When the earth deforms as a result of these collisions, geologists call the deformation process an “orogeny.” Orogenies cause the earth to thrust upward, creating mountain ranges. ![]() Each block is bounded by a belt of younger rock created when the blocks collided. The Shield can be thought of as a jigsaw puzzle of different crustal blocks, sometimes known as “provinces,” welded together over time. When these crustal plates collide they may weld together, forming larger landmasses. Plate tectonics refers to the movement and collision of the Earth’s outer crust. The Canadian Shield formed over 3 billion years through processes such as plate tectonics, erosion and glaciation. For a plain-language summary, please see Canadian Shield (Plain Language Summary).) (It also reaches into parts of the United States, in New York, Wisconsin and Minnesota.) While at times a barrier to settlement, the Shield has also yielded great resources, including minerals, coniferous forests and the capacity for hydroelectric developments.(This is the full-length entry about the Canadian Shield. Shaped like a horseshoe - or the shields carried during hand-to-hand combat - the Canadian Shield extends from Labrador in the east to include nearly all of Québec, much of Ontario and Manitoba, the northern portion of Saskatchewan, the northeast corner of Alberta, much of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and into the Arctic Archipelago. At 5 million km2, the Shield makes up roughly 50 per cent of Canada’s land mass. With the exception of the Canadian Shield, the rocks of the North American Craton are buried deep within the continent and covered by soil and other material. ![]() The crust, also known as the North American Craton, extends from northern Mexico to Greenland and consists of hard rocks at least 1 billion years old. The Canadian Shield refers to the exposed portion of the continental crust underlying the majority of North America. (This is the full-length entry about the Canadian Shield. ![]() (It also reaches into parts of the United States, in New York, Wisconsin and Minnesota.) While at times a barrier to settlement, the Shield has also yielded great resources, including minerals, coniferous forests and the capacity for hydroelectric developments.
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