Alberta Geological Survey Geology Podcasts

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Andre Lytviak on Tuesday, November 29, after a battle with cancer.

The Mineral Core Research Facility is undergoing a major facelift to create a special collection of core from key stratigraphic units, making it more accessible for clients and more efficient fo Alberta Geological Survey staff to locate, layout, and rack individual core.

Oil Sands Surveillance and Monitoring Project

Alberta Environment and Alberta Geological Survey began a cross-ministry plan to inventory Alberta's groundwater resources. The first area of study was the Edmonton-Calgary Corridor.

The American Geological Institute and the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences launched CanGeoRef on September 15, 2011. CanGeoRef is a bibliographic database covering the Canadian geoscience literature from the early 1800s.

As part of a multi-year initiative, the Alberta Geological survey is continuing its regional surficial geology mapping program in northern Alberta.

This article outlines the main projects at the AGS and the top field projects for the summer of 2011.

Alberta Geological Survey's Mark Fenton has been awarded the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton Award for Science and Technology.

Natural gas is found in many of the geological formations occurring in the subsurface of Alberta.

Mr. Hsi-Hung from the Central Geological Survey of Taiwan visited the Alberta Geological Survey for a three-day field trip to Turtle Mountain in south-western Alberta to view the monitoring network on the South Peak of Turtle Mountain.

The Alberta Geological Survey has initiated the Induced Seismicity Project to document both natural and induced (or triggered) earthquakes. The goal is to understand the distribution and nature of earthquakes within Alberta.

Mapping the Belly River Group in Alberta: Contributions to a New Digital Geological Atlas of Alberta

New Alberta Provincial Geologist Named

Alberta's Provincial Geologist: History of the Title and Role

Alberta Geological Survey has released two provincial-scale maps depicting the bedrock topography and sediment thickness overlying bedrock in Alberta.

Alberta Geological Survey is pleased to announce that Dr. Mark Fenton has been awarded the 2010 Provincial Geologists Medal. This medal is awarded annually to recognize major contributions in geoscientific research.

Although it can't be definitively said, it is quite possible that Fran Hein might just literally love rocks. Her passion for geology is obvious to anyone who has worked with her, and her knowledge of the geology of Alberta's oil sands area is encyclopaedic. This passion for geology has taken her, at various times, from Canada's east coast to the west coast of the United States to Canada's northern coast. It has infected the students she has supervised in her many university positions, as well as with the colleagues she has worked.

The Geology, Environmental Science and Economics Branch and the Oil Sands Branch of the ERCB began work in a pilot study area to characterize the stratigraphy above and below the bitumen deposits where resources are proposed to be extracted through in situ means.

In conjunction with the semi-annual meeting of the National Geological Surveys Committee, held in Montreal in September 2010, a field trip was held for members of all provincial, territorial and federal surveys. The goal of the field trip was to observe and understand the geology along a section of Highway 10 between Montreal and the copper mines in Estri-Beauce region, New Sherbrooke.

Alberta has historically been a seismically quiet part of North America. Monitoring of seismic activity within Alberta began in earnest during the mid-1960s. In 1977, there was a significant increase in recorded events and the reason for the apparent increase is unclear. Alberta Geological Survey is collaborating with the Universities of Alberta and Calgary to understand seismicity patterns in Alberta and their causes.

Alberta Geological Survey and Alberta Environment partnered to map the nonsaline groundwater resources of Alberta, starting in the Edmonton-Calgary corridor. This podcast is on the progress of the project.

In this article, we will focus on a scientist, educator, and university and research organization founder closely linked with the formation of the Alberta Geological Survey: Henry Tory.

To make the Mineral Core Research Facility more relevant to industry, government and the public, Alberta Geological Survey will create a special collection of core samples from key stratigraphic units and mineral occurrences in Alberta.

A new compilation map displays Alberta's metallic mineral and diamond potential. The map displays more than 4000 deposits, occurrences and samples based on 50 industry and government sources.

This podcast discusses the evolution of the Albertosaurus and its discovery in Alberta.

Alberta Geological Survey examined the historical exploration of potash in Alberta, together with a preliminary investigation that included contouring Alberta's groundwater and formation water datasets.

For those interested in general or specific interest in types of hazards in Alberta, the Geological Hazards section has information for you on their website.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Alberta Geological Survey studied surface and subsurface geology in urban areas to provide information that would aid future development and land-use planning. This type of study has been re-initiated within the Geological Hazards Section with the first study focusing on the town of Peace River.

In 2008, AGS began collaborating with Alberta Environment to inventory saline and nonsaline groundwater within the Edmonton-Calgary corridor.

In June 1884, Tyrrell and his expedition team discovered significant a dinosaur graveyard. This would later become the famous site of the Tyrrell museum.

Alberta contains many incredibly varied geological wonders and in July 2009, we unveiled a prototype interpretive geological sign at Big Hill Springs Provincial Park.

Animation and 3-D visualization assist our geologists with sand and gravel mapping, and determining the aggregate resource potential of the area from Wetaskiwin to Lacombe.

Almost one year ago. Alberta Geological Survey initiated a pilot for it regional Saline Aquifer Mapping project. This first study area is in the Alberta Industrial Heartland, centred near Edmonton.

We feature the career of Dr. Robert Farvolden.

This is part 2 of 3 in a continuing series of summaries of igneous activity in Alberta. This article reviews metal potential of the Early Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) intrusive and volcanic rocks in southwestern Alberta.

In this edition of Rock chips, we begin regular feature on geologists and engineers who have made or are continuing to make important contributions to our understanding of geology and geological engineering through their careers in Alberta. In this edition, we examine the career of Dr. Jozsef Toth.

In response to increasing rates of urbanization and industrialization in the ECC and the foreseeable pressures that this will have on existing groundwater supplies, Alberta Geological Survey (AGS), in partnership with AENV, has initiated a multiyear project to characterize nonsaline aquifer complexes in the ECC.

In 2006, Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) initiated a program to assess the regional uranium potential of southern Alberta. This program was started after more than 1 million hectares were staked by junior exploration companies to renew exploration efforts in this area after a 20-year-long hiatus, when uranium prices were depressed and the prospect of developing nuclear energy was very unpopular.

As part of the ongoing revision of the provincial metallogenic inventory and development of an up-to-date systematics of the potential metallic deposits in Alberta, AGS conducted a reconnaissance field study and outcrop sampling of igneous and sedimentary host rocks in southern and southwestern Alberta in the summer 2008. This is part one of the study findings.

Declining reserves and the associated increasing cost of oil and gas has prompted industry to look at alternative sources of energy. Alberta contains a great amount of coal resources at shallow depths that facilitate economical power generation; however, there are huge coal resources at depth that are currently not economic to mine. This represents a large untapped potential energy source for the province.

By measuring the spring's changes in flow volume over time and the chemical constituents in the water, we can tell a great deal about groundwater flow and the rocks or soil hosting the water. Knowing the locations of the springs throughout the province provides the first step in understanding groundwater - all without drilling a well.

The goal of the Alberta Geological Survey's Saline Aquifer Mapping project, or SAM for short, will be to provide public-domain, digital maps of the major saline aquifers from the crystalline basement to the lowermost aquifer of the Colorado Group.

August 29, 2008 marked the grand re-opening of the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre in the Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta. After a nine-month closure and a $1.5 million renovation, visitors can relive the Frank Slide story in a more personal, interactive and creative setting, involving first-hand accounts by the people who lived through the destruction.

Alberta Geological Survey and Alberta Environment are collaborating to map and understand the province's groundwater resources. A team of geologists and technologists will map the extent of the major aquifers; characterize the physical properties of the aquifers; quantify the chemical properties of the water within these aquifers; assess current groundwater use associated with these aquifers; and predict the long-term effects on groundwater and surface-water resources when using groundwater from these aquifers. The team plans to complete this work within the next 15 years.

As project staff members complete new geological studies, they frequently incorporate historical data into their work, including digitizing existing maps. Whenever possible, we publish these digital data for others to use. We recently published the two GIS datasets described in this podcast.

Since 2005, Alberta Geological Survey has been responsible for a warning system and studies on the South Peak of Turtle Mountain, the site of the 1903 Frank Slide. Our activities include annual maintenance and repairs of instruments on the mountain and annual review of data trends. We also study how portions of the mountain are moving.

Modern attempts to use geothermal energy go back more than a 100 years, but its development has been uneven due to slow technological breakthroughs and historically low oil and gas prices. Recent high energy prices and concerns over global warming have stimulated renewed interest and support for what is potentially a very large and renewable energy resource.

Alberta Geological Survey's website has recently had a makeover. This podcast is on some of the changes you will find and also on how to stay up-to-date with what is happening at Alberta Geological Survey.

As part of a multi-year initiative, AGS undertook surficial mapping of the McLennan area in the northeast quadrant of the Winagami map area. This study was primarily to map the surfical geology and determine the Quaternary history.

Since 2005, the Geological Hazards Section at AGS has used new remote-sensing technologies to detect and map movements associated with ground hazards in Alberta. Once promising technology is Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). This article is some of the results of that testing.