London to Vancouver

The former extent of the Arctic Ice Sheet (black), covering most of Canada, as well as the UK and northern Europe.

The exposed rock of the Canadian Shield, scrapped flat by a previous ice sheet.

The flat landscape of the south western Canadian Shield, speckled with lakes.

The vast, forested, flat landscape of the southern Canadian Shield, with a young river winding through the foreground.

The Great Lakes, gouged out of North America by the same ice sheet that created the Canadian Shield landscape.

The Barnes Ice Cap, containing remnants of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Enhanced colour image of Canada; the speckled lakes in the north east were formed by the ice sheet.

The red colour indicates the oldest rocks of the Canadian Shield.

Exposed "pillow lava", possibly over one billion years old, in the greenstone belt of the Canadian Shield.

The smooth volcanic rocks of the Canadian Shield, scraped and ground by the ice sheet that once covered it.

The flat landscapes of the boreal forest; the trees are mainly pine, spruce or fir.

Grizzly bear feeding in the wild in the boreal forests near the Canadian Shield.

A wolverine, similar to those found in the boreal forests of Northern Canada shows its teeth.

Inside the marshy Poplar forest on the southern edge of the boreal forest.

The dark strip of Boreal forest across northern Canada.

Classic boreal landscape, with pine trees, lake and boggy marsh in the foreground.

The present ice caps (black), compared to its former extent (shaded); the ice sheet would consistently grow and shrink in cycles of warming and cooling.

The strip of boreal forest (also known as the Taiga), around the northern parts of Canada, Russia and Europe.

At the bottom of the frozen Diavik Diamond Mine; in the foreground an Atlas Copco Drill.

Open-pit uranium mining on the Canadian Shield near Saskatchewan.

Mining continues through the night as the sun rises above the Diavik Diamond Mine and barren expanse of the Canadian Shield.

Fort Murray , a mining town, with the flat landscape of the Canadian Shield disappearing into the distance.

A huge mining facility amongst the forests of the Canadian Shield: note the airstrip to the right.

Remote mines are accessible in the winter by ice roads over frozen lakes; during the summer these roads are cut off as the ice melts.

Open pit diamond mine excavated into the Canadian Shield.

A controlled explosion in the Diavik Diamond Mine in the Canadian Shield, surrounded by a frozen barren expanse.

North America at night: the boreal forest covering the northern section is empty of infrastructure and towns, and therefore empty of light.

The Diavik Diamond Mine during the summer with the Canadian Shield in the background.

The ice road during the winter, crossing thousands of miles of frozen lakes and land to reach the Diavik Diamond Mine.

The Diavik Diamond mine and surrounding Canadian Shield during the winter covered in snow.

The enormous machinery and even bigger mine wall of the Diavik Mine.