LANDFORM CONNECTIONS North America is made up of three distinct types of landforms. The Canadian shield, lowlands and highlands.

1. The Canadian Shield: More than half of Canada is covered by the Canadian Shield, it also stretches into the Northern USA.

Most of the shield is relatively flat, because the ancient mountains which once existed here were eroded by glacial activity.

Glacial Activity?

The most common rocks are igneous and metamorphic, which contain great quantities of minerals such as gold, nickel, copper, etc. all good for mining. Even diamonds have been found and are commercially mined. Some of the oldest rocks in the world can be found here.

Granite rocks of the shield.

The towns in this region rely on recreation in the form of hunting, fishing, etc. to bring in tourist dollars. The fact that Hudson Bay is lower in elevation than the Shield around it creates the perfect conditions for hydro- electric power along its many rivers.

The Shield is not good for farming because of the thin, poor quality soils and its cool climate.

Formation of Minerals The minerals in the molten rock (magma), are forced up into cracks in the crust of the earth. The magma cools, and the minerals separate into layers based on their density.

2. The Lowlands The Lowland regions are areas of flat sedimentary rock. The typical landforms in these regions are plains - large flat areas. The three lowland areas of Canada are the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Interior Plains, and the Hudson Bay - Arctic Lowlands

The soft soil that covers most of Manitoba was created by erosion from Lake Agassiz: a sea that existed between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago When the sea went away, rich soil was left behind.

3. The Highlands The Highland regions are areas where the rock has been disturbed - by being raised by mountain building (folding, faulting, and volcanism) and lowered by erosion. The characteristics of the regions largely depend on their age. There are three main highland areas in Canada: The Appalachian Region, the Innuitian Mountains, and the Western Cordillera

Folding Folding happens when tectonic plates squeeze the land until it folds, creating mountains.

Faulting Faulting happens when one layer of rock is pushed under another, causing mountains to get pushed up.

Volcanism Volcanoes happen when pressure builds up in magma beneath the surface, pushing a mountain up until it pops

The Appalachian Region mountains have been heavily eroded, and are relatively short and rounded.

The Innuitian Mountains consist of middle-aged mountains; they have been less eroded than the Appalachians, and so they're higher.

The youngest, highest, and most jagged mountains are found in the Western Cordillera. This is an area of still active mountain building. This is where we find The Rocky Mountains.