Landform Regions Assignment (CGC1D)

Landform Regions (from left to right)

-Cordillera

-Interior Plains

-Arctic Lands

-Canadian Shield

-Hudson Bay Lowlands

-St. Lawrence Lowlands

-Appalachian Region

Cordillera

The Cordillera Region spans across most of Western Canada's coastline. It covers the vast majority of British Columbia and the Yukon, edging into southwestern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This region started to form in the Mesozoic Era, approximately 65 million years ago, finishing in the current Cenozoic Era. It is the youngest out of all the Landform Regions. The formation of this region was caused when the Pacific and North American plates collided, sending the denser Pacific plate to become subducted underneath the North American plate. This caused folding and plenty of volcanic activity, which is one of the reasons why the Cordillera is a very mountainous area. The erupting volcanoes created many mountains along the coast, whereas more in-land mountains were formed due to the folding and faulting of the Pacific and North American plates. These mountains are a big part of the Cordillera's appearance. It is generally very mountainous, with deep green valleys, plateaus, and coastal islands to accompany that defining factor. The best time to visit the Cordillera would be mid to late-August, as the summer weather in B.C. is at it's peak and the Aurora Borealis is starting to become clearer.

Interior Plains

The Interior Plains are located in four provinces/territories. They span across the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, & Manitoba. It is divided into three sub-regions- the Alberta Plain, the Central Parkland, and the Alberta Plateau. They vary in elevation, climate, and natural resources. The Interior Plains as a whole consists of rolling landscapes of glacial deposits over near-horizontal bedrock, valleys occupied by rivers like the Assiniboine, and many other ponds and lakes. The area's climate is generally very dry, so the population mostly lives around these bodies of water. The Interior Plains were formed when cratons collided and welded together 1.8–1.9 billion years ago in the Trans-Hudson orogeny (which formed the Precambrian Shield)during the Paleoproterozoic Era. Sediments from the Canadian Shield and the Rocky Mountains were deposited into the shallow inland seas that often covered the Plains, eventually compressing due to weight above and turning into sedimentary rock. Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks now form the basement of the Interior Plains and make up the stable nucleus of North America. The Plains have relatively stable tectonic stability.

Arctic Lands

The Arctic Lands span across approximately half on Nunavut, edging into the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories. They cover 26 percent of Canada as a whole, including the Arctic Coastal Plains, Arctic Lowlands, and the Innuitian Region of the High Arctic. However, extensive areas of Subarctic Lands must also be recognized. Taken together, Canada's Arctic and Subarctic Lands comprise nearly 40–45 per cent of Canada's land surface. Lithology and geological structure shape the landscape immensely, composing of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock. The high elevation of the Arctic Lands makes for plenty of bedrock outcrops, while upland surfaces and upper valley-side slopes are covered by angular rock-rubble accumulations. As a contrast, areas of unconsolidated sediments from the Paleocene to Quaternary periods (65 million to 10,000 years ago) make for poorly drained lowland terrain. Other very distinctive landforms in the Arctic Lands are tundra polygons, which cover thousands of square kilometers, and pingos. There are over 1,500 pingos counted near the Mackenzie Delta. The Arctic Lands were formed when bedrock was formed by eroded material of the shield that was deposited by the seas, which covered parts of Canada. Those sediments were gradually compressed over time into rock. The lowlands formed when the weight of the glacier sunk the Canadian Shield, and the glaciers retreated.

Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield is the largest landform Region in Canada. It spans across northwestern Quebec, northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and the eastern Mackenzie districts in the Northwest Territories. The Canadian Shield is part of an ancient continent called Arctica, which was formed about 2.5 billion years ago during the Neoarchean era. It was made of Archaean cratons, including the Aldan and Anabar/Angara cratons in Siberia and the Slave, Wyoming, Superior, and North Atlantic cratons in North America. A volcanic eruption in the most recent Ice Age leveled the region out to what it looks like today. It is a collage of Archean plates, accreted juvenile arc terrains, and sedimentary basins of the Proterozoic Eon. The Shield was the first part of North America to be permanently elevated above sea level. It is known as the Earth's greatest area of exposed Archean rock. There are many low mountain ranges in the Shield, accompanied by other defining factors like thousands of lake basins, which were caused by continental ice depressing the land surface. Most of the mountainous ares of the Shield were formed over 300 000 000 years ago. The region is largely made up of some of the oldest rock, namely granite and gniess. It has many rolling hills, as well as rounded hills of rock that have been identified as ancient mountain roots.

Hudson Bay Lowlands

The Hudson's Bay Lowlands are a wetland encircled by the Canadian Shield. The landform region lies mostly within the province of Ontario, with smaller portions reaching into Manitoba and Quebec. The region was formed by the shifting of glaciers 7,500 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Bedrock for the Hudson Bay lowlands was formed by eroded material of the Canadian Shield that was deposited by the seas, which covered parts of Canada at the time. Those sediments were gradually compressed over time into rock. The lowlands formed when the weight of the glacier sunk the Canadian Shield, and the glaciers retreated. It is filled with many defining features, like vast wetland areas. A majority of the wetland is peat bog, although salt marshes occur along the coast, and marshes and wet meadows occur along the major rivers. The Hudson Bay Lowlands are also covered by a swampy forest and it’s vegetation includes bushes,trees that are spread apart, stunted tamarack, and black spruce. The soil is usually waterlogged. The area was covered in ice during the last ice age, and then flooded as the ice receded, leaving behind plains that are slowly rising out of the ocean due to post-glacial rebound.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands

The St.Lawrence Lowlands were formed almost 500 million years ago. It is a result of the last continental glaciation, marine submergence, emergence, and river erosion. There is evidence of weathering and deposition of river gravels as well, because of deposits exposed in valleys located in the region. The region is divided into two sections: Great Lakes Lowlands and the St. Lawrence Lowlands. The two lowlands are seperated by the thin wedge of the Canadian Shield that extends through the St. Lawrence River to the United States. There are many mountainous areas in the Lowlands, as well as valleys and hills. The St. Lawrence Lowlands house many attractions that are famous in Canada, like Niagara Falls, the Niagara Escarpment, and the Great Lakes.

Appalachian Region

The Appalachian Region spans across both Canada and the United States. In the Canadian part of the Region, it spans across the island of Newfoundland and Labrador, southeastern Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces. This landform region was formed approximately 480 million years ago during the Paleozoic Era, due to volcanic activity. The Appalachian Region is part of a range of mountains. The mountains are old, created long before the Rocky Mountains in western Canada. The Appalachian Mountains are an ancient chain that extends from the island of Newfoundland and Labrador south to the state of Alabama in the United States. The land in this region is generally hilly. Many of the mountains have been worn down by the glaciers and erosion. The highest mountains are the Shickshock Mountains found in the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. The Appalachian Mountains are composed of a range of sloping ridges, crests, valleys and forests.

Mount Logan, Yukon

Mount Logan is a naturally formed mountain in Yukon, part of the Western Cordillera. The Mount Logan we see today is surrounded by an ice field up to 300 m thick, but beneath it is mostly granitic rock. It cooled from a molten state about 153 million years ago, after intruding into sedimentary and volcanic rocks that formed about 270 million years ago. It is the tallest mountain in Canada. The mountain takes three weeks to climb and descend with a guide. It is 5,959 meters tall.

Cordillera

Mount Logan in the winter months.

Della Falls, British Columbia

Della Falls is a waterfall in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island and is among the tallest waterfalls in Canada. The only way to reach Della Falls, other than by helicopter, is by crossing the entire Great Central Lake by boat; the only road access to the lake is at the opposite side from Strathcona Park. After the 35 km (21 mi) crossing, there is a dock that marks the beginning of Strathcona Park, and a camping area which can be used as a base camp before trying the next 15 km (9 mi) ascent to the base of Della Falls.

Della Falls flowing over it's cliff.

Athabasca Glacier, Alberta

Interior Plains

The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The Icefield Interpretive Centre, closed during the winter (mid-October to mid-April), stands across from the glacier. It is used as a lodge and for ticket sales for sightseeing on the glacier. Standard buses transport tourists to the glacier edge, where they board specially designed snow coaches for transport over the steep grades, snow and ice part way up the glacier.

Athabasca Glacier warming up in spring.

Little Manitou Lake, Saskatchewan

Little Manitou Lake is a small saltwater lake about 120 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon, Canada. The lake was formed by receding glaciers during the most recent ice age. It is fed by underground springs, and has a mineral content high in sodium, magnesium and potassium salts due to it being a terminal lake.

Little Manitou Lake reflecting itself onto the water.

Beechey Island, Nunavut

Beechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada, in Wellington Channel. It is best known for containing the graves of three Franklin expedition members (see picture)- Petty Officer John Torrington, Royal Marine Private William Braine, and Able Seaman John Hartnell- first discovered in 1850 by searchers for the expedition.

Arctic Lands

The deserted graves of Franklin expedition crew members.

Wilberforce Falls, Nunavut

Wilberforce Falls is an almost 60 meter tall waterfall located in the Wilberforce Gorge of the Hood River in Nunavut, Canada. The falls is one of the few major waterfalls in the world north of the Arctic Circle. It is best known for it's picturesque view.

Wilberforce Falls' famous picturesque view.

Montmorency Falls, Quebec

Canadian Shield

Montmorency Falls is located on the boundary between the borough of Beauport, and Boischatel, about 12 km the heart of old Quebec City. It is famous for the Falls' yellow glow in summertime, which is due to high iron content in the waterbed. There are many staircases that allow visitors to view this natural attraction as well as a suspension bridge over the crest of the falls.

Dundas Peak, Ontario

Montmorency Falls' golden hue in summer.

Dundas Peak overlooks Dundas, Ontario from The Bruce Trail in Flamborough and is one of the most visited parts of Dundas. Hikers can take the Bruce Trail from Tews or Webster's Falls to the peak and look over Dundas and West Hamilton. It is famous for being a place to take death-defying photos on the cliff.

A family posing for a death-defying picture on Dundas Peak.

Sutton River, Ontario

Sutton River is located in far-northern Ontario, leading directly into Hudson Bay. It is famous for it's fish population, which includes pickerel and pike. Fishermen generally have good luck catching fish in the Sutton River, and it is certainly a travel destination for anyone looking for a good catch.

Hudson Bay Lowlands

A sand bed in Sutton River's glistening waters.

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba

Wapusk National Park is Canada's 37th national park, established in 1996. The park is located in north-east Manitoba, Canada, on the shores of Hudson Bay. It houses numerous species of birds and is a significant maternity denning area for polar bears. It is one of the wildest and most remote of Canadian landscapes.

Canoeing in Wapusk National Park's rivers.

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Falls is one of the best known natural attractions of Canada. It is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York. From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.

St. Lawrence Lowlands

Mount Royal, Quebec

Beautiful Niagara Falls on a cloudy day.

Mount Royal is a large volcanic-related hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The City of Montreal takes its name from Mt Royal. It is part of the Monteregian Hills.

Side view of Mount Royal.

Prince Edward Island National Park, PEI

Appalachians

Prince Edward Island National Park is a National Park of Canada. Situated along the island's north shore, fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the park measures approximately 60 km in length and ranges from several hundred metres to several kilometres in width. In the park, you can go camping.

Bird's eye view of Prince Edward Island National Park.

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick

Hopewell Rocks is located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape near the end of a series of Fundy coastal tourism hubs including Fundy National Park and the Fundy Trail. Due to the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. They are a tourist destination for anyone wishing to experience something incredible.

Hopewell Rocks when uncovered by water.