The Prairies Flashcards
There are four lowland regions in Canada, surrounding the Shield (4 Marks):
Arctic
b. St. Lawrence/Great Lakes
c. Hudson Bay
d. Interior
The _______ extends under the islands of the Arctic Archipelago, between the Intuition
Orogen and the Shield. (1 Mark)
Artic Plaform
Consisting of 3.2% of Canada’s land surface the _________ is located near the
southwestern shore of Hudson Bay and James Bay. (1 Mark)
Hudson Bay Lowland
What is the major glacial feature that runs for about 160 km parallel to Lake Ontario? (1 Mark)
Oak Ridges Moraine
What river (as discussed in the notes) was a result of two pates moving apart that left a valley in between, which became flooded with water? (1 Mark)
St. Lawrence River
What are the small mountains (ex. Mont Royal) growing out of the ground located in the St.
Lawrence Lowlands called? (2 Marks)
Monadnock
Explain where the Interior Plains in Canada are located. (1 Mark)
The interior Plains encompasses the region between the Canadian Shield and the
western Cordillera.
• This region stretches from the 49th parallel (the US Canada border) up to the Arctic
Ocean (about 2700 km). At the southern point, the plains stretch 1300 km east to
west, but are only about 275 km wide in the Northern regions.
• Makes up southern parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, almost all of Alberta and
the western part of NWT.
How was the bed rock formed in the Prairies? (2 Marks)
The bedrock was formed by the eroded material from the Shield being deposited by the seas
which covered parts of Canada. These sediments were gradually compressed over time into
rock.
The Interior Plains makeup ___ percent of Canada’s land surface. (1 Mark)
18%
Most of the ________ deposits beneath the Interior Plains were deposited by warm, seas of
Palaeozoic and Mesozoic eras. (1 Mark)
sedimentary
What are the main source for oil and gas reserves in the Interior Plains?
Coral Reefs
Discuss how were the Prairies many lakes formed? Begin with Lake Agassiz. (3 Marks)
As a result of the glaciation, a large lake, called Lake Agassiz, was formed. This lake was
larger than all of the Great Lakes today combined. Lake Agassiz covered most of what is now
southern Manitoba, and Lake Winnipeg. However later the land on the west rose causing
Agassiz to drain into the seas.
- The southern Prairies are composed of three main regions. List these plains. (3 Marks)
Manitoba Plains
• Saskatchewan Plains
• Alberta Plains
Explain how the escarpments and embayments were formed?
The escarpments are a result of the difference in the resistance of rocks. Some of these
sedimentary rocks are very resistant while some are soft and therefore erode quickly. The
difference of the eroding speeds has divided the prairies into different levels of elevations, and
each level separated by a sharp rise, called an escarpment.
What is the name of the escarpment that separates the Saskatchewan Plain from the Alberta
Plain?
Missouri Coteau
