iMAGE-CREATE Members Create the First Geological Map of Canada’s Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone
This year, iMAGE-CREATE members Dr. Alan Baxter (former research associate and coordinator), Prof. Mark Hannington (director), and Carlos Braga (PhD trainee) were tasked by Natural Resources Canada to create the first geological map of Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Pacific Ocean.
Canada’s Pacific EEZ is a geologically complex area that includes the Explorer, Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates, the Explorer and Juan de Fuca spreading ridges, the northern Cascadia subduction zone, and the Queen Charlotte Fault. This geological map will help inform the management of marine resources, natural hazards, environment and climate, and marine ecosystems.
The team used a variety of publicly available datasets, including ship-based multibeam bathymetry, geophysical data (including magnetic, gravity, and seismic surveys), geological sampling and drilling. This information was compiled and interpreted to create a lithostratigraphic map of geological formations and assemblages at a scale of 1:1 million.
The map and its accompanying report are now available for download on GeoScan at this link.
Interested in learning more about how geological maps of the seafloor are made? Visit our page on the iMAGE-CREATE-GEOMAR Seafloor Mapping School, which provides intensive hands-on training in seafloor geology and remote predictive geological mapping techniques.
