| Abstract | The Geological Survey of Canada, through the Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals Program, is helping to increase economic prosperity of northern Canada by providing critical geoscience information
required for long-term investment, targeted exploration, sustainable development and management of new energy and mineral resources. As a contribution to this program and outreach initiative to increase public awareness and interest in geoscience,
seven paintings by the author depict the surficial geology and geomorphic history of northeastern British Columbia, including the northwest limit of the Fort Nelson Lowland, western Etsho Plateau, Maxhamish Escarpment, Tsoo Tablelands, and the Liard,
Fort Nelson and Petitot rivers. Lowland regions are underlain by gently dipping natural gas-bearing shale, siltstone and sandstone. Folded and fault-bounded conglomerate, sandstone, carbonaceous shale, coal and limestone form escarpments, tablelands
and plateaux. During the last glaciation (30,000 to 12,000 calendar years before present), Maxhamish Lake and numerous smaller basins were excavated as the Laurentide Ice Sheet and meltwater scoured older glacial deposits and weak bedrock. The modern
Fort Nelson and Petitot rivers occupy meltwater spillways that drained northwest into glacial lakes confined to the Liard River basin. Over the last 12,000 years, slopes and drainage networks have been modified by fluvial erosion and deposition,
landslides, forest fires, beavers and human activity. |