Arctic Cordillera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that Innuitian Mountains be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

The Arctic Cordillera is a mountainous region in Canada's far north. In some locations, they measure over 2,500 meters in height, and are 1,290 km in length. The Arctic Cordillera is located along Baffin Island, Devon Island, most of Ellesmere Island, Bylot Island and on the northernmost tip of Labrador. The Arctic Cordillera is the northernmost mountain range in Canada and in North America and the mountains also offer spectacular scenery. The southernmost part of the Arctic Cordillera are the Torngat Mountains.

[edit] Geography

The Arctic Cordillera was uplifted in the middle of the Mesozoic era when the North American plate moved northward. The Arctic Cordillera contains igneous and metamorphic rocks, but for the most part is composed of sedimentary rock. It is younger than the Appalachians, and so erosion has not had time to reduce it to rounded hills. The mountains are also barren because trees can neither survive the extremely cold winter temperatures, nor grow during the short summers. Vast areas are covered by permanent ice and snow. The Arctic Cordillera resembles the Appalachians in composition and contain similar types of minerals. The mineral resources have not been greatly exploited, however, because the region's remote location makes development too costly when cheaper alternatives exist further south. The Arctic Cordillera is one of Canada's most inhospitable climates. During the winter, the temperature is nearly -35ºC and it is very dark and long. Only about 1,000 people live in the region, and most of the people who live in the region survive by hunting, fishing, and trapping.