CGC 1D Geography of Canada
Unit 3 - Physical Geography of Canada
Review Notes
(Resources Hyperlinked)
Terminologies- Physical Geography
00- Guiding Questions
- Why does Canada’s geography look the way it does?
- How has what we have learned about plate tectonics connected to Canada’s physical geography?
- How are the lives of Canadians influenced by their physical environment?
01- Geology and The History of Earth
● Geology History
- Earth was created 4.6 billion years ago.
- Earth has three major parts: crust, mantle and core (inner
core and outer core)
- People live on the surface of the Earth: The crust- a thin
layer that floats on the mantle.
- Seismologists are scientists who study earthquakes.
● Plate Behaviours
- 3 types of plate behaviours at the plate boundaries:
● Divergent- moving apart
● Convergent- moving together (against each other)
- Subduction happens when the heavier plate moves up
(continental) and the lighter plate moves down (oceanic)
● Transform (Strike-Slip)- slide past in opposite directions
- Plate behaviours create…
● Divergent boundaries create ridges and rift valleys (i.e. Mid- Oceanic ridges)
● Convergent boundaries create mountains and earthquakes (i.e. the Himalayas)
● Transform boundaries create faults (i.e. San Andres Fault)
● Earthquakes and Volcanoes- What and Why
- Earthquakes frequently occur along the plate
boundaries around the world →
- Follows a Linear pattern across the plate
boundaries
- MAG is the scale of magnitude of the
earthquakes, measuring how big and destructive
an earthquake is
- Convergent plates have the most earthquakes
and higher MAG
● Theory of Continental Drift
- Alfred Wegener discovered the theory of continental drift in 1915 which explains why
Pangea split
- Rules of Continental Drift
1
,CGC 1D Geography of Canada
● The jigsaw fit between South America and Africa
● Fossils of the same species are discovered on different continents
● Mountains are similar in age on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the
Appalachian mountain in America and the Caledonian mountain in Europe.
● Glaciers once covered Africa, India, Australia and South America.
● Theory of Plate Tectonics
- 300 million years ago, all the continents of earth were joined together on one
supercontinent called Pangea (the old name of the supercontinent)
- Approximately 200 million years ago, the Pangea started to split-
creating 7 continents of today
- The earth’s crust is made up of about 20 plates
- Plates of the earth’s crust is moving on the layer of molten rock
(mantle)
● Convection Currents
- Convection Current is the circular movement of magma in the
Earth’s mantle, caused by the uneven temperatures in the Earth.
They are responsible for moving the tectonic plates.
02- Rock Cycle
● Types of Rocks
- Sedimentary Rocks are rocks formed by sediments, this type of rock might have sand,
pebbles, shells or occasionally fossils in it.
- Metamorphic Rocks are rocks formed by heat and pressure, whereas igneous and
sedimentary rocks can transform into metamorphic rocks by the heat and pressure in the
mantle.
- Igneous Rocks are rocks formed by the cooling progress of magma.
- Magma is the liquid state of molten rocks in the mantle under the surface of the earth
- Sediments are the small pieces of materials being broken down by weathering and
erosions
● Processes of Rocks- how does one form of rocks change into another?
- Heat and Pressure: The progress of heating rock before reaching its melting points, and
pressures compress the rock into metamorphic rocks.
- Cooling: When magma erupts from volcanoes to the surface of the earth, the huge
difference between the temperature in the mantle and crust (earth’s surface) quickly cools
the magma into igneous rocks.
- Weathering and Erosion: weathering is when strong winds break rocks into small parts,
forming sediments. Erosion moves the pieces of rocks after weathering to other places on
the earth. Weathering and erosion work together to form sediments.
- Compaction and Cementation: When the sediments accumulate in layers and weigh
themselves down, this forms sedimentary rocks.
2
, CGC 1D Geography of Canada
● Characteristics of different types of Rocks
Formation Characteristics Examples
Igneous Rocks The cooling progress of - Shiny and glasslike - Basalt and
magma, once it comes to the - No crystals obsidian
earth’s surface, creates - Sometimes has gas - Granite
igneous rocks. bubbles in it
because magma
cools quickly
Sedimentary Rocks The sediments experience - Fairly soft, easily - Conglomerate and
compaction and cementation broken limestone
and form sedimentary rocks. - May contain fossils - Sandstone and
- Sands, pebbles, shales
shells, etc.
Metamorphic Rocks The heating and pressure - Ribbonlike layers - Gneiss and
progress in the earth’s mantle - Shiny crystals Marble
with a dramatically high formed of minerals - Quartzite
temperature. growing over time
● Rock Cycle Diagram- Visuals
03- Landform Regions of Canada
● Landform Regions and Industries
- The movement of the tectonic plates creates mountains and volcanoes- that affect
landform region
- A region is an area or division, especially a part of a country that has similar and
identifiable characteristics (not fixed to boundaries)
- Landforms is any physical feature on the Earth’s surface that has characteristics, and
recognizable shape created by natural processes.
- Natural resources are materials that can be found in the natural environment. The
natural resources are different in each of the landform regions in Canada.
3
Unit 3 - Physical Geography of Canada
Review Notes
(Resources Hyperlinked)
Terminologies- Physical Geography
00- Guiding Questions
- Why does Canada’s geography look the way it does?
- How has what we have learned about plate tectonics connected to Canada’s physical geography?
- How are the lives of Canadians influenced by their physical environment?
01- Geology and The History of Earth
● Geology History
- Earth was created 4.6 billion years ago.
- Earth has three major parts: crust, mantle and core (inner
core and outer core)
- People live on the surface of the Earth: The crust- a thin
layer that floats on the mantle.
- Seismologists are scientists who study earthquakes.
● Plate Behaviours
- 3 types of plate behaviours at the plate boundaries:
● Divergent- moving apart
● Convergent- moving together (against each other)
- Subduction happens when the heavier plate moves up
(continental) and the lighter plate moves down (oceanic)
● Transform (Strike-Slip)- slide past in opposite directions
- Plate behaviours create…
● Divergent boundaries create ridges and rift valleys (i.e. Mid- Oceanic ridges)
● Convergent boundaries create mountains and earthquakes (i.e. the Himalayas)
● Transform boundaries create faults (i.e. San Andres Fault)
● Earthquakes and Volcanoes- What and Why
- Earthquakes frequently occur along the plate
boundaries around the world →
- Follows a Linear pattern across the plate
boundaries
- MAG is the scale of magnitude of the
earthquakes, measuring how big and destructive
an earthquake is
- Convergent plates have the most earthquakes
and higher MAG
● Theory of Continental Drift
- Alfred Wegener discovered the theory of continental drift in 1915 which explains why
Pangea split
- Rules of Continental Drift
1
,CGC 1D Geography of Canada
● The jigsaw fit between South America and Africa
● Fossils of the same species are discovered on different continents
● Mountains are similar in age on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the
Appalachian mountain in America and the Caledonian mountain in Europe.
● Glaciers once covered Africa, India, Australia and South America.
● Theory of Plate Tectonics
- 300 million years ago, all the continents of earth were joined together on one
supercontinent called Pangea (the old name of the supercontinent)
- Approximately 200 million years ago, the Pangea started to split-
creating 7 continents of today
- The earth’s crust is made up of about 20 plates
- Plates of the earth’s crust is moving on the layer of molten rock
(mantle)
● Convection Currents
- Convection Current is the circular movement of magma in the
Earth’s mantle, caused by the uneven temperatures in the Earth.
They are responsible for moving the tectonic plates.
02- Rock Cycle
● Types of Rocks
- Sedimentary Rocks are rocks formed by sediments, this type of rock might have sand,
pebbles, shells or occasionally fossils in it.
- Metamorphic Rocks are rocks formed by heat and pressure, whereas igneous and
sedimentary rocks can transform into metamorphic rocks by the heat and pressure in the
mantle.
- Igneous Rocks are rocks formed by the cooling progress of magma.
- Magma is the liquid state of molten rocks in the mantle under the surface of the earth
- Sediments are the small pieces of materials being broken down by weathering and
erosions
● Processes of Rocks- how does one form of rocks change into another?
- Heat and Pressure: The progress of heating rock before reaching its melting points, and
pressures compress the rock into metamorphic rocks.
- Cooling: When magma erupts from volcanoes to the surface of the earth, the huge
difference between the temperature in the mantle and crust (earth’s surface) quickly cools
the magma into igneous rocks.
- Weathering and Erosion: weathering is when strong winds break rocks into small parts,
forming sediments. Erosion moves the pieces of rocks after weathering to other places on
the earth. Weathering and erosion work together to form sediments.
- Compaction and Cementation: When the sediments accumulate in layers and weigh
themselves down, this forms sedimentary rocks.
2
, CGC 1D Geography of Canada
● Characteristics of different types of Rocks
Formation Characteristics Examples
Igneous Rocks The cooling progress of - Shiny and glasslike - Basalt and
magma, once it comes to the - No crystals obsidian
earth’s surface, creates - Sometimes has gas - Granite
igneous rocks. bubbles in it
because magma
cools quickly
Sedimentary Rocks The sediments experience - Fairly soft, easily - Conglomerate and
compaction and cementation broken limestone
and form sedimentary rocks. - May contain fossils - Sandstone and
- Sands, pebbles, shales
shells, etc.
Metamorphic Rocks The heating and pressure - Ribbonlike layers - Gneiss and
progress in the earth’s mantle - Shiny crystals Marble
with a dramatically high formed of minerals - Quartzite
temperature. growing over time
● Rock Cycle Diagram- Visuals
03- Landform Regions of Canada
● Landform Regions and Industries
- The movement of the tectonic plates creates mountains and volcanoes- that affect
landform region
- A region is an area or division, especially a part of a country that has similar and
identifiable characteristics (not fixed to boundaries)
- Landforms is any physical feature on the Earth’s surface that has characteristics, and
recognizable shape created by natural processes.
- Natural resources are materials that can be found in the natural environment. The
natural resources are different in each of the landform regions in Canada.
3
