DOCSLIB.ORG

Coalspur Mines Ltd

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Coalspur Mines Ltd THE PALAEONTOLOGICAL HISTORICAL RESOURCE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE COALSPUR MINES LTD. VISTA PROJECT, TOWNSHIPS 50 AND 51, RANGES 22-24W5M, YELLOWHEAD COUNTY, WEST REGION Report No. APR 2012-01 April 9, 2012 Samuel M. Wilson, MSc, P. Geol, Prof. Palaeontologist (AB) Nautilus Paleontology, Inc. 319 Diamond Willow Point, Calgary, AB T3Z 2Z5 Introduction This palaeontological Historical Resource Impact Assessment (pHRIA) has been prepared for the Coalspur Mines Ltd (the “Operator”) Vista Project (the “Project”) located near the Town of Hinton in Yellowhead County (Figs 1-4). The pHRIA was completed at the request of the Operator through Lifeways of Canada Limited to insure compliance with Article 2.0 of Schedule A (Historical Resource Act Requirements) of Project File: 4560-11-061 dated August 10, 2011. The Project will include the pit, three dump sites and a fines settling pond, storage sites, ponds, plant site and a conveyor/loadout system. Total disturbance footprint will include approximately 2,644 ha (Fig 3). Coalspur’s Vista coal deposit consists of large tonnage near surface multi-seam thermal coals of the Coalspur Formation. The mining method will be a large- scale integrated truck/shovel and dragline operation. Mined, cleaned coal will be conveyed to a loadout site located north of Highway 16 via an overland conveyor approximately 7 km in length. The mine will produce up to 5 million tonnes per year over an estimated 20 year life. The ultimate mine pit dimensions will be approximately 12 km in length, from east to west with a width variance of 1.0 to 1.7 km in a north to south direction. The pits estimated maximum depth will be 250 m. Large dumps are planned as there will be significant overburden and waste removal consisting of Paskapoo Formation bedrock and non-coal deposits of the Coalspur Formation; both are potentially fossiliferous. The purpose of this document is to discuss the baseline geology and palaeontology along with field assessment of the lands within, and adjacent to, the Project area in order to ascertain whether further mitigative measures are warranted. NAUTILUS PALEONTOLOGY, INC. Coalspur Vista Project p. 2 of 19 Figure 1. Location Map (from Waldrop Feasibility Study, 2011). Samuel M. Wilson NPI Report 2012-01 Figure 2. Location of initial mine permit and additional Coalspur leases shown on 83 F Edson 1: 50,000 topographic map (slide courtesy of Lifeways of Canada Limited). Figure 3. Major components of initial Vista Project development (slide courtesy of Coalspur). NAUTILUS PALEONTOLOGY, INC. Coalspur Vista Project p. 5 of 19 Figure 4. Project program map overlain on air photo (courtesy of Lifeways of Canada). Samuel M. Wilson NPI Report 2012-01 Geology and Palaeontology Physiographically, the area is characterized by relatively low rounded hills with local muskeg in low lying areas. Much of the property has been commercially logged and is covered with second growth pine and mixes of white spruce and poplar on the hillsides and ridges: alders, willows and black spruce occur in low lying areas (Waldrop, 2011). Based on core hole data, the area is overlain by a mantle of glacial till and alluvium which ranges in thickness from 5 to 30 m. Structurally, the Project area lies along the eastern margin of the Prairie Creek Anticline which is bounded on the west by the Pedley Fault, a major thrust fault that separates the folded and deformed strata of the Foothills belt from the undeformed Alberta Syncline strata. The structure is a simple monocline that trends 300° northwest/southeast with beds dipping gently northeast from 6° in the western edge of the property to up to 15° at the McLeod River on the eastern boundary (Waldrop, 2011). Underlying and cropping out within the Project area is the Campanian to Paleocene age Saunders Group which is over 3600 m thick in some areas (Jerzykiewicz and McLean 1980) and consists of the Brazeau, Coalspur and Paskapoo Formations (Figs 5 and 6). The Saunders Group was deposited primarily in lacustrine and alluvial environments. The Brazeau and Coalspur Formations represent cyclothemic deposition with the final cyclothem represented by the thicker coals within alluvial deposits in the Coalspur. The vast amount of coal reserves in the outer foothills are found in the Coalspur Formation. The Brazeau Formation is correlative with the Foremost through Battle Formations (with the Bearpaw Formation being absent) in south-east Alberta with the Coalspur Formation being correlative to the Maastrichtian to Paleocene age Scollard Formation in eastern Alberta (Smith et al, 1994). The Paskapoo Formation consists of cycles of thick tabular buff colored sandstones greater than 15 m in thickness and, when stacked, can reach thicknesses of over 60 m. These thick sandstone units are overlain by siltstones and mudstones (Dawson et al, 1994). During Paskapoo Formation deposition, large volumes of clastic sediments were dumped into the basin following the widespread coal development of the upper Scollard, essentially burying the peat swamps and producing extensive deposits of coarse-grained sandstone lying disconformably on the underlying fine-grained sediments (Lerbekmo et al., 1990; Demchuk and Hills, 1991). Economically important coals are restricted to the Paskapoo Formation north of Hinton at the Obed Mountain coalfield. Palaeontologically, Brazeau equivalents (Foremost through Battle Formations) have produced numerous significant sites in south eastern Alberta, especially along the Red Deer River and its tributaries. In northern Alberta, the Pipestone bonebeds near Grand Prairie have produced significant Pachyrhinosaurus fossils from the Wapiti Formation (Currie et al., 2008). In the Project vicinity, the Cadomin Fossil site has yielded fossil wood (TMP 1983.058.0001) from 10-48- NAUTILUS PALEONTOLOGY, INC. Coalspur Vista Project p. 7 of 19 22W5, an Albertosaurus mandible (TMP 1983-058-0002) from 11-48-22W5 and a hadrosaur maxilla (TMP 1983-058-0003) from 11-48-22W5 (HeRMIS website). Caldwell (2007) described fossil plant material in the form of wood fragments, logs and in-situ water plant assemblages in addition to trace fossils during field assessment of the Highway 40:30 realignment and Athabasca River bridge replacement project in 1-51-26W5M and 6-51-25W5M. The Coalspur Formation’s equivalent, the Scollard Formation has yielded significant theropod and ornothischian dinosaur material along the Red Deer River valley from Maastrichtian age rocks. Paleocene mammalian fossils were first discovered from the Paskapoo Formation in 1910 along the Red Deer River (Simpson 1927; Fox 1990). Since then, over 35 additional fossil mammal sites have been discovered ranging in age from middle Torrejonian through late Tiffanian time (Fox 1990; Scott 2003; Scott, 2006; Scott, et al, 2006). The Paskapoo Formation has also yielded non-mammalian vertebrate, invertebrate, insect and plant fossils at sites such as Joffre Bridge near Red Deer (Hoffman and Stockey, 1999), fish fossils at Smoky Tower (Murray and Wilson, 1996) and Blindman River (Grande et al, 2000) sites and amphibians from Smoky Tower (Naylor and Fox, 1993). Although there are no known Coalspur palaeontological sites in the immediate vicinity of the project area, the Diss site, located in SW/8-48-20W5M (Fig 7) has yielded a number of significant small mammals (Terrejonian?) from the Coalspur Formation. A summary of vertebrate fossil material from the Diss site, which includes a number of significant small mammals and an articulated salamander skull, is presented by R.C. Fox (1990). A gastropod (TMP 1988.097.001) is also known from the Diss site. In addition, Paskapoo (?) gastropods (TMP 1988.097.008 and .009) were noted from the Robb coal mine in 21-49-21W5M (HeRMIS website). Samuel M. Wilson NPI Report 2012-01 NAUTILUS PALEONTOLOGY, INC. Coalspur Vista Project p. 8 of 19 Figure 5. Geologic Map of Project Area (modified from 1999 AGS Geological Map of Alberta). Figure 6. Schematic cross section illustrating the correlation and stratigraphic relations of major coal-bearing units in the Interior Plains (from Geologic Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin). Samuel M. Wilson NPI Report 2012-01 NAUTILUS PALEONTOLOGY, INC. Coalspur Vista Project p. 9 of 19 Figure 7. Location of Paleocene fossil sites in W5 and W6 areas of Alberta. Project site and Diss Paleontological Locale are highlighted (base slide courtesy of RTMP). Field Assessment METHODOLOGY The field assessment for this project was conducted in accordance with Mitigative Palaeontological Excavation Permit 11-018, approved on September 26, 2011 with field work being conducted from October 1st to October 3rd, 2011 by Mike Riley and Kevin Aulenbach. Waypoints and the inspection track were recorded using a Garmin Montana GPS and plotted with the Garmin MapSource computer map orientation program. Digital photographs were taken at key points within and adjacent to the Project area such as bedrock exposures and any palaeontological sites with recovered fossils, if encountered. The assessment track is shown in Figure 8. Objectives of this report involve the location, assessment, and documentation of fossiliferous sites, and if necessary, the salvage of significant fossil material. Collection of fossils is usually confined to specimens that have been dislodged or eroded to the surface, and may be subject to destruction by the construction machinery or weathering. For suspected micropalaeontological sites, a sample Samuel M. Wilson NPI Report 2012-01 NAUTILUS PALEONTOLOGY, INC. Coalspur Vista Project p. 10 of 19 of rock is taken and inspected later under a stereo binocular microscope. Subequent mitigative measures, if necessary, are recommended in order to protect fossil resources which may be damaged or destroyed by subsequent construction and related operations. The Project outline was overlain on the 83 F 03 Cadomin topographic map and available lease roads and jeep trails chosen for assessment access. Areas within the sites where the roads and trails became impassible were not studied in detail. Figure 8. Inspection track (red line) shown on Garmin MapSource display.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Fauna from the Tyrannosaurus Rex Excavation, Frenchman Formation (Late Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan
    The Fauna from the Tyrannosaurus rex Excavation, Frenchman Formation (Late Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan Tim T. Tokaryk 1 and Harold N. Bryant 2 Tokaryk, T.T. and Bryant, H.N. (2004): The fauna from the Tyrannosaurus rex excavation, Frenchman Formation (Late Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan; in Summary of Investigations 2004, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Industry Resources, Misc. Rep. 2004-4.1, CD-ROM, Paper A-18, 12p. Abstract The quarry that contained the partial skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex, familiarly known as “Scotty,” has yielded a diverse faunal and floral assemblage. The site is located in the Frenchman River valley in southwestern Saskatchewan and dates from approximately 65 million years, at the end of the Cretaceous Period. The faunal assemblage from the quarry is reviewed and the floral assemblage is summarized. Together, these assemblages provide some insight into the biological community that lived in southwestern Saskatchewan during the latest Cretaceous. Keywords: Frenchman Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous, southwestern Saskatchewan, Tyrannosaurus rex. 1. Introduction a) Geological Setting The Frenchman Formation, of latest Maastrichtian age, is extensively exposed in southwestern Saskatchewan (Figure 1; Fraser et al., 1935; Furnival, 1950). The lithostratigraphic units in the formation consist largely of fluvial sandstones and greenish grey to green claystones. Outcrops of the Frenchman Formation are widely distributed in the Frenchman River valley, southeast of Eastend. Chambery Coulee, on the north side of the valley, includes Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) locality 72F07-0022 (precise locality data on file with the RSM), the site that contained the disarticulated skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex. McIver (2002) subdivided the stratigraphic sequence at this locality into “lower” and “upper” beds.
    [Show full text]
  • Amia Cf. Pattersoni from the Paleocene Paskapoo Formation of Alberta
    31 Amia cf. pattersoni from the Paleocene Paskapoo Formation of Alberta Lance Grande, Li Guo-Qing, and Mark V. H. Wilson Abstract: A well-prepared anterior half of an amiid skull from the Late Paleocene Paskapoo Formation of south-central Alberta is described. The specimen is either very closely related to, or conspecific with, Amia pattersoni Grande and Bemis, 1998, from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming. We leave the specimen as Amia cf. pattersoni until additional material is found to further clarify its relationships. Amia cf. pattersoni is the oldest known specimen clearly identifiable as belonging to the genus Amia (sensu Grande and Bemis, 1998), and the Paskapoo spe- cies extends the known geographic range of Amia both northward and westward. The fish assemblage of the Paskapoo Formation represents the most diverse freshwater Paleocene fish fauna known from North America. Based on compari- sons of sample size and relative taxonomic diversity to the better known Green River Formation localities of Wyoming, we predict that further collecting will substantially increase the known diversity of the Paskapoo fauna. The Paskapoo Formation, therefore, has great potential to continue adding to the meager knowledge of pre-Eocene freshwater teleost diversity in North America. Résumé : Ce document décrit une moitié antérieure bien préparée d'un crâne d'un aminoïde de la Formation de Paska- poo du Paléocene tardif. Le spécimen est soit relié très étroitement à Amia cf. pattersoni Grande et Bemis, 1998 de la Formation de Green River de l'Éocène précoce, au Wyoming, soit qu'il lui est congénère. Nous classons le spécimen en tant que Amia cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Postcranial Anatomy of Tanius Sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea) Postkraniala Anatomin Hos Tanius Sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea)
    Examensarbete vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper Degree Project at the Department of Earth Sciences ISSN 1650-6553 Nr 320 Postcranial Anatomy of Tanius Sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea) Postkraniala anatomin hos Tanius sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea) Niclas H. Borinder INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Examensarbete vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper Degree Project at the Department of Earth Sciences ISSN 1650-6553 Nr 320 Postcranial Anatomy of Tanius Sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea) Postkraniala anatomin hos Tanius sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea) Niclas H. Borinder ISSN 1650-6553 Copyright © Niclas H. Borinder and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2015 Abstract Postcranial Anatomy of Tanius Sinensis Wiman, 1929 (Dinosauria; Hadrosauroidea) Niclas H. Borinder Tanius sinensis Wiman, 1929 was one of the first hadrosauroid or “duck-billed” taxa erected from China, indeed one of the very first non-avian dinosaur taxa to be erected based on material from the country. Since the original description by Wiman in 1929, the anatomy of T. sinensis has received relatively little attention in the literature since then. This is unfortunate given the importance of T. sinensis as a possible non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroid i.e. a member of Hadrosauroidea outside the family of Hadrosauridae, living in the Late Cretaceous, at a time when most non-hadrosaurid hadro- sauroids had become replaced by the members of Hadrosauridae. To gain a better understanding of the anatomy of T. sinensis and its phylogenetic relationships, the postcranial anatomy of it is redescribed. T. sinensis is found to have a mosaic of basal traits like strongly opisthocoelous cervical vertebrae, the proximal end of scapula being dorsoventrally wider than the distal end, the ratio between the proximodistal length of the metatarsal III and the mediolateral width of this element being greater than 4.5.
    [Show full text]
  • Seismic Modelling and Monitoring of Carbon Storage in a Sandstone Aquifer
    Seismic monitoring of carbon storage Seismic modelling and monitoring of carbon storage in a sandstone aquifer Virginia C. Vera and Don C. Lawton ABSTRACT Carbon Management Canada in association with CREWES have invested in research projects that investigate the feasibility of injecting and monitoring relatively small amounts of CO2 in sandstone aquifers in Alberta. In this case the target is a “shallow” sandstone layer of the Paskapoo Formation, southwest of Calgary. In order to evaluate the monitoring viability, Gassmann fluid substitution and 3D seismic modeling were undertaken. Synthetic seismograms were generated to assess changes given the injection of CO2 in Lower Paskapoo sandstone. The resulting model attempts to represent the study site and its geology, therefore the seismic data acquired during 2010 field school was used as a guide. Using Norsar3D software, a pre-injection model and a post-injection scenario, which include the CO2 plume, were obtained. The plume was estimated for a 3000 tonnes of CO2, which is the expected injection amount after 3 years, and 50% CO2 saturation. The plume size and shape was calculated taking using volumetric principles and the assumption of radial dispersion. From the resulting seismic volumes it is possible to appreciate a difference in seismic amplitude and time delay of the reflectors in the injection zone and underneath it. The changes caused by the presence of CO2 are easily recognizable applying a subtraction of the post-injection model to the initial model. INTRODUCTION The main purpose of this study was to generate a 3D geological model and subsequent seismic model that calculates the seismic response before and after CO2 injection on the project land at the study site.
    [Show full text]
  • Competition Structured a Late Cretaceous Megaherbivorous Dinosaur Assemblage Jordan C
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Competition structured a Late Cretaceous megaherbivorous dinosaur assemblage Jordan C. Mallon 1,2 Modern megaherbivore community richness is limited by bottom-up controls, such as resource limitation and resultant dietary competition. However, the extent to which these same controls impacted the richness of fossil megaherbivore communities is poorly understood. The present study investigates the matter with reference to the megaherbivorous dinosaur assemblage from the middle to upper Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada. Using a meta-analysis of 21 ecomorphological variables measured across 14 genera, contemporaneous taxa are demonstrably well-separated in ecomorphospace at the family/subfamily level. Moreover, this pattern is persistent through the approximately 1.5 Myr timespan of the formation, despite continual species turnover, indicative of underlying structural principles imposed by long-term ecological competition. After considering the implications of ecomorphology for megaherbivorous dinosaur diet, it is concluded that competition structured comparable megaherbivorous dinosaur communities throughout the Late Cretaceous of western North America. Te question of which mechanisms regulate species coexistence is fundamental to understanding the evolution of biodiversity1. Te standing diversity (richness) of extant megaherbivore (herbivores weighing ≥1,000 kg) com- munities appears to be mainly regulated by bottom-up controls2–4 as these animals are virtually invulnerable to top-down down processes (e.g., predation) when fully grown. Tus, while the young may occasionally succumb to predation, fully-grown African elephants (Loxodonta africana), rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum and Diceros bicornis), hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius), and girafes (Girafa camelopardalis) are rarely targeted by predators, and ofen show indiference to their presence in the wild5.
    [Show full text]
  • (Published March 2011) Richard C. Fox an Unusual Early Primate from the Paleocene Paskapoo Formation, Alberta, Canada
    Issue 1 (published March 2011) Richard C. Fox An unusual early primate from the Paleocene Paskapoo Formation, Alberta, Canada . 1–10 Wighart von Koenigswald, Luke T. Holbrook, and Kenneth D. Rose Diversity and evolution of Hunter−Schreger Band configuration in tooth enamel of perissodactyl mammals . 11–32 Carlo Meloro Morphological disparity in Plio−Pleistocene large carnivore guilds from Italian peninsula . 33–44 Pablo A. Gallina and Sebastián Apesteguía Cranial anatomy and phylogenetic position of the titanosaurian sauropod Bonitasaura salgadoi . 45–60 Michael D. D’Emic and Jeffrey A. Wilson New remains attributable to the holotype of the sauropod dinosaur Neuquensaurus australis, with implications for saltasaurine systematics . 61–73 Michael P. Taylor, Mathew J. Wedel, and Richard L. Cifelli A new sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA . 75–98 Ross A. Elgin, David W.E. Hone, and Eberhard Frey The extent of the pterosaur flight membrane . 99–111 Jörg Fröbisch, Rainer R. Schoch, Johannes Müller, Thomas Schindler, and Dieter Schweiss A new basal sphenacodontid synapsid from the Late Carboniferous of the Saar−Nahe Basin, Germany . 113–120 Michele Mazza, Manuel Rigo, and Alda Nicora A new Metapolygnathus platform conodont species and its implications for Upper Carnian global correlations . 121–131 Ana B. Villaseñor, Federico Olóriz, and Celestina González−Arreola Lower Tithonian microconchiate simoceratins from eastern Mexico: Taxonomy, biostratigraphy, and palaeobiogeography. 133–158 Kenneth De Baets, Christian Klug, and Dieter Korn Devonian pearls and ammonoid−endoparasite co−evolution . 159–180 Vladimir I. Davydov Taxonomy, nomenclature, and evolution of the early schubertellid fusulinids . 181–194 Benjamin Bomfleur, Michael Krings, Edith L.
    [Show full text]
  • Bedrock Geology of Alberta
    Alberta Geological Survey Map 600 Legend Bedrock Geology of Alberta Southwestern Plains Southeastern Plains Central Plains Northwestern Plains Northeastern Plains NEOGENE (± PALEOGENE) NEOGENE ND DEL BONITA GRAVELS: pebble gravel with some cobbles; minor thin beds and lenses NH HAND HILLS FORMATION: gravel and sand, locally cemented into conglomerate; gravel of sand; pebbles consist primarily of quartzite and argillite with minor amounts of sandstone, composed of mainly quartzite and sandstone with minor amounts of chert, arkose, and coal; fluvial amygdaloidal basalt, and diabase; age poorly constrained; fluvial PALEOGENE PALEOGENE PALEOGENE (± NEOGENE) PALEOGENE (± NEOGENE) UPLAND GRAVEL: gravel composed of mainly white quartzite cobbles and pebbles with lesser amounts of UPLAND GRAVEL: gravel capping the Clear Hills, Halverson Ridge, and Caribou Mountains; predominantly .C CYPRESS HILLS FORMATION: gravel and sand, locally cemented to conglomerate; mainly quartzite .G .G and sandstone clasts with minor chert and quartz component; fluvial black chert pebbles; sand matrix; minor thin beds and lenses of sand; includes gravel in the Swan Hills area; white quartzite cobbles and pebbles with lesser amounts of black chert pebbles; quartzite boulders occur in the age poorly constrained; fluvial Clear Hills and Halverson Ridge gravels; sand matrix; ages poorly constrained; extents poorly defined; fluvial .PH PORCUPINE HILLS FORMATION: olive-brown mudstone interbedded with fine- to coarse-grained, .R RAVENSCRAG FORMATION: grey to buff mudstone
    [Show full text]
  • Longrich-Sankey-Texacephale-10.Pdf
    This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier’s archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright Author's personal copy Cretaceous Research 31 (2010) 274–284 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Cretaceous Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/CretRes Texacephale langstoni, a new genus of pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the upper Campanian Aguja Formation, southern Texas, USA Nicholas R. Longrich a,*, Julia Sankey b, Darren Tanke c a Department of Geology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208109, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA b Department of Physics and Geology, California State University, Stanislaus, One University Circle, Turlock, California 95382, USA c Royal Tyrrell Museum, P.O. Box 7500, Drumheller, Alberta T0J 0Y0, Canada article info abstract Article history: Recent work in the Campanian Aguja Formation of Big Bend, Texas, has resulted in the recovery of two Received 16 June 2009 frontoparietal domes from a new genus of pachycephalosaur. Texacephale langstoni gen. et sp. nov. is Accepted in revised form diagnosed by a tall, arched nasal boss, flange-like processes articulating the dome with the peripheral 14 December 2009 elements, and a low pedicel separating the cerebral fossa from the skull roof.
    [Show full text]
  • Map 600: a New 1:1 000 000 Bedrock Geology Map of Alberta G.J
    Map 600: A New 1:1 000 000 Bedrock Geology Map of Alberta G.J. Prior*, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta [email protected] B. Hathway, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta P. Glombick, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta D.I. Pana, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta C.J. Banks, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta D.C. Hay, Neftex Petroleum Consultants, 97 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England C.L. Schneider, University of Alberta, 116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, Alberta M. Grobe, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave, Edmonton, Alberta R. Elgr, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave, Edmonton, Alberta J.A. Weiss, Alberta Geological Survey, 402, 4999-98th Ave, Edmonton, Alberta Summary Map 600 is the new 1:1 000 000 bedrock geology map of Alberta prepared by the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS). This map supersedes Map 236 (Hamilton et al., 1999) and Map 27 (Green, 1972). Map 600 represents the compilation of existing geological maps and new geological mapping by staff of the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS). The representation of the Canadian Shield and Athabasca Basin is based on compilation. The geology of the Rocky Mountains and the Rocky Mountain Foothills is also the product of compilation with rare instances of new geological interpretation (e.g. the interpretation of bedrock geology beneath drift-filled valleys). The Devonian geology of northeast Alberta is also largely a product of compilation with some reinterpretation based, in part, on field observations.
    [Show full text]
  • Insights Into the Internal Architecture of the Paskapoo Formation
    Insights into the Internal Architecture of the Paskapoo Formation Steve Lyster* Energy Resources Conservation Board / Alberta Geological Survey, Edmonton, Alberta [email protected] and Laurence Andriashek Energy Resources Conservation Board / Alberta Geological Survey, Edmonton, Alberta Introduction The Paleogene-age Paskapoo Formation (Fm.) is an eastward-tapering wedge of interbedded nonmarine sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, with minor amounts of coal and bentonite. In its simplest form, the internal architecture of the Paskapoo Fm. can be described as individual and stacked sandstone channel or splay complexes encased in fine-grained sediment. Attempts to define regionally identifiable or correlatable surfaces within the formation have proved to be difficult though subdivisions based on relative sandstone concentrations have been proposed as means to subdivide the formation. Demchuk and Hills (1991) divided the Paskapoo Fm. into three members based on lithology observed in outcrop and core: the lowermost Haynes Member, consisting largely of thick, locally conglomeratic, medium- to coarse-grained sandstone; the middle Lacombe Member, consisting of interbedded siltstone, mudstone, shale and coal, with subordinate sandstone and conglomerate; and in the highest elevations in northwest-central Alberta, the uppermost Dalehurst Member, characterized and marked by the occurrence of thick coals. Similarly, Jerzykiewicz (1997) informally divided the Paskapoo Fm. into lower and upper members based on relative sandstone content. More recently,
    [Show full text]
  • Provenance Signals in Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Strata, Alberta Basin, Canada Samantha Super*, Stephen M
    Provenance signals in Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene strata, Alberta Basin, Canada Samantha Super*, Stephen M. Hubbard, William Matthews, Ranjot S. Brar., Daniel S. Coutts, Sean Horner, and Marco Venieri Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary Summary The Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene stratigraphic wedge of the Alberta foreland basin records the final major contractional period of uplift and deformation in the Canadian Cordillera. Recent work has emphasized the usefulness of U-Pb geochronology to better constrain orogenic belt uplift and denudation based on the analysis of sedimentary units in the associated foreland. In this study, we employ detrital zircon geochronology to consider: (1) the relationship between Cordilleran tectonics and associated foreland strata during the final stages of Canadian Cordilleran development; (2) the provenance of Cretaceous-Paleogene wedge sediments; (3) the relative timing of events in the orogen and the foreland basin; and (4) the origin of large volumes of near depositional aged detrital zircons in the late Cretaceous – Paleogene strata. Geochronology data are subject to statistical similarity analysis and considered with respect to detrital spectra of potential source regions and recently obtained thrust- faults ages. A vast database of igneous and metamorphic detrital zircon ages from within the Cordillera and beyond is assembled from literature to constrain syn-depositional potential magmatic zircon sources. Cretaceous-Paleogene strata of the Alberta basin (N = 15 samples; n = 3176 ages, total) cluster into 4 distinct groups using statistical analysis and identify large quantities of approximately syn-depositional magmatic detrital zircons. Statistical analysis of U-Pb geochronology data identifies alternating trends in the detrital zircon signature of Cretaceous-Paleogene sediments, which can be used to infer the spatial and temporal evolution of sediment provenance in relation to the tectonic evolution of the associated orogen.
    [Show full text]
  • Baby Hadrosaurid Material Associated with an Unusually High Abundance of Troodon Teeth from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Alberta, Canada
    GAIA Nº 15, LISBOA/LISBON, DEZEMBRO/DECEMBER 1998, pp. 123-133 (ISSN: 0871-5424) BABY HADROSAURID MATERIAL ASSOCIATED WITH AN UNUSUALLY HIGH ABUNDANCE OF TROODON TEETH FROM THE HORSESHOE CANYON FORMATION, UPPER CRETACEOUS, ALBERTA, CANADA Michael J. RYAN Royal Tyrrell Museum. Box 7500, DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA T0J 0Y0. CANADA E-mail: [email protected] Philip J. CURRIE Royal Tyrrell Museum. Box 7500, Drumheller, ALBERTA T0J 0Y0. CANADA James D. GARDNER Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta. EDMONTON, ALBERTA T6G 2E9. CANADA Matthew K. VICKARYOUS Vertebrate Morphology and Palaeontology Research Group, Department. of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary. CALGARY, ALBERTA T2N 1N4. CANADA Jason M. LAVIGNE Ichnology Research Group, University of Alberta. Edmonton, ALBERTA T6G 2E9. CANADA ABSTRACT: A new microvertebrate site (»72 Ma) in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, south- central Alberta, is a deflational lag in interbedded silty shales. The site represents deposi- tion on a waterlogged coastal plain »100 km to the west of the Bearpaw Sea. Approximately two-thirds (n=224) of the 388 elements recovered from this site belong to indeterminate had- rosaurids. Forty of these are from baby-sized individuals, suggesting that a nesting site of unknown size was located nearby. These fossils are notable for being the first occurrence of baby dinosaurs in the formation and the geologically youngest occurrence of baby dino- saurs in Canada. The next most common taxon (17% of elements) is the small theropod Troodon, represented by abundant teeth (n=65). Troodon teeth are normally rare in Upper Cretaceous sites in southern Alberta. The large number of Troodon teeth at the new site sug- gests a non-random association with the baby hadrosaurid elements, and is potentially in- dicative of predation.
    [Show full text]