Notes for Unit 2

Lesson 1

Which geographic formation makes up the platform on which most of the rest of
Canada is built?

Canadian Shield

Describe the effects of glaciers on the following:

The land’s surface material, such as soil, rocks, and gravel.

Glacial Melting made the soil fertile, as the glaciers receded up to the north, they left a
lot of sediment and nutrient-rich organic material.

The drainage of any of Canada’s landform regions.

Glaciers dug out the Great Lakes.

How was the sedimentary rock that underlies Canada’s lowlands formed?

500 million years ago, Canada’s lowlands were under the sea, and beneath the sea was
a lot of sand and loose sediment and so as the waters disappeared over millions of
years what was left was sediment that was then compressed and pressured down into
sedimentary rock that is why that entire area is filled with sedimentary rock.

Why are the ancient coral reefs of the Interior Plains important today?

Why are parts of the southern portion of Canada’s Interior Plains called “Canada’s
breadbasket”?

There is a lot of wheat farming in the southern portion of Canada’s Interior plains as the
soil is very fertile and full of nutrient-rich organic material due to the glacial melting.

Why does the Appalachian region have many excellent harbours?

The Appalachian region has many deep harbours because it is drowned by a coastline
created by rising sea levels.

Why has the Innutian Mountain region not been developed as much as other regions?

The Innutian Mountain region is excellent for mining, but the development of mining has
been prevented by several high costs for example, the travel costs to get the equipment
that far north up and to get the minerals back to the mainland are very costly.

Explain why the west coast of Canada has so many earthquakes.

The west coast of Canada lies on the North American plate, there is a constant collision
of the North American Plate with the Pacific plate that explains why the west coast of
Canada has so many earthquakes.
Most Major Cities: The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands has the most major
cities. This is because it includes parts of Ontario and Quebec, which are densely
populated. Factors like fertile soil, access to water, and the proximity to the U.S. border
make it economically and historically significant.

Least Major Cities: The Arctic Lowlands and Hudson Bay Lowlands have the fewest
major cities due to their harsh climate, remoteness, and limited economic development
opportunities.

Lesson 2

Explain the effect of latitude on climate.

The areas near the equator receive more sunlight and therefore, will be warmer, farther
to the north and farther to the south, the angle of the sunlight becomes smaller, so
there’s less heat from the sun at those locations. At the south pole and the north pole
the angle of the sunlight of the sun is so small that very little heat finds its way from the
sun to the earth’s surface.

Explain how bodies of water have a moderating effect on land temperatures.

Water has a moderating effect on extreme land temperature and leads to higher rainfall
(maritime climate). The moderating winds from bodies of water acts as giant air
conditioning systems.

Explain what happens to the temperature and moisture content of air as it passes over a
mountain.

As humid air moves in from the ocean and sweeps upwards across the mountain
slopes, the air cools and the moisture which is swept of the water begins to form a
cloud, as the tiny water droplets in the cloud come together, they become heavier and
fall to the ground.

Explain the difference between weather and climate.

Weather refers to the atmospheric conditions of a particular place for a short period of
time such as temperature, precipitation, and wind.

Climate refers to the average of weather conditions of a region observed for long
periods of time.

Give two examples of how each affects our lives.

Weather:

Weather affects our lives in terms of our daily schedule, if the weather is forecasted to
be sunny and breezy, then it’s a perfect weather to be outdoors or carry out gardening
activities, however if showers of rain and thunderstorms are predicted in the weather
then it’s better to stay indoors.

Weather also affects car traffic on roads if it’s good weather outside, the general
population would be rushing to their favourite outdoors spot, however, if heavy rain or
thunderstorms are predicted, then the local public would prefer to stay inside.

Climate influences our clothing, for example, if we are in a cold climate, we would wear
woollen sweaters, jackets and pants, however, if we were in a hotter climate, we would
wear cotton shirts and shorts.

Climate also influences our eating habits because climate affects agricultural growth
which in turn affects our food availability, for example, in winters in India fruits and
vegetables in season would be oranges, kiwi, spinach, fenugreek, etc., in summers in
India fruits and vegetables would be mangoes, watermelon, brinjals, etc.

Describe the four components that make up a true soil.

Minerals

1. Consists of rock broken down by weathering into smaller particles,

2. Provides nutrients into the soil

Bacteria and Organelles

1. Bacteria break down organic material and release nutrients.

2. Forms hummus, full of nutrient and moisture

Air

1. Plants need air around roots.

2. Hummus provides lots of air pockets.
3. Also created by worms, insects and tunnelling animals

Moisture

1. Water dissolves nutrients so plants can absorb them

2. Also helps decay organic materials

There are two classes of trees. Which one can survive a harsher climate? Why?

Coniferous trees can survive a harsher climate because they keeps their leaves which
are like needle-like structures throughout the year.
 Lesson 3

Canada stretches over 6 time zones and divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories in
the north
The Climatic change is characterised by the increase in earth’s temperature which has
increased from 1.2F to 1.4F in one century. The last few years have been recorded as
the warmest years. This change in climate is because of human activities. This is
because humans have increased the use of natural resources for its benefit and inturn
is releasing lot of green house gases in the atmosphere. The green house gases traps
heat from the sun to warm up the planet. One of the biggest victim are the oceans which
have become warmer and has led to ocean acidification and is a threat to marine life
Climate change has also led to a rise in sea levels. This rise in sea levels is because as
the oceans get warmer, they swell, and also glaciers are melting which has led to floods
in coastal regions.

Summarize the impacts of climate change on Canada, including society and economy.

1. From 1948-2010, the average annual temperature in Canada is up by 1.6 degree

Celsius.
2. There are warming trends across Canada, especially in the far north.
3. There is a rise in the amount of precipitation and the number of extreme weather
conditions.
4. The rise in sea levels has led to change in waves, ice, and ocean environments
creating a threat to marine life.
5. There has been a reduction in Arctic sea ice.

How have plate tectonics impacted Canada? Discuss how different regions in Canada
are impacted.

• Created mountains, destructive earthquakes create avalanches and block

roadways all the time
• Occur all over Canada especially in western Canada and in the Rocky Mountains
as they were formed from moving plates
• BC experiences more earthquakes than the rest of Canada which causes major
destruction which impacts the economy
• Plate tectonics have also positively affected BC’s tourism as the rockies are a
huge attraction and home to many different animal species

Canadian Shield.

Hudson Bay Lowland.

Arctic Lands.

Interior Plains.

Cordillera.

Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands.

Appalachian Uplands.
Innuitian Regions

Igneous Rock

Granite

Obsidian

Basalt

Pumice

Rhyolite

Sedimentary Rock

Shale

Sandstone

Conglomerate

Limestone

Calcareous Tufa

Metamorphic Rock

Slate

Marble

Quartzite

Gneiss

Schist

Tundra

* North of tree line

* Permafrost

* Lichens and mosses

Boreal and Taiga Forests

* Coniferous trees

* Make the soil acidic

* Spruce, balsam fir, pine

* Some deciduous trees

* Poplar and white birch

Mixed Forest

* Eastern Canada

* Deciduous and coniferous

* Transition zone between boreal and deciduous forests

* Rich soil due to high humus levels

Deciduous Forest

* Southwestern Ontario

* Most has been cleared for farming and development

* Hardwoods like maple, walnut, ash

* Humus-rich

Grasslands

* Southern Prairie provinces

* Too dry for trees

* Grass roots provide moisture and hold soil in place

* Variety of grass depends on temperatures and moisture

* Good soil for farming

West Coast

* Cordilleran
* Wide variety because of mountains picking up rain and then dry rain shadows

* Large conifers to cacti

* West Coast Forest

* Lush forests of huge

Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, red cedar

* High in humus but too much rainfall for farming soil