Page "History of Canada" Paragraph 6

The North American climate stabilized around 8000 BCE ( 10, 000 years ago ).

Climatic conditions were similar to modern patterns ; however, the receding glacial ice sheets still covered large portions of the land, creating lakes of meltwater.

Most population groups during the Archaic periods were still highly mobile hunter-gatherers.

However, individual groups started to focus on resources available to them locally ; thus with the passage of time there is a pattern of increasing regional generalization ( i. e.: Paleo-Arctic, Plano and Maritime Archaic traditions ).