THE LANDFORM REGIONS OF CANADA

THE LANDFORM REGIONS OF CANADA

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

WESTERN CORDILLERA

Two major cities in the Western Cordillera are Vancouver and Victoria. The forestry/ paper industry is a huge economic factor in this region because of the large number of trees. A popular tourist industry is skiing, especially at Whistler Mountain.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

The paper and forestry industry causes the clear-cutting of trees. This destroys animal habitats and because the machinery used to cut the trees releases emissions and the fact that the trees can no longer take in the carbon dioxide, the air becomes polluted.

• Formed in the end of the Mesozoic era
• Made of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock
• There are three major divisions of the Cordillera: Eastern Mountains, Interior Plateaus, Coast Mountains
• Covers British Columbia, most of Yukon and parts of Alberta
• The land has lots of mountains which are separated by plateaus and valleys and narrow inlets called fjords
• Minerals in the land include iron, lead, zinc, silver, copper, nickel
• Vegetation includes evergreens ( Douglas fir, western red cedar), some shrubs and mosses at tops of mountains, but no evergreens in the south because there is less precipitation
• The land is used for farming, mining and fishing (salmon)
• This region is on the Pacific ocean and includes the Columbia River, Mckenzie River, Fraser River and Okanagan Lake

BY KIT R.

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

INNUITIAN MOUNTAINS

Two large cities in the Innutian Mountains are Pond Inlet and Alert. There are no economic activities that depend on the natural resources because of the cold, snowy weather and frozen soil. A tourist attraction is this region is hiking and snowshoeing on ice shelves.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

• Formed in the middle of the Mesozoic era
• Made of mostly sedimentary rock with some igneous and metamorphic rock
• Covers the northern most parts of Nunavut
• The land has mountains and is covered in ice and snow
• Coal, oil, gas, salt and potash can be found, but it is not extracted because this region is so far from other provinces and countries that the shipping would be too expensive for any buyer who could easily get it from somewhere closer
• Due to very harsh weather conditions, the land is barren ( although, some areas may have some mosses, lichen or small shrubs)
• The soil is hard and permafrost
• The land is too frozen and cold to be used
• This region is surrounded by Arctic ocean and includes the Baffin Bay and Perry Channel

A prevalent environmental issue in the Innuitian mountains is global warming. In this region, global warming causes the ice and snow to melt, which can drown animals and create floods.

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Two major cities in the Appalachian region are Fredericton, New Brunswick and St. John's, Newfoundland. Coal mining is a big economic activity in the region as it is found in the sedimentary rock. A popular tourist industry is hiking and other activities in the mountains.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

The coal extraction in this region causes an environmental problem. A method called "Mountaintop removal mining" is used to retrieve the coal. This method involves clear-cutting trees removing the topsoil from mountain sides. This method cuts down and kills plants, as well as increases the risk of landslides and floods because the roots of the trees and plants on the mountains are no longer holding down the soil and absorbing the water.

APPALACHIAN REGION

• Formed in the Paleozoic era ( the mountains were formed in the Cenozoic era)
• Mostly made of sedimentary and igneous rock with some metamorphic rock
• Covers Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec
• Land has rolling mountains and hills, wide glacial valleys
• The soil holds moisture (leaching)
• The soil is poor on the mountains and fertile in the river valleys
• Natural resources found in the sedimentary rock include coal, oil and gas. Salt and Potash is also found in this region
• Vegetation consists of both coniferous trees and deciduous trees ( maple and birch)
• The land is used for forestry, pastures and mining
• This region borders the Atlantic ocean and includes many rivers and streams and the Bay of Fundy

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

HUDSON BAY-ARCTIC LOWLANDS

Two major cities in the Hudson Bay-Arctic Lowlands are Churchill, Manitoba and Moosonee,Ontario. An important economic activity in this region is the mining of oil and gas. Also, an important tourist industry is skiing, which happens on the mountains in the region.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

• Formed in Paleozoic era
• Made of Sedimentary rock that sits on igneous rock
• In parts Ontario, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nunavut
• Arctic lowlands has a rolling landscape, mountains and thin permafrost soil
• Hudson Bay Lowlands is flat and swampy with waterlogged soil
• Natural resources include oil, lignite ( poor quality coal) and natural gas
• Swampy forests in Hudson Bay and mostly barren land in Arctic Lowlands ( however there are some mosses, lichen, and small shrubs)
• The land is used for oil and gas extraction
• Region includes James Bay and Hudson Bay ( deposited sand, silt and clay which eventually became the sedimentary rock)

The mining that happens in this region causes deforestation when trees are cut to make room for the mine. This deforestation is harmful for animals because it destroys their habitats. It's also harmful to humans because the air would be much more polluted. Trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, but if the trees are cut down, the air quality would be worsened

Thank you!

GREAT LAKES-ST. LAWRENCE LOWLANDS

• Created in the Paleozoic era
• Made of sedimentary rock
• Covers Northern tip of Ontario and a small part of Quebec
• It has a rolling landscapes, flat plains, glacial hills and deep river valleys
• Very fertile soil
• Minerals include copper, iron, silver, lead zinc, coal
• Lots of trees, both coniferous ( spruce, pine, fir, cedar) and deciduous ( maple, beech, hickory, oak , ash)
• Flat plains used for transportation routes
• Also lots of farming and mining
• Three of the great lakes are part of this landform
• Differential erosion created the Niagara escarpment

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Two major cities in the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Lowlands are Toronto and Montreal. An economic activity that relies on the natural resources is farming because of the very fertile soil in the region. Also, lots of tourists come to see the Niagara Escarpment or "Niagara Falls."

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

The flat land creates a great conditions for transport routes for cars and trucks. However, this is an environmental issue because all the cars and other vehicles in that region are polluting the air with the emissions from the vehicle. Air pollution is a health issue for all humans and animals who breath it in.

INTERIOR PLAINS

Copper

• Created in the Paleozoic era
• Made of sedimentary rock
• Is most of Alberta and in parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories
• During the Mesozoic era, shallow seas evaporated from Saskatchewan and left minerals behind, like Potash and coal
• Land has rolling hills, deep wide river valleys and the land slopes gently downward from west to east
• There are three different levels of elevation because of differential erosion ( rocks having different resistance to water and wind etc. so that some rocks erode more quickly than others)
• Soil is deep and fertile
• Lots of grain is grown, like wheat, barley oats and oil seeds like canola, sunflower and flax
• Land is used for lots of oil drilling, also agriculture and beef products (lots of cattle)
• This region is home to lakes created by the melting of the glacier such as Lake Manitoba, Lake Winnipegosis and Cedar Lake

The Seven Landform Regions

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Two major cities in the Interior Plains are Edmonton and Regina. The dried out sea beds that left minerals behind are now covered with new rock. This rock is mined for Potash, which is used for fertilizer, and coal, that is used for energy. Tourists visit the Interior Plains to take part in the product of all the cattle in the area: rodeos.

Environmental issue

A common environmental issue in the Interior Plains is oil spills caused by the frequent drilling and handling of oil. These spills can kill and harm animals if they are in contact with the oil. Also humans lose and waste oil, an expensive resource.

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Two major cities in the Canadian Shield are Ottawa and Quebec city. Because of the abundant lakes and other bodies of water, water powered energy (hydroelectricity) is an important economic activity. All the lakes bring tourists who come to fish, hunt and just view the beautiful bodies of water and vast forests.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE

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THE CANADIAN SHIELD

• Canadian Shield
• Interior Plains
• Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
• Hudson Bay-Arctic Lowlands
• Appalachian Region
• Innuitian Mountains
• Western Cordillera

Mine

An environmental issue in the Canadian Shield is that there is a lot of mining for minerals. Mines destroy animals habitats which harms animals as well as humans because some animals are left without a place to live and humans lose plants and trees which provide oxygen as well as resources. Also, the physical beauty of the land is worsened, which could decrease tourism.

• Created in the Precambrian era
• Made of mostly igneous, but some metamorphic rock
• Is most of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador and in parts of Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Nunavut
• Minerals found there include lead, gold, nickel, copper and zinc * There are no fossil fuels because the materials that create theses did not exist in the Precambrian era*
• Land is rocky and forested
• Soil is thin and acidic
• Vegetation consists of coniferous trees and evergreens, small flowers, moss, shrubs
• Land is used for mining, forestry and lots of water generated power
• Lots of rivers and thousands of lakes including Lake Athabasca, Great Slave Lake and Lake Winnipeg