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Physical Features Physical Features Chapter 2 Prepared by J. Brad Stelfox, John Godfrey, Mike Flannigan, Bob Wynes, and Greg Tink Summary Points • The geological landscape of northwest Alberta reflects the dynamic erosional and depositional history of the region. Advancing and retreating glaciers during the Pleistocene modified the pre-glacial topography, smoothing the highlands and depositing materials in topographic depressions. • Today, morainal deposits blanket most of the lowland regions. Glacial deposits on upland areas are more shallow and consequently these regions have some Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments exposed. • Soil conditions in northwest Alberta vary significantly depending on glacial history, local parent materials, climate, vegetation, and topography, with finer-textured clay-dominated soils occurring in glacial lake basins, and clay/loams with some stoniness occurring in highland regions where glacial till prevails. • Permafrost is present throughout much of the northern portions of the study area and is generally found beneath bog complexes. Permafrost is common in more northerly latitudes but yields to degraded permafrost further south. Degraded permafrost areas are those sites that provide clear evidence of permafrost in recent geologic times, but has been degraded because of changes in climate or landform. • The overall climate for northwest Alberta is continental, with warm summers and cold winters. Large contrasts in temperature between day and night, and between winter and summer are typical. For seven to eight months of the year, the air transport in northwest Alberta is from the west, which might be expected to bring moist air from the Pacific. However, most of the moisture is lost when the air passes over the Coastal Mountain Range and the Rocky Mountains, thereby giving the region its continental climate. • The study area is located within four major drainage basins, the Peace River Basin, the Slave River Basin, the Hay River Basin, and the Liard River Basin, all of which drain into the Arctic Ocean. River valleys that characterize northwest Alberta today are often deeply incised into glacial and bedrock formations and have exposed considerable slump-prone sedimentary materials. Sedimentation is therefore a dominant process today, and is responsible for the deposition of fine materials in lakes, sloughs, and other topographic depressions. • Moderating spring temperatures melt the winter snowpack and lead to an initial freshet. Summer rainfall maintains moderate flow rates during July–August, after which flow rates quickly decline. Average annual flow rates in the rivers of northwest Alberta exhibit significant year-to-year Annual variation in summer and winter precipitation are dominant factors affecting total annual discharge, although disturbance events such as large fires can also alter the amount of precipitation released to stream and river systems. • Sediment load in the Peace River closely approximated river flow rates, exhibiting minimal loads during the winter months and showing a sharp increase in load as discharge rates increased drastically with spring run-off. Sediment load remained high during April–June, then gradually declined throughout the late summer and autumn months. High seasonal and annual variation in sediment load occurs. • Although sloughs, fens and bogs are common throughout northwest Alberta, lakes are relatively scarce. The highest density of large lake bodies occurs in the northeast portion of the study area in the vicinity of the Caribou Mountains, in the northwest extreme of the study area around Bistcho Lake, and in the southeast portion of the study area. • The largest lake in the study area is Bistcho Lake, at 41,015 ha. The total and average area of the major lakes in the study area is 97,279 ha, and 3,138 ha. The deepest maximum and average depth is Margaret Lake (61.0 and 18.5 m, respectively). Physical Features 2–1 Table of Contents Summary Points.............................................................................................................................................................1 Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................................................2 List of Tables.................................................................................................................................................................3 The Study Area..............................................................................................................................................................7 Geological Features .....................................................................................................................................................11 Some Basic Assumptions........................................................................................................................................11 Physical Features ....................................................................................................................................................11 The History of the Bedrock ....................................................................................................................................14 The Tablelands........................................................................................................................................................15 The Pleistocene Ice Age .........................................................................................................................................15 Preglacial Drainage System....................................................................................................................................17 Natural Geologic Resources ...................................................................................................................................17 Soils ........................................................................................................................................................................34 Permafrost...............................................................................................................................................................34 Cited References.....................................................................................................................................................40 General References on Geology and Geography....................................................................................................40 Climate ........................................................................................................................................................................46 Northwest Alberta Climate .....................................................................................................................................46 Temperature............................................................................................................................................................46 Precipitation............................................................................................................................................................47 Wind and Relative Humidity ..................................................................................................................................47 Bright Sunshine/Daylength.....................................................................................................................................48 Climate Change ......................................................................................................................................................48 References ..............................................................................................................................................................48 General References.................................................................................................................................................64 Hydrology and Water Resources.................................................................................................................................67 Major Drainage Basins ...........................................................................................................................................67 Lotic Systems (Rivers and Streams) .......................................................................................................................68 Distribution and Gross Drainage Area ...............................................................................................................68 Hydrological Stations.........................................................................................................................................68 Monthly variation in river discharge volume .....................................................................................................69 Annual variation in river discharge volume .......................................................................................................69 Variation in river sediment load.........................................................................................................................69 Lentic Systems (Lakes)...........................................................................................................................................88 Distribution ........................................................................................................................................................88
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