geography of western canada

PHYSICAL REGIONS OF CANADAGEOGRAPHY OF WESTERN CANADA

TOPOGRAPHYSHAPE OF THE LAND

• Geological study of Canada: study of the history of the world found in the study of rocks.

• Geological features, landforms and climatic conditions shape Canada’s physical regions.

• The Canadian Shield – some of the oldest parts of Earth are large masses of rocks – called shields – around which the continent was formed. The Canadian shield is found under AB, SK, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, NWT and Nunavat.

CANADIAN SHIELD

CANADIAN SHIELD

INTERIOR PLAINS

INTERIOR PLAINS• Stretches from the Canadian Shield to the Rocky

Mountains• Made of the eroded material from the shield that

was deposited in layers at the far reaching edges of the shield

• Generally made of sedimentary rock that was laid down in layers.

• Deposits of fossils and fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) found between the layers

WESTERN MOUNTAINS• Made up of parallel mountain ranges that are

separated by a series of plateaus and valleys• This type of mountain ranges is called cordillera• Formed when the earth’s plate collide, causing

the Earth’s crust to buckle• The mountain ranges run North to South in BC

and down into the US

ROCKY MOUNTAINSABOVE JASPER AB

COAST MOUNTAINSABOVE WHISTLER BC