Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield makes up nearly half of Canada's total area and is composed of Precambrian rocks - ancient, rounded rocks that form the nucleus of most of North America.

In Canada, the Shield stretches from Labrador through to northern Quebec, Ontario, eastern and northern Manitoba, northern Saskatchewan and the very northeast corner of Alberta. However, the Canadian Shield in Alberta is not wholly restricted to a small northeastern corner of the province but actually plunges under the plains and mountains, forming the foundation under the rest of the province - over  6, 000 metres or 6 kilometres below the surface.