Geography

Key terms:

Age of earth - 4.6 billion years old

Erratic - misfit boulder that has been picked up by glacier carried along, and deposited my kilometers away (is different from other bedrock in area)

Pangaea - all lands

Convection currents - responsible for plate movement

Layers of the earth:

Inner core - very dense solid layer made mostly of iron and some nickel

Outer core - very dense liquid made mostly of iron and some nickel

Mantle - very thick rocky layer made of molten rock. Contains slow moving currents which are responsible for plate movement. Asthenosphere is directly below the crust.

Crust aka Lithosphere - very thin solid outermost layer made mostly of rocks and minerals. Broken into several pieces/plates which move on top of the mantle

Hydrosphere - layer of water covers 2/3 of the earth

Continental plates - tectonics plate

Eras:

Precambrian era - 4600 million years ago. Consisted of microscopic single celled organisms found in oceans.

Paleozoic era - 570 million years ago. Age of fish/amphibians. First sign of insect,and plants, and animals.

Mesozoic era - 245 million years ago. Age of reptiles/dino. First sign of birds and flowering plants.

Cenozoic: 66 million years ago. Age of human/mammals

Rock cycle:

All rock begins as molten rock which is hot dense rock found in the mantle. Two types of molten rock are

A.) magma - molten rock below earth surface

B.)lava - molten rock at or above earths surface

Igneous rock -Forms when molten rock cools, hardens, or crystallizes.

Metamorphic rock - form when rocks are exposed to heat or pressure

Sedimentary rock - form when sediments become deposited in low lying areas then compress, compat and become cemented together

Sediments - small pieces of rock that have been weathered or eroded.

Building up of eroded materials is called deposition

Subduction zone - when ocean plate slides under a Continental plate and is re-melted into the mantle

Collision-two Continental plates collide and push up land

Ring of fire - Pacific ocean

Highlands - mountains

Lowlands - valleys

Mid-ocean ridge -

Topography - physical feature on map

Glaciers:

Glaciation - glaciation is the process most responsible for topography of Canad two main reasons are:

1.) glaciation is powerful force

2.) happened very recently in geologic terms. There has not been enough time for glacial features to be worn away.

Moraine - ridges of hills of till found at ends or sides of glacier.

Alpine glacier - found in mountain regions. Move down valleys from high elevations to low elevations under force of gravity. Sharpen upper portions of the mountain giving it a rugged appearance. In Canada it exists in western Cordillera and arctic islands.

Continental glacier - occupy greater areas of land. Move under own weight. Give landscape smoother appearance by eroding higher points on the land and filling in lower areas with eroded materials.

Tundra - treeless plain with permanent frozen subsoil

Fjord - long narrow glacially formed sea inlet that cuts into sea cost.

Bog - wetland found in northern areas that feature acid rich soil and low growing plants such as mosses

Rainforest - tall dense forest in rainy climates

Permafrost - permanently frozen later that can be found at different depths in northern regions.

Diagrams and concepts:

1. Development of Canada's geologic cross section.

2. Landform regions of Canada:

The Canadian shield - oldest and largest region of Canada. Located around Hudson bay like a horseshoe. Formed from massive volcanic eruptions followed by billions of years of weathering and erosion. Contains mainly igneous and metamorphic rock. Mainly flat with some hills. Thousands of lake/river. Large forests in south. Thin souls not suitable for farming in north. Canada's storehouse for metallic minerals. Major economic activities include mining, forestry, tourism, and hydroelectricity.

Alpachian mountains - located in eastern Canada. First mountain to form in Canada and this are oldest mountains. Formed when North America and Eurasian plates collide during formation of Pangaea causing rocks to fold and uplift. Composed mostly of sedimentary rocks. Mountains are now low rolling hills thatve been greatly eroded due to time and glaciers. Coastlines have many nayra harbours. Major economic activities include fishing, farming, forestr

y, and mining (coal, iron zinc, potatoes, cod)

Innu

3. Continental drift theory: