Igneous Rock
Early formed, dense crystals may separate from the magma, causing a change in the composition of the residual melt.
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Create AccountEarly formed, dense crystals may separate from the magma, causing a change in the composition of the residual melt.
The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a herbaceous annual of the nightshade family, which produces tubers at the end of underground branches called stolons.
Forestry is the science and practice of caring for forests. Both the meaning and practice of forestry in Canada have evolved over time.
The Rocky Mountain Trench is a long and deep valley extending approximately 1,500 km from the Bitterroot Valley in northwest Montana through British Columbia to the Liard Plain just south of the Yukon Territory. Its predominantly flat floor is 3–20 km wide and ranges in elevation between 600 m and 1,000 m above sea level. With walls made of sedimentary, volcanic and igneous rock, the Trench is sometimes referred to as the “Valley of a Thousand Peaks” because of the towering mountain ranges on either side: the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Columbia, Omineca and Cassiar mountains to the west. Humans have relied on the rich resources provided by this distinctive landscape from pre-colonial times to the present.
Disastrous fires may result from arson, accident or uncontrolled forest fire. Their impact may include lives lost, people evacuated and property damaged. Numerous fires, especially forest fires, occur in Canada every year; this article details the worst that have occurred throughout the country’s history.
The boreal zone is Canada’s largest vegetation zone, making up 55 per cent of the country’s land mass. It extends from Yukon and northern British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east. While much of the region is covered by forest, it also includes lakes, rivers, wetlands and naturally treeless areas. The boreal zone is home to diverse wildlife, and is crucial to maintaining biological diversity, storing carbon, purifying air and water, and regulating the climate. With more than 2.5 million Canadians living in the boreal zone, the forest also provides these rural communities with jobs and economic stability.
In Canada, the chinook belt lies almost exclusively within southern and central Alberta. The wind occurs in every season, but it is more distinctive and numerous in the winter, when the unseasonable warming it brings differentiates it from the normal cold winter weather.
The lynx is a medium-sized, carnivorous mammal of family Felidae. Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is distinguished from the North American bobcat by its tufted ears, large feet, long legs and lack of a white patch below the tail tip.
The mountain sheep is a highly successful, medium-sized, even-toed mammal (see Artiodactyla) of the cattle family (Bovidae), genus Ovis.
The oldtimers call it a "capelin squall" - a mixture of bone-chilling winds, rain and fog that typically hammers the NEWFOUNDLAND coast in late June just as the capelin are coming inshore to spawn.
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on October 5, 1998. Partner content is not updated.
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is a herbaceous perennial which, in Canada, is grown as an annual because of early frost.
The gannet, or northern gannet (Sula bassanus) is a large, long-winged seabird, white except for conspicuous black wing tips and yellowish tinged head.
In commerce, commodities are interchangeable goods or services. Many natural resources in Canada are viewed as commodities. They are a major source of the country’s wealth. Examples of commodities include a barrel of crude oil, an ounce of gold, or a contract to clear snow during the winter. Commodity products often supply the production of other goods or services. Many are widely traded in futures exchanges (see Commodity Trading).
A periglacial landform is a feature resulting from the action of intense frost, often combined with the presence of permafrost. Periglacial landforms are restricted to areas that experience cold but essentially nonglacial climates.
At 3,185 km (1,149 km of which lie in Canada), the Yukon River is the fifth-longest river in North America.
The gull (Laridae) family consists of long-winged, web-footed birds containing 2 subfamilies: Larinae and Sterninae.
The wild horses, named for the island they inhabit, are now the only terrestrial mammals on Sable Island aside from the few inhabitants.
WEATHER FORECASTING is the attempt to understand atmospheric patterns to predict the weather conditions that will occur at a specific place and time, including temperature, wind, cloud, precipitation and humidity.