(unit 3) Canadian Connections/Methods of Geographic inquiry Flashcards
Moraines
hills or ridges with thin soil and swamps from ice sheets/glaciers
have deposited along the edges
Drumlins
egg shaped hills
-one wide steep side and the other more gentle
Eskers
formed when rivers flowing in or under melting glaciers, that are depositing sand/gravel
Canadian Shield
makes up half of Canada and it is mostly made up of igneous and metamorphic rocks
Lake Agassiz
was a huge lake from an ice sheet that submerged canada before it drained
Tundra
vegetation region found in the north-most cold climates and does not have trees but had bushes grasses and mosses instead
Leaching
removal of minerals on the top layer, and moving them downwards
-occurs in wet climates
Calcification
evaporation of water going to the surface placing minerals upwards
-occurs in dry climates
Plate Tectonics
a theory that our Earths outer shell is made up of about 20 plates that constantly are moving
Maritime Climate
temperature range between highest and lowest monthly average temperature is small and precipitation level is higher
Continental Climate
far from oceans and large lakes
-interior of land masses have a continental climate
Faulting
is fractures in bedrock along where movement has taken place and appear in the earths crust by stress of convention currents that occur in the mantle, if rock is brittle or bends quick, it breaks and forms a fault
-known when one block is displaced vertically in comparison to the other
Folding
pressure being pushed into the middle of the earths crust
-pressure buckles or folds into a series of ridges
(rockies and appalachian)
Potash
Made when ancient seas evaporated leaving mineral deposits
Fjords
narrow deep inlets of sea between high cliffs
Humus
dark upper layer of soil made up of partially decayed material
Continental Glaciers
moves outwards under their own weight due to accumulation of snow and ice giving the landcape a smoother surface.
Alpine Glaciers
forms in mountains and moves down valleys by gravity sharpening the features of the mountain
Ecological Footprint
everybody has an impact on the environment by the way we live
Explain how and when Canadas fossil fuels were created
these were created during the mesozoic era when canada’s location was much closer to the equator. the plants and organisms, that lived in and around canada’s ancient seas died and were trapped beneath layers of sedimentary rock.
Identify the two classes of trees.
-what are the names of them?
-Describe them
-Which is better suited to harsher climates? Explain
Coniferous and Deciduous
Coniferous:
evergreen, cone bearing, “Christmas tree” (soft wood)
Deciduous:
broad leafed tree that loses leaves every fall (hard wood)
Coniferous is better suited to harsher climates because their long roots enable them to extract nutrients from poor soils. And sticky sap acts as an antifreeze + prevents needles from freezing
What are greenhouse gases?
give 2 examples
gases that exist naturally in small amounts that absorb the suns energy before it can escape the atmosphere.
-carbon dioxide
-water vapour
-methane
-nitrons oxide
Do we need greenhouse gases? Explain
we need them because the gases retain the sun’s heat. otherwise, we’d become a barren planet without them and it would be too cold to sustain life.
EP: mars is a barren planet
Striations
-grooves gouged in bedrock
-formed by rocks frozen in a huge glacier
-moves in the same direction as a glacier
Spillways
-deep, wide valleys
-formed by glacial meltwaters
Misfit Streams
-located within spillways
- appears when meltwater is gone
Till Plains
-gently rolling landscape
-formed from glacial deposits of clay, sand and gravel
Lake Plains
-fertile, flat plains
-formed by glacial deposits of meltwater and silt
Erratic’s
-rock that has been displaced by a glacier
