Physical Geography of Ontario

Introduction Ontario, the second largest province of Canada, covers approximately 1 million km2 and extends approximately from 42°N to 57°N latitude and from 75°W to 95°W longitude. The major patterns of geoclimatic features across the province are strongly interrelated and form the foundation for the biotic and natural disturbance processes of Ontario’s many different landscapes. In this chapter, we describe the spatial distribution of the abiotic factors, including bedrock, surficial geology, climate, soils and hydrology, that influence and interact with the biotic systems. The relationships among these elements, and the various biotic and natural disturbance processes at work across the province, are the subject of subsequent chapters in Sections I and II of this book. In keeping with the focus of this book on Ontario’s northern managed forest landscape, we do not describe the southern, settled portion of the province, but refer the reader to well-known summaries of that region, such as Chapman and Putnam (1984).