Terasen Pipelines (Trans Mountain) Inc. Palaeontological Overview TMX - Anchor Loop Project November 2005 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Prior to fieldwork, a literature survey was conducted to identify potential areas of palaeontological interest to Parks Canada, BC Parks and to the Geological Survey of Canada. Both the Existing and Proposed routes as well as the access roads were assessed and two areas were highlighted for thorough examination. These areas are from KP/KL 312 to KP/KL 318 for the potential Upper Cretaceous fossils, and between KP/KL 349 and KP/KL 351 for the potential Devonian Carboniferous fossils. The area between Hinton and Kia Nea Lake (KP/KL 310.1 to KP/KL 321) is underlain by the Brazeau Formation and previous work conducted within this formation has discovered plant macrofossils and fresh water turtles. These formations are not well exposed along the Proposed and Existing routes; however, exposures adjacent to the routes indicate that they are close to the surface and will likely be intersected during trenching. The area from Jasper townsite west is underlain by Precambrian strata and is, therefore, unfossiliferous except for possible Holocene vertebrates. Much of the Local Study Area (LSA) is underlain by Pleistocene outwash gravels and Holocene terrace gravels and loess. The only fossils observed during the field survey were in the bedrock between KP/KL 349 and KP/KL 351. Here strata of the Palliser, Banff, Ranger Canyon and Mowitch formations will be impacted. In the area of proposed access road widening along Celestine Lake Road in Jasper National Park, outcrops of the Banff Formation are extremely fossiliferous with extensive beds of crinoid ossicles, brachiopods, solitary and colonial corals and fenestrate bryozoans. No fossils were found that required removal prior to construction. However, it is recommended that: 1. The area between KP/KL 310.1 and KP/KL 318 should be monitored during trenching to assess the palaeontological potential of the Upper Cretaceous Brazeau-Coalspur formations (formerly Brazeau to Horseshoe Canyon Formation) which elsewhere is rich in plant macrofossils and is known to yield a diverse vertebrate, invertebrate and plant macrofossil suite. 2. Both the road widening along Celestine Lake Road and the selected route be monitored during construction for potential fossils between KP/KL 349.5 and KP/KL 350.5. If valuable fossils are uncovered, detailed sections should be drafted of these strata as the fresh exposures will provide complete sections of the Palliser to Mowitch Formation. The lithological description and microfossil analysis (conodonts, forams) of these drafts could provide future reference samples for interested researchers. Page i Terasen Pipelines (Trans Mountain) Inc. Palaeontological Overview TMX - Anchor Loop Project November 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... I 1.0 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Route Options ..................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 APPROACH ..................................................................................................................................... 1 3.0 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................... 2 4.0 QUATERNARY DEPOSITS (KP/KL 310.1 TO KP/KL 468) VARIABLY PRESENT ALONG THE ROUTES .................................................................................................................................. 2 4.1 Palaeontology ..................................................................................................................... 3 4.2 Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 3 5.0 UPPER CRETACEOUS STRATA (KP/KL 310.1 TO KP/KL 321) ................................................... 3 5.1 Palaeontology ..................................................................................................................... 3 5.2 Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 4 6.0 DEVONIAN – MISSISSIPPIAN – PERMIAN STRATA (KP/KL 349 TO KP/KL 350.6).................... 4 6.1 Palliser Formation (Upper Devonian, Famenian) ............................................................... 4 6.1.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 4 6.1.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 4 6.2 Exshaw Formation Upper Devonian (Upper Famenian to Lower Carboniferous) .............. 4 6.2.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 4 6.2.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 4 6.3 Banff Formation (KP and KL 350.4 to KP/KL 350.6) .......................................................... 5 6.3.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 5 6.3.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 5 6.4 Rundle Formation (Group) Middle and Upper Mississippian (KP/KL 349.6 to KP/KL 350.3)....................................................................................................................... 6 6.4.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 6 6.4.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 6 6.5 Ranger Canyon Formation (= Greenock Formation) (Roadian-Wordian) Permian (KP/KL 350.3 to KP/KL 350.4) ............................................................................................ 6 6.5.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 6 6.5.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 6 6.6 Mowitch Formation (= Upper Member of Greenoch Formation of Brown, 1952) Permian (Roadian to Wordian) (KP/KL 350.4 to KP/KL 350.6) .......................................... 7 6.6.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 7 6.6.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 7 6.7 Precambrian Strata (Hadrynian) (KP/KL 372.8 to KP and KL 460) .................................... 7 6.7.1 Palaeontology ........................................................................................................ 7 6.7.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 8 7.0 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................................................ 8 8.0 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................. 8 Page ii Terasen Pipelines (Trans Mountain) Inc. Palaeontological Overview TMX - Anchor Loop Project November 2005 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Figures ..............................................................................................................................A1 Appendix B Photoplates .......................................................................................................................B1 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 TMX - Anchor Loop Project................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2 Geology of the Hinton to Rocky Mountain Trench and Overlay for Quaternary Geology Map (Roed 1975).................................................................................................. 3 Figure 3 Quaternary Geological Map of the Hinton Area (Roed 1975)............................................. 4 Figure 4 Diagramatic stratigraphy and correlation of Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous strata in the western Canada Sedimentary Basin (Richards and Higgins 1988). Note that the erosional surface that eliminates the Upper Morro and Costigan members (Palliser Formation) and Exshaw Formation in the Jasper area. .................................................................................................................. 5 Figure 5 Sketch map outlining the position of Brown’s (1952) study area, Mount Greenock, Alberta (Brown 1952). Note the extent of drift covered area. The proposed pipeline is mostly within the drift covered area except south of Mount Greenock where Devonian to Permain strata are intersected................................. 6 Figure 6 Range of Carboniferous brachiopods in thrust block I (Brown 1952). See Figure 5 for location. ........................................................................................................... 7 Figure 7 Range of Carboniferous brachiopods in thrust block II (Brown 1952) ................................ 7 Figure 8 Ranges of Carboniferous brachiopods