Government of Ontario
Skip Navigation Menu
FRANÇAIS
SERVICES | ABOUT ONTARIO | ABOUT GOVERNMENT | TOP NEWS | FAQ | LOGIN | PERSONALIZE NOW
HOME > ABOUT ONTARIO
 
Premier McGuinty's site
2006 Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review
Go Jobs
Premier's Kids Zone
About Ontario
About Ontario
Geography

Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield is Canada's largest physiographic area as it can be found in at least six provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec plus Newfoundland and Labrador) and two territories (Northwest and Nunavut). It covers about two-thirds of Ontario and contains Precambrian rocks that are more than 570 million years old. The rocks are exposed or are covered by soils, peat, sand, gravel, clay and debris from the glacial activity in the past.

Glacial features found in the Shield include outwash, eskers, moraine, kames, whalebacks and drumlins. Glacial activity helped to form the basins and paths for the many pictureque lakes, rivers and streams on the Shield that vacationers are attracted to. The cottages, resorts and waterways have inspired writers and painters to produce some very creative works to assist with the tourism industry.

In Ontario the area within the Canadian Shield also provides vast forest regions for the lumber industry and historically it has also provided areas that are ideal for trapping and hunting to the benefit of the fur trade in Ontario.

Today it also provides the mining industry with resources for amethyst, cobalt, copper, gold, iron, nickel, platinum, silver, zinc and many other minerals.

Gaspar Island about 25 km northeast of Parry Sound and part of the Canadian Shield.The photo shows Gaspar Island about 25 kilometres northeast of Parry Sound and part of the Canadian Shield. The general south-southwestward orientation of the scars on the gneiss rocks is parallel to the dominant direction of the ice flow in the area. The large streamlined bedrock ridge in the upper left corner of the photo, a whaleback, is the product of both glacial advancement and the drainage of glacial retreat. The trees in the background are Eastern White Pines the official tree of Ontario.

In Ontario the Canadian Shield extends from the Manitoba border in a wide swath through the province to the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence River just east of Kingston, then north to just west of Ottawa and on to Quebec.

 
 
Visiting Ontario

Did you know?

  • The largest rock formation in Canada is the Canadian Shield. The scars from the advance and retreat of glaciers are evident on the rocks of the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield covers about two-thirds of Ontario.

  • The Ontario-U.S. border is almost entirely defined by water. To the east of Thunder Bay, the border runs along the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, and to the west it follows a series of lakes and rivers.

  • There are actually 1,864 islands in the Thousand Islands.

  • The Ishpatina Ridge is the highest point in Ontario at 693 metres. 

 
 
 
ONTARIO HOME | CONTACTS | HELP | SITEMAP | FRANÇAIS
 
 
This site is maintained by the Government of Ontario, Canada.

PRIVACY | IMPORTANT NOTICES

Copyright information:© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2005
Last Modified: November 24, 2006