PREFACE

The northeastern British Columbia of this report comprises an area
of about 65,000 square miles. It is a region of plains, foothills, and mount-
ains, underlain largely by sedimentary rocks, and has recently come into
prominence with the construction of the Alaska Highway, which traverses
it from southeast to northwest for a distance of 600 miles. Only limited
parts of this great area have been geologically explored, but these have
provided many items of scientific and economic interest. ‘The Devonian
succession bears much resemblance to that of Mackenzie River Valley,
and is of special interest in relation to current explorations for oil in Western
Canada. The Triassic section is unusually complete and rich in faunas, and
bids fair to become a classic area for the system in North America. Impor-
tant coal deposits are known, and their exploration has led to the opening
of several small mines and a needed supply of coal for a growing population.

The present report, illustrated by a geological map, on a scale of
linch to 10 miles, and by numerous platesand figures, has been prepared by
Drs. F. H. McLearn and E. D. Kindle of the Geological Survey, both of
whom have investigated parts of the region involved. Their task has
been to examine, co-ordinate, and organize all available published or
unpublished geological data into a comprehensive and logically arranged
account of what is known of this large region. It has included an his-
torical summary of previous geological investigations dating back to the
early seventies of last century; a description of the widely varying physical
features of this extensive terrain; a description of the essential stratigraphic
elements, compared where possible with those of better known, more
southern regions; details of known structural features, such as may facili-
tate explorations for oil and gas; and information on features of economic
interest, with particular attention to known coal deposits. Direct quo-
tations from earlier reports, in part now out of print, are widely employed,
and a full bibliography illustrates the abundant references consulted and
the great variety of geological work that has been done in this, as yet,
very incompletely mapped part of the province.

GEORGE HANSON,
Chief Geologist, Geological Survey of Canada

Orrawa, February 23, 1950