Canadian Shield

Laurentian rock formation

The Canadian Shield is a vast expanse of exposed Precambrian rock covering much of eastern and central Canada, extending into parts of the northern United States.

Shaped by ancient glaciers, it contains some of Earth's oldest rocks and is rich in minerals.

The terrain is characterized by thin soil, countless lakes, and boreal forest: They spent summers canoeing across the Canadian Shield.

geology

Precambrian

Earliest geological eon

cratonStable ancient continental core
bedrockSolid stone underground
gneissFoliated metamorphic rock

granite · glacial · erosion · metamorphic · igneous · outcrop · Archean · Proterozoic · tectonics · Laurentian

resources

mining

Extracting earth's resources

nickelElement twenty-eight, or coin
copperReddish-brown metallic element
goldElement seventy-nine

uranium · iron ore · forestry · pulp · hydroelectric · Ring of Fire · Sudbury Basin · logging · prospecting · smelting

wilderness

boreal forest

Subarctic coniferous woodland zone

taigaSubarctic evergreen biome
tundraFrigid treeless biome
caribouNorth American arctic deer

moose · black bear · wolf · spruce · pine · birch · lakes · rivers · remote · untouched

terrain

boulders

Large rounded stones

rockyCovered with stones
craggyRough with rocky projections
escarpmentSteep slope dividing elevations

rugged · muskeg · wetlands · barrens · thin soil · rolling hills · ridges · valleys · glacial lakes · moraines

indigenous

First Nations

Canada's non-Inuit indigenous peoples

CreeAlgonquian people of Canada
OjibweAlgonquian-speaking indigenous nation
ancestral landsFamily territory through generations

pictographs · petroglyphs · birchbark · canoe routes · traditional territory · oral history · land stewardship · hunting grounds · treaty lands · archaeological sites

Canadian Shield

Precambrian

mining

boreal forest

boulders

First Nations

Canadian Shield

Opposites

Categories

Family