Physical Geography

• Layers of the Earth (outside to inside)

  • Crust (smallest and thinnest layer)
  • Mantle
  • Outer core
  • Inner core
• Crust


  Makes up continents and oceans
• Mantle


  Rocky substance where you find convection currents, which move the plates
• Outer core


  Made of super heated lava which is mostly made of Iron and Nickel
• Inner core


  Solid ball of Iron and Nickel
• Convection currents


  1. Caused by the uneven temperatures inside the earth

  2. Hot rock rises to the crust and pushes along it, as it cools it sinks back down

  3. This is how Ridges (Mid Atlantic) & Trenches (Pacific) are formed
• Pangaea


  One large supercontinent which started to break up and spread out 200 million years ago
• Pangaea was developed by Alfred Wegner in 1915
• Continental Drift


  The movement of continents, as described by Wegner
• Plate Tectonics


  Developed by Canadian geophysicist John Tuzo by 1968
• Proofs of Plate Tectonics

  • Earth's outer shell is made up of about 20 plates
  • These plates are floating on a layer of hot rock, below Earth's surface, (flows like slow moving plastic)
  • Movement of plates is the convection currents caused by unequal distribution of heat in Earth's core
• Three ways plates move

  • Divergent (Two or more plates moving apart. Forms a ridge. For example Mid Atlantic Ridge)
  • Convergent (Two or more plates moving together. The thick continental plate goes over the thinner ocean plate. Causes a trench. Along the Pacific Coast)
  • Tranformative (When plates move against each other, they slide past each other. If they stuck and then unstuck, it creates an earthquake which can then cause a tsunami)
• Mountains forming


  When two continental plates collide, the middle is forced upwards which creates mountains
• Tectonic plates shift and grind against each other


  Snagging on each other due to friction. Once plates overcome this friction and move past each other, the energy released leads to earthquakes
• Zone of Sub duction


  Happens when one plate slides under another which creates trench or a valley
• Geologic Time Eras


  • Precambrian
  • Paleozoic
  • Mesozoic
  • Cenozoic
• Precambrian


  Longest era
• Cenozoic


  Shortest era
• Major events in each era

  • Precambrian: Rock shield formed
  • Paleozoic: First fish and land plants appear
  • Mesozoic: Rocky Mountains Start forming, Dinosaurs
  • Cenozoic: Modern Humans begin to develop
• Regions formed in each era

  • Precambrian: Canadian Shield
  • Paleozoic: Appalachian Mountains
  • Mesozoic: Western Cordillera
• Rock Cycle


  Magma -> Cooling -> Igneous Rock -> Weathering and Erosion -> Sediment -> Compaction -> Sedimentary Rock -> Heat and Pressure -> Metamorphic Rock -> Melting -> Magma
• Igneous Rocks


  Formed from cooling of magma
• Metamorphic Rocks


  Rocks changed by heat and pressure
• Sedimentary Rocks


  Made from compressed layers of sediments like sand and mud
• Clues to identify rock types

  • Igneous Rocks: Often have crystals and may look glassy or shiny
  • Metamorphic Rocks: Has smoother appearance and can be wavy or have twisted minerals
  • Sedimentary Rocks: Show layers of sediment, may contain fossils, and can have visible grains
• Landform regions of Canada

  • Western Cordillera
  • Interior Plains
  • Canadian Shield
  • Lowlands
  • Innuitians
  • Appalachian
  • Great Lakes - St Lawrence Lowlands
• Western Cordillera


  Mountains along the western coast of North America, with igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks
• Interior Plains


  Flat or gently rolling lands in central North America, mostly sedimentary rocks with some glacial deposits
• Canadian Shield


  Ancient plateau covering eastern Canada and parts of the northern US, with igneous and metamorphic rocks, and some sedimentary rocks
• Lowlands


  Flat areas contrasting with the rugged shield uplands, similar rock types to Canadian Shield
• Innuitians


  Remote mountains in northern Canada, mainly sedimentary rocks with some glacial deposits
• Appalachian


  Mountainous region in the eastern US and southeastern Canada, primarily sedimentary rocks with some igneous and metamorphic
• Great Lakes - St Lawrence Lowlands


  Region around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, mix of sedimentary, glacial deposits, and metamorphic rocks
• Shaping forces and major resources of each region

  • Western Cordillera: Mountains formed from collisions of Earth's plates and erosion, major resources are minerals, timber, and tourism
  • Interior Plains: Flat lands shaped by glaciers and rivers, major resources are fertile soil, oil, and natural gas
  • Canadian Shield: Ancient volcanic activity and glaciers formed rocky terrain, major resources are minerals, forests, and hydroelectric power
  • Lowlands: Flat areas shaped by glaciers, major resources similar to Canadian Shield with emphasis on forestry and hydroelectric power
  • Innuitians: Glaciers formed rugged mountains, limited resources mainly for traditional activities
  • Appalachian: Mountains formed by erosion, major resources are coal, timber, and tourism
  • Great Lakes - St Lawrence Lowlands: Glacial action formed Great Lakes and flat lowlands, major resources are manufacturing, agriculture, freshwater, and fishing
• Fossil fuels on the interior plains formed from old plants and sea creatures, turned into oil and gas by pressure and heat
• Rift valley


  Forms when tectonic plates beneath the Earth's surface diverge (or move away from one another in opposite directions)
• Lake Nipissing and Lake Timiskaming in Ontario and Quebec, Canada lie inside a rift valley called the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben
• Weathering


  Breaks down rocks in place
• Erosion


  Transports and moves the resulting sediments to new locations
• Agents of erosion


  • Moving water
  • Ice
  • Wind
  • Gravity
  • Sand