The Canadian Shield of North America

 

THE CANADIAN SHIELD

The Canadian Shield of North America is also called the Laurentian Shield or the Laurentian Plateau. This region lies near and around the Hudson Bay. The main attribute of this feature is the presence of Great Lakes.

Canadian Shield is rich in minerals and made up of old hard rocks. During the Ice Age, this area was covered with thick sheets of ice and glaciers. Even today, the northern part of this shield is covered with snow and ice for almost throughout the year. The region was worn down over thousands of years ago, creating large hollows which eventually turned into lakes.

The Great Lakes comprise of five lakes-Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Superior. You can remember the lakes with the mnemonic 'HOMES'.

Niagara Falls is located between Lake Erie and Ontario. It also forms the international boundary between Canada and USA.

Picture credits: Google