A completely new Upper Cambrian formational nomenclature is proposed for the southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta. The formations designated as Upper Cambrian are: Corona, and Mount Synge, Dresbachian; Bison Creek, Franconian; and the Mistaya, Trempealeauan. Two additional formations are referred to the Middle Cambrian sequence immediately underlying the Upper Cambrian; the Chephren and the Waterfowl. These latter formations were previously included in the Arctomys formation considered to be Upper Cambrian in age. The lowest Lower Ordovician formation is designated as the Howse River formation. In addition to the above mentioned new formations, the Arctomys, Sullivan, Lyell, Mons, Bosworth, Paget, Sherbrooke, Tangle Ridge, and Sabine formations are discussed in detail. All are considered obsolete, except the Sabine formation, the use of which, it is recommended, be confined to the Canal Flats area, British Columbia. The limits of the Upper Cambrian series in Alberta are more precisely determined, and tentative correlation of the Upper Cambrian of Alberta, Montana, and British Columbia is outlined. Trilobite faunas from all the Upper Cambrian zones, except the Crepicephalus zone, are described and illustrated. The Cedaria zone faunas contain fifteen genera and eighteen species, among them Bolaspidelia wellsvillensis, Nixonella montanensis, several species of Arapahoia and Cedarina, and Kingstonia mucro. Abundant topotype material of K. mucro has made redefinition of this species possible. The Aphelaspis zone is recognized by the discovery of Aphelaspis walcotti, and one questionable species of Aphelaspis. The Franconian zones are represented by Irvingella major, Taenicephalus shumardi, Parabolinoides cordiIlerensis, Maustonia nasota, KendalIina eryon, Ptychaspis striata, Prosaukia lonqicornis and Prosaukia curvicostata, to mention only the more important index species. The Saukia zone of the Trempealeauan is represented by species of Eurekia, StenopiIus, Bynumiella. Hardyia and IlIaenurus. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

The lower Rocky Mountain Supergroup of Pennsylvanian age contains five formations which in ascending order are: Todhunter, Tyrwhitt, Storelk, Tobermory and Kananaskis. All except the Kananaskis are new formations that are equivalent to the Tunnel Mountain Formation. The Todhunter, Tyrwhitt and Tobermory consist mainly of brown weathering, dolomitic and quartzitic, very fine- to fine-grained, pure, quartz-chert sandstones with some interbedded, locally f ossiliferous, sandy dolomite. The Storelk is quartzitic, very fine- to medium-grained, very massive, cross-bedded, white wheathering quartzi-chert sandstone. All these formations contain varying amounts of scattered medium and coarse sand. The Kananaskis consists of sandy and cherty, dense, microcrystalline, grey dolomite. The Todhunter, Tyrwhitt and Storelk Formations are interpreted as being Early Pennsylvanian (Morrowan) in age, and the Tobermory and Kananaskis Formation, which regionally may be facies equivalents, as early Middle Pennsylvanian (Atokan) in age. The contact between the lower Rocky Mountain and the underlying Etherington Formation (Late Mississippian Chesterian) is conformable and locally gradational. Contacts between the Todhunter and Tyrwhitt, and between the Storelk and Tobernory are unconformable, whereas that between the Tyrwhitt and Storelk may be conformable or unconformable. The lower Rocky Mountain is unconformably overlain by Permian, Triassic or Jurassic strata. The lower Rocky Mountain sediments were deposited in a structural basin which may have been partially isolated from adjacent basins to the north, west and south by low barrier arches. Individual formations in the succession thin in a northwesterly and southwesterly direction towards the basin flanks, where as little as 160 feet of the five formations was deposited and remains, whereas at least 1,175 feet of equivalent strata is preserved in the central part. The quartz sand was probably transported by rivers and longshore marine currents from a source lying to the east within the continental interior. Chert and phosphorite fragments ranging up to pebble size were probably locally derived. The strata of Chesterian and Morrowan age represent a regressive sequence. After Morrowan time, gentle warping, emergence, and erosion caused truncation of Lower PennsyIvanian and Upper Mississippian strata towards the east. Angular truncation, and local conglomerates composed of chert, phosphorite, sandstone and dolmite granules and pebbles mark this unconformity. Strata of Atokan age thicken westward and represent a transgressive, sequence which onlaps and truncates the underlying strata. The Pennsylvanian sandstones are a potential source of pure silica sand. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

This thesis is the result of information obtained during the field seasons of 1947 and 1948. The writer was an assistant on a geological survey party for the Quebec Bureau of Mines, working in the area. The thesis contains a description of the rock formations and an interpretation of the regional structures. Much of the information had to be obtained from the literature previously published on the district. The geological sketch-map accompanying this paper is drawn at the scale of one mile to the Inch. It is a compilation of the previous geological work In Gaspe completed and modified with the aid of personal notes. In order to give a better picture of the structures, a portion of this map was drawn at a scale of half a mile to the Inch. All the important exposures of rocks situated south of the Shickshook series were visited, but only two weeks were spent on the northern contact of this series with the North Coast sediments. Consequently more attention will be given to the Geology south of the Shickshooks than can be given to the northern part of the area. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

A total of 34 lead ore samples from selected hydrothermal deposits in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho have been isotopically analyzed and geochronological interpretations made from the results. Leads from along the southeastern flank of the Idaho Batholith appear to have a primary component 2500 my old. Leads from Butte and Cassia counties, Idaho, may be interpreted as having this same primary component with an added component that is estimated to be 1400 to 1600 my old. The radiogenic component of leads along the southeastern flank of the Idaho Batholith commenced development in a closed system 2500 my ago. Radiogenic components of the leads from Butte and Cassia counties commenced development 1900 and 2700 my ago respectively. Preliminary results of analyses from the south end of the Wind River Mtns, Wyoming, and the Little Belt Mtns, Montana, show primary lead ages of about 3200 and 2200 my respectively. Common lead geochronology indicates that the basement rocks of Southern Idaho may be assigned to the Superior Province of North America as defined by Kanasewich (1965). A second Precambrian event was recorded by a change in the lead isotope abundances during the Penokian era. Thus, Southern Idaho had been subjected to several uplifts during parts of Early and Middle Precambrian time. The ages of the anomalous leads from Butte and Cassia counties could represent the times of formation of sedimentary layers which remained closed systems until the time of formation of the ore bodies. A model for continental accretion and growth is discussed. The contribution of the present report to tectonic development models is in the suggestion of a geological sequence which may give rise to anomalous lead suites. This geological sequence is concerned with regional tectonic events which take place in the lower crust and are manifested by igneous activity. Examples of leads with apparent enrichment in the 208 isotope were found during this study and other instances are mentioned. The enrichment is tentatively considered to occur as a result of concentration of the thorium decay product in sedimentary basins. This could occur if the thorium is in more easily weathered minerals than are the uranium isotopes. Evidence supporting naturally occurring lead isotope enrichment phenomena is cited. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Data on erosion processes and other aspects of environmental change in the Himalaya are scarce and unreliable, and consequently policy decisions have been taken in a quantitative vacuum. Published estimates of denudation for large catchments in Nepal vary from 0.51 to 5.14 mm/yr, and indicate a dynamic geomorphological environment A review of the literature on erosion in Nepal revealed a consensus that: (1) mass wasting is the dominant hillslope process; (2) activity is seasonal, with virtually all failures occurring during the monsoon; (3) geological factors are the most important determinants of slope stability; (4) sediment delivery to channels is high; (5) little quantitative evidence exists to link landsliding to deforestation. Although few data exist, loss of forest cover does appear to be related to surface erosion and gullying, and a hypothesis linking the expansion of unmanaged, eroding areas to reduced nutrient subsidies from the forest is proposed. A reconnaissance survey of sediment production and transfer mechanisms in the 122 km² Phewa Valley in the Middle Mountains of Nepal identified a variety of mass movement processes. The commonest events were shallow translational failures on slopes of, typically, 36° to 45°, with volumes ≤1 x 10³ m³ and with recovery taking less than ten years. Larger slides occurred on slopes oversteepened by fluvial action. Flows developed in areas of weak rock and unfavourable structure, and were associated with groundwater discharge. Flow velocities accelerated during the monsoon. The highly fractured and deeply weathered zones around faults were the sites of "mass movement catchments", complex failures responsible for approximately 90% of all sediment production by mass wasting in the watershed. A first estimate of surface lowering by mass movement processes in the Phewa Valley is 2-3 mm/yr. Locally, surface erosion on overgrazed pasture may be 5-6 mm/yr. No data were available on soil losses from cultivated areas, and, similarly, losses due to shallow creep, gullying and solution remain unknown. The fluvial transport system in the valley bottom is unable to transport all the material with which it is supplied. Sediment yield to the lake was not calculated owing to insufficient data. Discharge estimates and intensity-duration-frequency analysis of rainfall records indicate that in Pokhara storms of 275 mm/day have a return period of approximately 10 years. The primary controls on mass movement processes in the Middle Himalaya of Nepal are geological and climatic, and therefore are not amenable to modification by man. However, surface erosion is a consequence of poor land management, and therefore can be controlled, given the right institutional environment / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Coal measures of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Kootenay Formation are complexly deformed in the southeastern Canadian Rocky Mountains. The structural style and associated features of the coal measures are in part characteristic of the ‘Foothills Family’ of structures. In addition, by virtue of the major contrast in competency between the coal seams and adjacent strata, the structural features of the coal measures display considerable variation which, to some extent, can be correlated with the regional and local structural setting., The variation in the structural features of the coal measures have a marked influence on the mineability of the coal and both directly and indirectly on coal quality. During deformation the coal seams were the loci of interstratal slip, thrust faulting and detachment during folding.. The coal seams vary markedly in thickness; in some areas coal seams have been thickened as much as an order of magnitude in response to thrust faulting, normal faulting and folding, whereas in other adjacent areas, the seams may be completely pinched-off or faulted out. Structural thickening of the coal seams has been facilitated by cataclastic flow of the finely sheared coal along a myriad of discrete shear surfaces. The mesoscopic and microscopic fabric of the coal is cataclastic with the exception of local areas of apparently high strain where the vitrain and clarain components have behaved plastically. Shearing of the coal and adjacent strata has resulted in the introduction and dissemination of formerly discrete rock partings which in turn have produced abnormally high ash contents and poor washability characteristics and has made the coal more susceptible to oxidation. Measurement of vitrinite reflectance of coal in some major shear zones suggests, by comparisipn with samples heated in the laboratory for short durations, that frictional heating during shearing may have resulted in temperatures of up to 450°C. . Adjacent to and within other shear zones there is no evidence for frictional heating. The presence or absence of frictional heating may be the result respectively of stick-slip and stable sliding conditions during shear, which in turn may be a product of variable pore pressures. In underground mines the structural features of the roof rock and the coal seams have a pronounced effect on roof stability.. In the Vicary Creek mine, located in the hanging wall of the Coleman Fault, the Number 2 seam and some of the roof rock were pervasively sheared as a result of interstratal slip during flexure of the coal measures and possibly as a result of drag from overriding thrust faults. In such areas the coal pillars have low bearing strength and the cohesion between successive beds in the immediate roof rock has been destroyed, resulting in poor roof conditions. Slickenside striae on bedding surfaces, joints in the roof strata and some extension faults which cut the seam, define a kinematic and dynamic pattern which is consistent with the regional structure. In the Balmer North, Five Panel and Six Panel mines, located in the northern part of the Fernie synclinorium, the coal measures are only mildly deformed. A cleat system is present at all sample localities but no consistent pattern exists which can be related to the overall structure or to joints in the roof and floor.. In the Balmer North mine, young, gently west dipping, shear surfaces are present throughout which, in conjunction with slickensided bedding surfaces, have promoted roof and coal rib failure along north to northwesterly trends. In the Five Panel mine roof and coal rib failure have been facilitated by steep easterly dipping fractures. The absence of a consistent joint or cleat pattern in the Balmer North, Five Panel or Six Panel mines may be the result of mechanical anisotropy of the strata or of multiple episodes of deformation. Striated structures, many of which are conical in form, are common mesoscopic elements on fracture surfaces in the deformed coal. . Such structures, although rarely reported previously in the literature, occur at many localities in the study area. The structures are planar, conical and pyramidal in form, and are characterized by striae which radiate from a common apex and 'horsetail' to form subsidiary structures on the master surface. All three types of striated structures are considered the products of dynamic, brittle shear fracture which was possibly facilitated at failure by high inter- and/or intra-particle pore pressure. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Debris flows in the southern Coast Mountains exhibit different dynamic and sedimentologic characteristics, depending on the lithology of their source areas. Fine-textured debris flows originating in the Quaternary volcanic complexes are much more mobile than those originating in the coarse-textured plutonic rocks which form most of this mountain range. Mobility can be described as the velocity of flow, the distance of travel of debris flows, and the slope required to sustain flow. The objectives of this study are to examine the effect of different sediment composition on the mobility of debris flows, and to determine which rheologic models are most applicable for modeling debris flows in these geologic environments. About 25 debris flow events in or adjacent to the southern Coast Mountains were examined, ranging in volume from 10² m³ to over 10⁷ m³. Field methods included sampling of grain-size distribution, measurement of the deposit and channel dimensions, and observation of the stratigraphy of debris flow fans. Shear strength, permeability, and consolidation tests were performed on samples of reconstituted debris, representative of typical fine-textured and coarsetextured debris flows. These samples were also used to model debris flows in a flume. The coarse-textured, plutonic-source, debris flows typically had a distinct, inverselygraded, clast-supported, surface layer of cobbles and boulders. Their deposits tended to be irregular in thickness, with lobes and levees of coarse material. The fine-textured, volcanicsource, debris flows had no such surface layer, and their deposits were generally uniform in thickness and surface morphology. These observations, and corroborating evidence from the flume results, suggest that fine-textured debris flows behave according to the Bingham flow model, while coarse-textured debris flows can be better described by a granular, or dilatant, flow model. A clay content of about 4% in the matrix (sub-4 mm material) is a useful measure to distinguish the two populations. Several debris flow events of intermediate behaviour and sediment composition were also examined. The permeability of the debris, and hence its rate of consolidation, is an important factor controlling mobility. The volume of debris flow events was found to be the most significant factor controlling runout distance. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

In North America, pikas (mammal genus Ochotona) are distributed throughout the western mountain ranges where they are mostly restricted to higher elevation talus slides. There are two species in North America, the Alaskan or Collared Pika (Ochotona collaris Nelson) and the American Pika (Ochotona princeps Richardson). The former is found north of 58 degrees north latitude and has no subspeciation, while the latter occurs south of 58 degrees latitude and consists of 35 subspecies isolated on various mountain ranges (Hall and Kelson 1959). In Utah there are nine subspecies, which are mostly distributed in the Wasatch range that runs northeast to southwest through Utah. They are also found in the LaSal Mountains and the Uinta Mountains, where this study was conducted. This subspecies of pika, Ochotona princeps uinta (Hollister) is found in the entire Uinta range and extends west into the central Wasatch Mountains.

This study deals with the distribution of the mammals of the La Sal Mountains, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah. The distribution of the mammals has been correlated with the distribution of the vegetation zones of the mountains which varies with the elevation. The study points out which of the various mammals are found in the various vegetational communities and how the distribution varies from community to community.