What landforms make up the Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario?

The Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario is characterized by a generally monotonous landscape of ancient, eroded crystalline rocks that have been significantly shaped by geologically recent glaciations.12

Key landforms in this region include:

• Rock-knob and Grained Landscapes: Glaciers stripped away weathered material, leaving behind a roughened surface of rock knobs and ridges.1
• Lakes and Basins: The hollows between knobs and troughs between ridges are filled with an enormous number of lakes, formed as glaciers retreated and left behind depressions.12
• Glacial Deposits: The landscape features deposits of till and moraine, as well as extensive clay belts left by former glacial lakes.1
• Eskers: These are long, narrow ridges of glacial deposits that can stretch for over 100 miles, marking the paths of ancient subglacial rivers.1
• Erratics: Large fields of boulders and materials distinct from the local bedrock are scattered across the region.1
• Elevated Rims: In Northern Ontario, the edge of the shield rises to approximately 1,500 feet (450 metres) above the northern shore of Lake Superior.1