Canadian Shield

American  

noun

Geology.

1. the extensive region making up much of northern and central Canada underlain by Precambrian rocks that have been eroded to produce a low shieldlike profile.

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Canadian Shield British  

noun

1. Also called: Laurentian Shield.   Laurentian Plateau.  (in Canada) the wide area of Precambrian rock extending west from the Labrador coast to the basin of the Mackenzie and north from the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay and the Arctic: rich in minerals See shield

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Etymology

Origin of Canadian Shield

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Onto McIntosh County, sheets of ice advanced from the north, grinding ancient Canadian Shield core bedrock for hundreds of miles as it pushed and stranding that rock as deep as 300 feet in some places.

From Washington Times • May 13, 2017

The Canadian Shield is a broad ring of forests and ancient bedrock that extends hundreds of miles from the shores of Hudson Bay.

From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2016

It has long been known that diamonds could exist within the Canadian Shield, but up until 1991, exploration efforts had been unsuccessful.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Most areas of British Columbia have dendritic patterns, as do most areas of the prairies and the Canadian Shield.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

He’d repainted the exterior a lovely robin’s-egg blue, fixed the front step, and planted a low-maintenance combination of outsized rocks from the Canadian Shield and wild grasses on the front lawn.

From Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Doctorow, Cory