What is the Canadian Shield and why is it special?

The Canadian Shield constitutes the largest mass of exposed Precambrian rock on the face of Earth. The region, as a whole, is composed of ancient crystalline rocks whose complex structure attests to a long history of uplift and depression, mountain building (orogeny), and erosion.

What does the Canadian Shield look like?

Shaped like a horseshoe — or the shields carried during hand-to-hand combat — the Canadian Shield extends from Labrador in the east to include nearly all of Québec, much of Ontario and Manitoba, the northern portion of Saskatchewan, the northeast corner of Alberta, much of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and into …

What animals are native to the Canadian Shield?

Characteristic wildlife include moose (Alces alces), caribou (Rangifer tarandus), black bear (Ursus americanus), lynx (Lynx canadensis), snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), wolf (Canis lupus), sharp-tailed grouse (Tympahuchus phasianellus), ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), American black duck (Anas rubripes) and wood …

What do they farm in the Canadian Shield?

But, the farming that does occur is centered on dairy farming. Vegetable and grain farming are also minor practices. Mining: Igneous rock in the Shield contains copper, gold, zinc, iron ore, nickel and uranium.

What is Canadian Shield made of?

Lakes and Reservoirs of North America The Canadian Shield is the ancient core of the North American Continent. It is composed mainly of highly metamorphosed granite, with smaller areas of metamorphosed sedimentary and igneous rocks and some areas of relatively horizontal but still quite ancient sedimentary rocks.

What is the largest city in the Canadian Shield?

Sudbury
Throughout the Shield there are many mining towns extracting these minerals. The largest, and one of the best known, is Sudbury, Ontario.

The shield looks bumpy and in some places it is flat. The Canadian Shield is located in eastern and central Canada, stretching north from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean, covering over half of Canada. The natural resourses in the Canadian Sheild are nickel, gold, silver and copper.

How would you describe the Canadian Shield?

The Canadian Shield constitutes the largest mass of exposed Precambrian rock on the face of Earth. The region, as a whole, is composed of ancient crystalline rocks whose complex structure attests to a long history of uplift and depression, mountain building (orogeny), and erosion.

What are the geographic features of the Canadian Shield?

Notable physical features in the Canadian Shield include the rolling hills, a shallow layer of soil, and hundreds of small lakes formed during the last glacial erosion. Other features from the glacial period include striations and drumlins.

Why is the Canadian Shield important?

In addition to its rich natural resources, including substantial deposits of such mineral ores as nickel, gold, silver, and copper, and pristine northern ecosystems, the Canadian Shield also serves as a fertile area for human beings trying to better understand the origin of life.