamorphic into igneous or sedimentary rock.
A. Igneous Rock – is very hard , impervious rock formed from hot molten magma beneath the earth’s surface.

8. B. Sedimentary Rock – is rock composed of sediment , usually formed in layers.
C. Metamorphic Rock – is rock that has been transformed by heat or pressure beneath the earth’s surface.
- Most of the Canadian Shield is formed from hard igneous rock ( common type is granite .) Granite is an impervious rock meaning that water cannot pass through it.

9. 4.b. Composition of the Rock Cycle
A. Rocks are created from hot , melted magma that rises from beneath the earths crust.
B. Molten rock cools, hardens and forms igneous rock.
C. Igneous rock that is exposed to erosion and weathering is broken down into sediment.

10. D. Under great pressure this sediment sticks together and becomes sedimentary rock.
E. If sedimentary rock is exposed to heat and pressure it is transformed into metamorphic rock. This type of rock often contains many valuable mineral resources.

11. Rock Cycle

12. Rock Cycle

13. 5. Topographic maps: reading the landscape
A. Topographic map – is a map that uses grids and symbols to provide detailed information about human and physical features.

14. Topographic Map of St. John’s

15. B. Area symbols – are colored paterns that represent physical features
B. Area symbols – are colored paterns that represent physical features . Ex. Lakes and woods.

16. C. Line symbols – represent linear features like roads and railways.

17. D. Point symbols – represent specific features like bridges and buildings.

18. E. Easting – is a reference on a map , drawn vertically from north to south , identified by the numbers displayed from west to east across the map.
Eastings on the bottom (ex 47 and 48 )

19. F. Northing – is a series of reference lines on a map running east- west and identified by numbers increasing from south to north
Northing is on the side (ex. 98 and 99)

20. G. Grid Reference – is the co-ordinates of the easting and the northing that identify a specific point. The easting is always given first. (ex. 4798)

21. H. Four – figure grid reference – useful for identifying a large feature or a grid square. Ex. School 7332

22. I. Six – figure grid reference – useful for identifying a specific point.
Ex for the red square.

23. 6. Forces of Erosion
- The elevation ( height above sea level ) of the Canadian Shield was once greater than it is today. It was once over 6000m high.
- Today the elevation of the shield is between 300 – 500m. The Shield was subjected to erosion and was worn away until it became a stable landmass.

24. Erosion – is the gradual wearing down of land or rock by a variety of natural forces.
Forces of Erosion
A. Temperature – rocks expand with hot temperatures and contracts with cold temperatures. Constant change in temperature eventually weaken the rock , causing parts to break away into small pieces. (ex. Beach rocks in a beach fire )

25. B. Running Water – rainfall , running water and wave action eventually wear down the surface of the rock . As it weakens it begins to break away.

26. C. Ice – when water freezes in the cracks of rocks it expands , causing small pieces to break off. Glacial movement also wears away rock surfaces.

27. D. Wind - wind action carries away small particles of the rock surface
D. Wind - wind action carries away small particles of the rock surface . Small rock particles carried in the wind also cause other rock to brake away on impact.

28. E. Vegetation – when vegetation takes root in small cracks , rocks are weakened . Small pieces of rock gradually break away.

29. 7. The ICE Age
- a period in our geological history that started about 1 million years ago and lasted up until 10,000 years ago.
- during this period, massive ice sheets , some up to 3km thick , covered most of Canada
and the northern part of the United States.
- the force of the moving ice eroded parts of the landscape.

30. Terms
A. Glacier – is a massive ice sheet formed during the ice age.

31. B. Drumlin – is an oval shaped hummock or hill left behind by a melting sheet of ice.

32. C. Esker – is a long ridge of material deposited by a melt water stream, it can extend for hundreds of kilometers.

33. D. Moraine – is a hill formed along the edge of a glacier
D. Moraine – is a hill formed along the edge of a glacier . These would look similar to eskers but are actually formed in margins between glacial sheets.

34. 8. The Interior Plains
- As erosion wore away the Canadian Shield , the rock particles were carried westward and deposited in the Interior Plains causing the build-up of sedimentary rock.
- the rock layers of the Interior Plains contain valuable mineral resources as well as fossils.

35. Interior Plains

36. 9. Relief
A. Relief – is the shape , slope and altitude of the earth’s surface in relation to sea level.

37. B. Contour Lines – are lines on a topographic map that connect areas of the same elevation.

38. C. Contour lines reveal the shape of the landscape
- if lines are close together the land is steep
- if lines are far apart there is a gentle slope

39. D. Contour Interval – is the difference between one contour line and another. The contour interval is always constant on a map.

40. Contour Interval
What is the contour interval ?

41. E. Bench Mark – is the specific point locations on the earth for which the altitude above sea level has been determined . These are measuring points from which surveyors map the land.

42. 10. Scales on Topographic Maps
A. Scale is represented by a ratio scale.
Ratio Scale- is a ratio that indicates that the distance on the ground is a number of times greater than the same distance on a map.
Ex. 1:50,000 is the same as 1cm on the map equaling 50,000 cm on the ground.

43. B. Large Scale Maps - shows small areas
- they tend to show more detail
- 1:10,000 to 1: 1,000,000 is the range for the scale of large maps
- road maps are large scale maps

44. Large Scale Map

45. C. Small Scale Maps - show larger areas - show less detail
- 1: 1,000,000 to 1: 10,000,000 is the range for the scale of small scale maps
- a map of a country or a continent is a small scale map.

46. Small Scale Map

47. 11. The Lowlands There are three Lowland Regions in Canada
A. The Great Lakes – St. Lawerence
- is the smallest of the three regions (physically)
- often considered Canada’s heartland
- most densely populated region of Canada

48. - during the last Ice Age , sediments from the Canadian Shield were deposited in this region. Layers of limestone , sandstone and shale lie beneath the surface
- the movement of ice sheets carved out the areas that are now the Great Lakes
(originally they were much larger)
- millions of tons of till or glacial sediment were deposited in this region. This provided excellent conditions for farming.

50. B. The Hudson Bay
found south of Hudson Bay
flat layers of sedimentary rock rest on the Canadian Shield
many valuable mineral are found here.

51. C. The Arctic
- scattered among islands of the far north
- consists of sedimentary rock on top of the Canadian Shield
- many valuable mineral resources are found here
- ground remains frozen for much of the year.

52. 12. The Mountain Rim Formation of the Mountain Rim
- Approximately 2900 m below the surface of the earth is a hot form of semi-liquid rock that circulates in a process called convection.
- Over time, a pressure is created through this process of convection and the surface of the earth cracks and creates plates. These plates are free to slowly move in specific directions.

53. - If the plates move apart , magma or liquid rock moves to the surface , cools and forms new igneous rock.
- If the plates move toward each other they will scrape or push on top of each other. The lighter plate is usually forced up over the heavier one . This movement often results in the folding of the lighter plate. This creates Fold Mountains. They are easy to identify because of the huge (folds ) or ripples in the rock structure.

54. Fold Mountains

55. - When two plates come together and one plate that is pushed beneath the other, the lower plate will melt into the earth’s interior. The plate will be transformed into new metamorphic rock when it eventually rises and cools on the earth’s surface. This process is called subduction.

56. Subduction

57. 13. Landform Regions of the Mountain Rim
A. Western Cordillera
- Young fold mountains that were created about 65 million years ago.
- They were formed as a result of the collision of the American and Pacific Plates ( Refer to diagram pg.44. )
- many valuable minerals are found in these mountains

58. - They consist of three ranges of mountains , the Coastal Mountains , the Columbia Mountains, and the Rocky Mountains. They are located on the west coast of Canada in British Columbia and Alberta.

60. B. The Appalachians
- they contain one of the oldest mountain systems in Canada
- they were created when the American and European Plates collided about 300 million years ago
- because the mountains are so old , erosion has worn then down and today they are rarely higher than 500m above sea level

61. - Much of the landscape consists of smooth rolling hills and glacial valleys, some of which are excellent for farming
- In some places, the glaciers have cut deep into the valleys, creating fiords as the land plunges into the sea.
- The Appalachian Region is on the east coast of Canada.

62. C. The Innuitians - They are the least known mountains in Canada.
- They were created through the folding and faulting of the earth’s crust between 225 and 70 million years ago.
- They are located in the far north of Canada.