4+Taiga+Shield

= . f fffffffffffffffiifjfifjifjfijfijfijfifjiiiiiiiiiiiiiiffjfjifjfijfifjfffffffffffffffffffoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooofffooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmm __ **Taiga Shield** __= // By: Peter and Tiger // Map And Introduction



The Taiga Shield is located on both sides of the Hudson Bay, the eastern side of the sheild is located in the centeral portions of Quebec and Labrador, and on the western side is the northern portion of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Taiga Shield is a great ecozones with many treasures. As you will learn The Taiga Shield is home to many, ranging from endangered species to some of the oldest rocks and trees in Canada.

.....hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nnnh. __ Rocks And Minerals __ The types of rocks you can find in the taiga shield ecozone are: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock. This ecozone was created in the precambrian era approximately 40 billion years ago. The resources that can be minded in the taiga shield are copper, nickel, uranium and diamonds. when this ecozone was formed in the precambrian era the first rocks created were igneous rocks. The igneous rocks were formed by lava that had been cooled. Sedimentary rock would be formed from eroded igneous rock that had been compressed in prehistoric seas. Metamorphic rock was formed by igneous or sedimentary rock that had been subjected to heat and pressure. Example, lava that had fit into the cracks of either one of these rocks. The era that had created the most mountains was the early paleozoic era, so most of these rocks were formed in that era. __ Vegetation And Soil __ The Taiga shield ecozone is considered to be a subarctic region. In this ecozone most trees do not reach full growing capacity because of the short growing season. There are short and cool summers and long, cold winters in this ecozone. The length of growing season is 140 days, and the days are mainly in the summer. Some examples of vegetation that grows in the Taiga shield are: black spruce, jackpine, paper birch, willow, trembling aspen, etc. Coniferous trees grow in this ecozone. The vegetation region this ecozone is in is the boreal and taiga forest. There are frequent forest fires which can destroy parts of forests but can also cause new growth. The precipitation is approximately 300-900mm per year. Since all plants need water to grow, the precipitation can help the vegetation grow quicker and be more healthy. The soils in the Taiga shield are thin and highly leeched, this is because of the precipitation. Leeching causes the topsoil to be more thin than it would be if calcification took place. A challenge for the vegetation is have permafrost covering areas of the land with acidic soils on top. Overall the vegetation and soils is very good compared to some of the other ecozones.

__ Climate __ The Taiga Shield can be considered subarctic when it comes to weather. It has long winters ( that can last up to 6 months long ) with an average temperature of -25 degrees Celsius, and short cool summers usually around 12 degrees Celsius. The Taiga Shield has a good amount of percipitation 300mm to 900mm of rain. The Taiga shield is covered in permafrost. The growing season in the Taiga shield is 100 to 140 days. One important factor that can affect the weather in the Taiga shield is that it is right below the Hudson Bay, therefore the large mass of water will give out currents that will moderate the temperature in the Taiga Shield. The main wind current in this ecozone is the Kamchatka air current. Even though the Taiga Shield is near the Hudson Bay it is still considered continental climate because it is not near an ocean. __ Human Activity __ The major urban areas in this ecozone are: Yellowknife, Uranium city, Happy valley-Goose bay and Labrador city. Yellowknife has a population of approximately 16541 people and Labrador city has a population of about 11390. The taiga shield is more developed than the other ecozones to the north of it. Some of the occupation in this ecozone are: hydroelectric development and mining. The resources that are mined are: copper, nickel, uranium and diamonds. Two out of 3 of the largest hydro developments are found in this ecozone. Hunting, fishing and trapping is common in this ecozone. First Nations make up about 60% of the population in the taiga shield. There is also tourism in this ecozone. Some attractions include lakes that have been glaciated and also mountains/cliffs. __ Fun Facts __ This ecozone was formed about 40 billion years ago in the earliest era, the precambrian era. The taiga shield has a population of about 33000 people and most people live in either Labrador city or Yellowknife. The density of the population is approximately 0.0539 people per kilometre squared so the population is very sparcely populated. There are about 50 different species of animals that live in this ecozone including: caribou, wolves, moose, grizzly bears, lynx, etc. Also the re is a tree located in the Taiga Shield that is more than 4600 years old! it is a Bristlecone Pine tree.

__ Trivia __ __ Picture Gallery __
 * In what era was this ecozone created?
 * What types of rocks can you find in the Taiga Shield?
 * What vegetation region is in this ecozone?
 * does leaching or/and calcification occur?
 * What is the name of the tree located in the Taiga Shield that is 4600 years old?





__Sources__  http://ecozones.ca    http://canadianbiod iversity.mcgill.ca   http://statcan.gc.ca   Clark, Bruce, John and Kim M. Earle  Making Connections Canada's Geography. 2nd ed. Don Mills, Ontario: Pearson Education Canad, 2006. 118-75. Print Quentin H. Stan Ford Canadian Oxford School Atlas. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University, Canada 2004 Google Images (gallery pictures)