Review Sheet 1- Glacialmorphology + Ecological Land Classification Flashcards
When was the last glacial period?
115,000 - 11,700 years ago
How do glacial periods happen?
The climate will cool and precipitation will increase. Ice and snow fell during winter and did not melt in the summer. Ice sheets from the north and south poles began to expand and grow and move in towards the equator
What are the different types of glaciers?
Alpine and Continental
How do the Alpine and Continental glaciers differ?
Alpine glaciers form in mountain areas and will converge into valleys and flow downhill while Continental glaciers cover larger areas of land and will move in multiple directions. While thousands of Alpine glaciers still exist Continental glaciers are found in polar regions such as Greenland and Antarctica
How do glaciers form?
The The zone of Accumulation is higher than the zone of Ablation
How do glaciers recede?
The zone of Ablation is higher than the zone of Accumulation
What is abrasion?
Glaciers gouge and scratch land below as it moves
What is Plunking?
Glaciers picking up rocks as it travels
What are the names of the North American ice sheets?
-Laurentide Ice Sheet (covered most of Canada)
-Cordilleran Ice Sheet (Western mountains)
-Innuitian Ice Sheet (covered Canada’s arctic)
What are the 3 Sectors of the Laurentide Ice Sheet?
-Keewatin Sector
-Labrador Sector
-Baffin Sector
Why is the Keewatin Sector important?
Covered the Prairie Region and as the glaciers retreated materials within the ice were deposited
When did glacial retreat in Saskatchewan start?
17,000 years ago
Which area of the province was never glaciated?
Cyprus Hills and the Wood Mountain Uplands
When was the province COMPLETELY ice free?
8,500 - 9,000 years ago
When does soil development start?
Once material left by glaciers stabilizes
What are the 8 glacial landforms?
-terminal moraines (need to know how to form)
-glacial erratic (need to know how form)
-drumlins
-ablation
-glacial outwash
-eskers (need to know how to form)
-kames
-kettles (need to know how form)
-glacial till (need to know how form)
What are glacial landforms a product of?
Ice movement, glacial erosion, melting and deposition
How does a Kettle landform occur?
Dead ice is dropped, as the glacier moves it drops outwash. The dead ice melts creating these kettle holes or lakes (prairie potholes)
How does a Kame landform occur?
Ponds on top of glaciers fill with material from the melting surface. The glacier melts then leaves a pile of material (hills)- these piles are the kame
How do eskers form?
Melted water from the glacier created a channel through the ice to the ground (moulin). Gravel and sand accumulate along the tunnel and leave behind a long winding mound
What are glacial erratics?
Large stone / boulders dropped by glaciers
What is the difference between primary and secondary deposition?
Primary deposition is material dropped by the glaciers while secondary deposition is material that is reworked by wind, water and gravity
What is glacial till?
Material that has been laid down by glacial ice. Referred to Loamy Morainal deposits if if soil is clay and silty. Referred to as Sandy Morainal if there are large amounts of sand
What are eolian deposits?
Sandy or silty deposits that have been moved and redeposited by the wind. Often found in the forms of sand dunes or silty loessal veneers
What are the two types of eolian deposits?
Sand Dunes (sand)
Loess (silt)
How does Hummocky Topography form?
A complex pattern of generally short steep slopes extending from prominent knolls to somewhat rounded depressions or kettles are termed hummocky
How do you identify Hummocky Topography?
Irregular surface form ….
How do you identify a lacustrine deposit?
Differs in colour - light to dark
How do lacustrine deposits form?
Glacial lakes lay down materials- typically have very fine sand, silt or clay within - typically stone free
What type of topography is associated
with lacustrine deposits?
Flat
How can undulating topography be identified?
Gentle slopes extending from smooth rises to gentle hollows - wave like pattern to the land surface
What is a fluvial deposit?
How does a fluvial deposit form?
Materials laid down in rivers and streams carrying glacial meltwater
What is an alluvial deposit?
Materials laid down by streams and rivers in valley bottoms and collection basins since glaciation
How does an alluvial deposit form?
Rushing water carries sand and other particles through streams and rivers. As the streams flatten out the particles are dropped in the channels
What are the 7 ecological classification schemes (based on scale) in Saskatchewan?
-ecozone (need to know for exam)
-eco province
-ecoregion (need to know for exam)
-eco district
-eco section
-ecosite (need to know for exam- how to identify and what they are)
-eco element
What is an ecozone?
Subdivision of a continent, based on climate, landforms and regional vegetation patterns
What is an ecoprovince?
Subdivision of Ecozone based on
surficial forms, hydrology, climate and
landforms
What are the ecozones / provinces in Saskatchewan? (need to know them all)
-Taiga Shield
-Boreal Shield
-Boreal Plain
-Prairie
What is an ecoregion?
Distinctive climatic zones or large order
regional landscapes, expressed by vegetation, soils, hydrology and sometimes human activity
What are the ecoregions in Saskatchewan? (need to know all)
-Selwyn Lake Upland
-Tazin Lake Upland
-Churchill River Upland
-Mid Boreal Upland
-Mid Boreal Lowland
-Boreal Transition
-Aspen Parkland
-Moist Mixed Grassland
-Mixed Grassland
-Cypress Upland
What is an ecosite?
Representation of an ecosystem, a
recurring stand or site with different combination of soils, vegetation and other site
characteristics
What is an ecotone?
What does ecological classification allow us to do?
Apply ecological information to management decisions
How can we then apply ecological classification?
The particulars of the area you are in will influence your management practices (need to know
Ecological classification and forest ecosystem classification are place-based processes. Meaning what?
(critical thinking question)
Ecological classification facilitates better integration of forest management disciplines how?
Providing a a common eco language resource management
Land management involves what?
Balance in a sustainable way
- sustainable use
- putting back how find
- strategic in what disturbances introducing into ecoregion
What does the Ecosite guide rely on in order to use it successfully?
Plants and soils
What does the Ecosite guide use in order to classify ecosites?
Abiotic conditions
What are the three features that the Keys in the Ecosite Guide uses to distinguish the most likely ecosite?
-Moisture
_abiotuc COndition
tree cover
What four points does the abiotic condition assessment cover?
-moisture regime
-depth of water table
-frozen conditions
-orgainc material
The diagnostic plant species in the guide are separated into two sets of diagnostic species. What are the
two sets?
-terrestrial
-wetland
Why are wetlands separate from the other terrestrial ecosites and independent of ecozone?
decide if fen or bog - high moisture content-
-moisture
-wetlands have no canopy cover
-seperate depending where are - have diffrent moisutre - make into senteces
How many indicator species do there need to be in order for a wetland to be classified as a fen?
Greater or equal to 3 indicators of a fen make a bog - indicator species that make make up a high nutrient content
What does the Edatopic grid show on the Ecosite page?
Shows us on a graph where a particular ecosite lands based on nutrient regime and moisture regime
Why would there be comparable ecosites in other ecozones? (Critical Thinking Question)
