Geomorphic Systems of North America

New ideas, new techniques, new data, even new access to extraterrestrial worlds—all these are now in greater abundance than ever, making this, the editor says, a marvelous time to be a geomorphologist! This 14-paper volume has been prepared by the Geomorphology Division of GSA as its contribution to DNAG. Subjects treated are Regional Geomorphology of North America; Appalachian Mountains and Plateaus; Atlantic and Gulf Coast Province; Central Lowlands; Canadian Shield; Great Plains; Rocky Mountains; Colorado Plateau; Basin and Range; Central America and the Caribbean; Columbia and Snake River Plains; Interior Mountains and Plateaus; Pacific Coast and Mountain Systems; and Arctic Lowlands.
Canadian Shield
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Published:January 01, 1987
Abstract
The Canadian Shield* (Fig. 1) is a geologically complex terrain that makes up about one-third of the North American landmass. Its rocks were deposited, formed, and deformed over a time span encompassing about three-quarters of the earth’s known geologic history. Consequently, it includes lithologies, structural elements, and topography as varied as those found on the North American continent as a whole. Because of the complexity of geomorphic features that reflect this geologic diversity, we have decided to focus this chapter on the most obvious geomorphologic elements of its modern landscape, the various landforms produced by the latest geologic...