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INTRODUCTION The Southeastern Cordillera NATMAP commenced field mapping in 1993. This program involved mapping both bedrock and surficial geology in southern Alberta. The project area consists of 12 NTS map sheets compiled at 1:50,0000 scale (NTS - National Topographic System) extending from the international border to Turner Valley. The project area includes the Foothills of southwestern Alberta and contiguous areas of the Interior Plains and the Rocky Mountain Front Ranges. Field observations have been completed for the surficial geology and the results are contained on this CD-ROM. The Foothills and adjacent parts of the Rocky Mountains are areas of numerous and sometimes conflicting land uses. Many of these land uses may have potential impacts on the natural environment (e.g., oil leaks, sewage and solid waste disposal, construction of reservoirs, and over grazing with resulting increases in erosion). One of the basic requirements for intelligent planning and regulation of land use is an understanding of the surficial geology. In the Foothills area, the surficial (unconsolidated) deposits are largely the products of the events of the last Ice Age. From a scientific point of view, the events of the last Ice Age are unique. The Foothills are among the few areas of the earth where two great ice sheets, one from the Rocky Mountains and the other from the Canadian Shield, interacted. Scientists for the better part of a century have debated the nature and timing of those interactions. This NATMAP provided an opportunity to settle this fascinating chapter of the geologic history of Canada. For more information please refer to the GSC Report (in press): Quaternary Stratigraphy and Geology of the Foothills Southwestern Alberta
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Preface - Introduction - Getting Started - About the CD - Contacts © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2000. Disclaimer and Copyright. |