Final answer:
Geologic provinces in North America differ by topography, age, and how they formed, with the Western Provinces being young and tectonically active, the Central Provinces flat and stable, and the Eastern Provinces a mix of historical and recent geologic events.
Step-by-step explanation:
The geologic provinces of North America are distinctly characterized by their topography, age, and formation processes. For example, the Western Provinces showcase features shaped by post-Paleozoic events, including active plate tectonics along the Pacific margin.
They're segregated into the Rocky Mountains, Coastal Pacific Mountain System, Interior Plateaus, and Basin and Range. In contrast, the Central Provinces reveal flatter terrain due to their relative isolation from tectonic disturbances.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Provinces comprise both young and old geologic events, featuring historical mountain building and current sedimentary structures.
The physiographic provinces such as the Piedmont and Blue Ridge have unique geologies like igneous and metamorphic rocks, differentiating them in terms of erosional history and other features.
For instance, the New England Province demonstrates significant glacial weathering and erosion when compared to the southeastern Piedmont. The Adirondack Mountain Province in upstate New York, with billion-year-old rocks, represents the Late Cenozoic uplift exposing ancient rocks from the Proterozoic supercontinent Rodinia.