Precambrian Shield

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Can my Canadian friends please explain to me the Precambrian Shield? I'm still reading up on your country and its history, and I have heard this term mentioned and even read a certain amount of detail about this, ah, difficult piece of property (w/r/t building the railroad, for instance), but I still feel vaguely unschooled in what it's all about. Pictures, stories, reminiscences, and what you were told in grade school about it would all be appreciated.

If anyone hand-draws/photoshops me a map as part of the answer to their question I will be most excited.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:08 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, yes and obv I was the one who asked this question. I am running low on things to read about the prairies and am starting to read up on the North, but this slice of the world is foreign and seems intriguing.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Here you go bub.

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:11 (twenty-two years ago)

The map link is broken! Anyway I'm not so much interested in it from an encyclopedia point of view as from a human point of view, if you know what I mean.

Also I'll call it the Canadian Shield if it'll make folks happy. I'm reading a Pierre Berton book and he calls it the Precambrian Shield but whatever, I'm easy like that.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually though I guess I was used to the Canpreandiancambrian Shield as being that part of Ontario on the lake, but the Berton book is talking about Yellowknife, so I guess I'm confused. Also I'm drinking cheap wine while reading but don't let that dissuade you.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:19 (twenty-two years ago)

A link from a great site that unfortunately only covers the US:

http://tapestry.usgs.gov/features/01superior.html

The Superior Upland of Wisconsin and Minnesota is the largest U.S. surface exposure of the ancient (2.6 to 1.6 billion years old) core of the North American continent, known geologically as the Canadian Shield. Even older rocks have been recognized in northwest Canada. Now an area of low topographic relief, these metamorphic rocks once themselves formed mountains- located at the margin of a continent, just as the Appalachian and Rocky Mountain ranges were in their turn. Some of these highly altered rocks have been important sources of iron, copper, and other industrial minerals.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Pierre Burton was a bit of a twat at times. If we'd continued driving northeast for about 45 minutes when I took you to the ditch we would've made it to the shield. It's exposed rock, trees, bushes, lakes, mines, and lots of it looks like this:
http://www3.mb.sympatico.ca/~bshurb/Picture205small.jpg
and
http://www3.mb.sympatico.ca/~bshurb/Picture204small.jpg

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not saying Pierre Berton wasn't (isn't) a twat, but he wrote some decent beginners Canadian histories, k? It's hard enough to find Berton in the states, much less anything that might be more respectable (any recommendations?).

Those pix are great. Next time I visit (which, if I'm unemployed soon, might possibly be sooner rather than later) we should visit.

So the basic idea is that it's rocky and a good source of various ores? And that it isn't particular to Canada after all but kinda pops out in various places in North America?

I guess one of my questions is WHAT THE HELL IS SO SHEILDY ABOUT IT?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:34 (twenty-two years ago)

see also - paintings by the Group of Seven.

what it means to me is pretty much defined by all the rocky outcroppings where the highways blast on through it - it provides all the most likely spots for spray painting miscellaneous anarchy/peace symbols and eternal declarations like "Gord + Heather" etc.

― Kim (Kim), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm... I guess they call it that because it's hard exposed rock and it's as if it's shielding the earth or something. The Canadian Shield is one of the most exposed pieces of the precambrian shield in the world which is kinda why it's special. (xpost or whatever!)

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Sure, there's highway over some of it, but not the best bits. 2.6 million year old rock that's fucking full of iron is not where you put a road.

The thing is, it's some of the best rock going, some of the oldest (relatively) exposed rock on earth.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:43 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, make that 2.6 billion.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes but apparently it's difficult to visit, except in the highway or train areas?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, cause it's difficult to develop. Like I said. Rock.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 06:49 (twenty-two years ago)

But they DO put roads through it quite a lot - they just blast big parts of it out with dynamite and put the road through it.

How about a personal anectode...

Every time my friends and I would head up north to "cottage country" (ours was east of Algonquin park near a town called Barry's Bay). There came a point in the drive when you leave the southern ontario topography and make the distinct change into the northern ontario landscape, i.e., more pine trees, lakes, and the exposed rock everywhere. As has become a sort of ritual, at the first sighting of the exposed rock, we would all shout:
"BEHOLD! THE CANADIAN SHIELD"

Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Management

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 08:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, there's some SERIOUS Canadian shield action going on in my dad's hometown (I used to visit a lot as a kid) in Flin Flon, Manitoba (yes, that is a real town name):

http://www.flinflon.net/flinflon/

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 08:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Rob, that's a great anecdote. And I am familiar with Flin Flon -- you have no idea how aggravated I was after I spotted it on the map and then realized it wasn't in Saskatchewan.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

It sure is pretty bloody close. Close enough to have the kids from Creighton (small town right next to Flin Flon but technically in Saskatchewan) walk over to Flin Flon at 18 to go to bars. (For those not in the know: legal drinking age in Saskatchewan=19, Manitoba=18!)

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 15 January 2004 00:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I know, it was like victory swept out of my hands!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 15 January 2004 00:19 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

Why did I call Pierre Berton a twat? Well, he's dead now and I'm pretty sad about it.

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh no!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess he was pretty old, though. But still, this is sad.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe he shouldn't have smoked so much weed. Go here then scroll down to the week of October 18th for a video featuring Berton's tips for rolling the perfect joint.

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I imagine smoking weed helped him live to 84! I saw that in the article -- the video is awesome.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess he'd been getting high since the 60s. Probably why he kept on with the bowties. I remember him on Front Page Challenge (an AWESOME fucking show) as being the cut-up, but also sharp as a tack. 15,000 words per day! Imagine doing that all baked!

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe he could only get baked after writing the 15,000 words. Imagine the incentive!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:32 (twenty-one years ago)

The other videos from that tv show kinda suck though.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:42 (twenty-one years ago)

The Geddy Lee tobogganing tips video from January 26th is good, are the Jann Arden and June Callwood videos from November 15th.

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Those were good. Jann Arden seems all right.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 07:29 (twenty-one years ago)

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