The Canadian Shield has a greater land area with fewer people living in it than any other geographical region on the North American continent. This geographic region has some of the hardest and oldest rocks to be found anywhere in North America. Scientists estimate there were at least 150 separate volcanic belts, or strings of volcanoes, involved in creating the foundation of the Canadian Shield. This region is the very first portion of North America to be pushed up above sea level. this all began some 2-4 million years ago. Included within the Canadian Shield are portions of five Canadian provinces, four US states, and the world's largest island, Greenland.

Chaptered.