Natural Resources Canada

The geologic time scale divides the 4.6 billion years of earths history into hierarchy of time periods. Every layer of rock corresponds to a specific time in the history of the formation of the Earth. The Precambrian era began with the formation of the Earth; it was followed by the Paleozoic,...

Rocks are divided into three main categories according to how they were formed: igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic processes. Rocks differ in their texture, mineral and chemical composition, and bedding characteristics depending on which of these three processes that formed them. Igneous rocks,...

Surficial hydrogeological materials show the distribution of sediment deposited in glacially influenced environments. Most drinkable groundwater resources in Canada occur in shallow surficial-sediment aquifers. Surface sediments, such as gravel, sand, silt and clay, or mixed sediments, are an...

Moisture regions illustrate moist (water surplus) and dry (water deficient) climate areas. The regions are a general guide to moisture surplus or deficit to be factored with seasonal timing of moisture availability for the hydrological system, including fluxes to runoff and groundwater infiltration.

This map shows a simplified distribution of land cover types across Canada interpreted from satellite data obtained in 1995. Land cover has an important role in the water cycle as it significantly affects evapotranspiration and the amount of water leaving a watershed. Evapotranspiration is the...

Hydrogeological regions are areas in which the properties of sub-surface water, or groundwater, are broadly similar in geology, climate and topography. Hydrogeology is the branch of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of water beneath the earth’s surface. This map shows Canada’s...

The map shows 3172 hydrometric stations, 1491 active and 1681 inactive, located on rivers and lakes across the country. All the stations on the map are situated in a drainage area of 200 square kilometres or more. For 1200 stations shown on the map, surface water level measurements are recorded...

A drainage basin is an area that drains all precipitation received as a runoff or base flow (groundwater sources) into a particular river or set of rivers. Canada’s major drainage regions are the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Rivers are organized into...

Apart from a source of drinking water, the water resources in watersheds supply water for irrigation and the production of hydroelectricity, and are a primary mode of transportation. Major water consumers are municipalities, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and thermal power generation. The...

The physical components of a watershed are rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs, groundwater aquifers, snowpacks, glaciers, ice fields, wetlands and precipitation. This map shows the different hydrological components of a watershed, some physical components that affect watersheds and some...

A watershed is an area that drains all precipitation received as a runoff or base flow (groundwater sources) into a particular river or set of rivers. The easiest way to describe the network of rivers and lakes on a small-scale map is to show the watersheds. In Canada, there is a detailed...

This map shows the distribution of land cover types across Canada, based on satellite data obtained in 1995. The land cover map contains 31 classes: 12 forest; 3 shrubland; 7 tundra/grasslands; 7 developed land types including cropland, mosaic and built-up areas; and 2 water cover types.

Permafrost occurs when the ground remains at or below a temperature of 0oC for a minimum period of two years. Permafrost occurs not only at high latitudes but also at high altitudes. Almost all of the soil moisture in permafrost occurs in the form of ground ice, which in turn occurs in several...

This map shows the location of the Arctic physiographic regions which include the Innuitian Region, the Arctic Lowlands and the Arctic Coastal Plains.

This map shows the location of the Cordilleran physiographic region. The Cordilleran Region is divided into three large linear zones called the Eastern System, the Interior System and the Western System. Each system is further divided into areas and subdivided into mountains, ranges, plateaus,...

This map shows the location of the eastern physiographic regions which include the Appalachian Region and the St. Lawrence Lowlands.

This map shows the location of the Interior Plains physiographic region. The Interior Plains occupy the region between the Shield on the east and the mountains of the Cordilleran Region on the west. They join with the St. Lawrence Lowlands of eastern Canada through the United States and are...

Canada’s landscape is very diversified and comprises several distinctive areas, called physiographic regions, each of which has its own topography and geology. The physical geography of Canada comprises two great parts: the Shield and the Borderlands. The Shield consists of a core of old,...

This map shows the location of the Shield physiographic regions. The Shield is divided into five great regions: Kazan Region, Davis Region, Hudson Region, James Region and Laurentian Region. Each of these five regions is divided by subareas, and each of these subareas has its own geological...

Canada is a vast country comprised of a multitude of very different landscapes: Atlantic provinces, the Appalachians, St. Lawrence and Great Lakes lowlands, Canadian Shield, The Prairies, mountain ranges and high plateaus of the Canadian Cordillera, and northern Canada.