Gr.9 Geography Unit 2 - Landform Regions Test Review

What three distinct landforms are Canada made of?

Highlands, lowlands, shield

Name the seven landform regions of Canada

1. Western Cordillera

2. Appalachian mountains

3. Great Lakes/St. Lawrence

4. Canadian Shield

5. Interior Plains

6. Innuitian mountains

7. Hudson Bay and Arctic Lowlands

what is a landform is and how were they formed

A feature on Earth's surface that is part of the terrain.

Formed through forces such as weathering, erosion, and faults.

Theory of Continental Drift?

A theory created by Alfred Wegener stating all of Earth’s land was once a supercontinent called Pangaea which broke apart over time.

What was wrong the the Theory of Continental Drift?

There was no evidence proving how the broken pieces moved.

Theory of Plate Tectonics?

Theory that Earth's lithosphere consists of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving because of convection currents.

Three types of plate boundaries?

Convergent- Two plates pushing against each other

Divergent- Two plates pushing away from each other

Transform- Two plates moving in opposite directions.

Name and describe the three types of rocks

1. Sedimentary formed by the accumulation of sediments under pressure

2. Metamorphic caused by changes in rocks due to high heat and pressure

3. Igneous, formed by the cooling of molten rock

2 kinds of igneous rock?

Intrusive: magma cools below the surface

Extrusive: magma cools near the surface

What is a volcano?

Openings where lava can erupt onto the Earth's surface.

What is mechanical weathering?

Physical processes affecting rock, such as changes in temperature, wind, rain or waves.

What is chemical weathering?

When a rock is dissolved as a result of chemical reactions

What is folding?

Over a long period of time rock layers slowly bend and break

(Anticlines bed upward & Synclines bend downwards)

What is faulting?

Fractures in bedrock, produced in the Earth's crust by stress that convection currents create in the mantle.

Name each era

• Precambrian (earliest life) (4600 million - 570 million years ago)

• Paleozoic (ancient life) (570 million - 245 million years ago)

• Mesozoic (middle life) (245 million - 66 million years ago)

• Cenozoic (current life) (66 million years ago - current day)

Major Events of the Precambrian Era

Geological events:

• Precambrian shields such as Canadian Shield have been formed

Biological events:

• First multi-celled and single-celled organisms

Major Events of the Paleozoic Era

Geological events:

• Large parts of North America covered by shallow seas

• Appalachians formed

Biological events:

• Age of amphibians and fish

• First fish

• Large swamps-coal formed vegetation

• First plaints and animals on land

Major Events of the Mesozoic Era

Geological events:

• Formation of rocky mountains began

• Innuitian Mountains formed

• Shallow seas at the interior of North America at various times

Biological events:

• Age of reptiles (e.g dinosaurs)

• First flowering plants

• First birds and mammals

Major Events of the Cenozoic Era

Geological events:

• Ice sheets cover much of North America

• Continents take on current shape

• Rocky mountains formations completed

Biological events:

• Human beings develop

• Age of mammals

• Modern forms of life evolve

How old is Earth estimated to be?

4,600, 000, 000 years (4.6 billion)

What is a glacier?

A body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. Forms when accumulated snow doesn’t melt after winter’s end

2 Kinds of glacier?

Continental: forms in a central location with ice moving outward in all directions under it’’s own weight

Alpine: form in high mountains and travel through valleys and moves down them

What is a landform region?

An area on the Earth’s surface with a unique set of features

What natural processes are responsible for variations of landforms?

folding, faulting, weathering, erosion, glaciation

Canadian Shield

Type of Landform: Shield

Physical characteristics: thousands of small lakes, thin layers of soil and rolling hills, made of metamorphic and igneous rock

Resources: various minerals

Human activity: mining, recreation, fishing, boating, hunting, cross-country skiing

Appalachians (mountains)

Type of Landform: Highlands

Physical characteristics: old mountains, long broad ridges, steep slopes, deep gorges and wide valleys

Resources: farmland, cotton, tobacco, fruit, minerals

Human activity: mining, forestry, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism

Great Lakes/St.Lawrence

Type of Landform: Lowlands

Physical characteristics: fairly flat, rich soils, lakes, freshwater reaches

Resources: drinking water, minerals

Human activity: Mining, construction, energy production, manufacturing and farming

Interior Plains

Type of Landform: Lowlands

Physical characteristics: fairly flat, low hills, contains all rock types

Resources: fossil fuels, forests, farmland, rich in grains

Human activity: agriculture and mining

Hudson Bay and Arctic Lowlands

Type of Landform: Lowlands

Physical characteristics: flat, low area, swampy forests and the Arctic Lowlands is a region of tundra

Resources: deposits of minerals, volcanic and sedimentary rocks

Human activity: fishing, hunting, mining, forestry and hydroelectric development

Western Cordillera

Type of Landform: Highlands

Physical characteristics: plateaus, valleys, plains, rugged mountains

Resources: forestry, agriculture, mining and fish

Human activity: forestry, agriculture, mining and fisheries

Innuitian Mountains

Type of Landform: Highlands

Physical characteristics: young mountains, snowy, icy, contains all rock types but mostly sedimentary

Resources: minerals

Human activity: fishing, mining, fur trading, hunting, whaling, tourism