February 8, 2005 - 4:00pm
Landslides, earthquakes and ground collapses - why do they happen and what do they mean? Where does our water come from and why? How much coal mining really existed, and what is an Elasmosaur?
A partnership of lo<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />cal, provincial and federal scientists - including Malaspina University-College faculty - seeks to answer these questions in a colourful, large information poster designed to bring geoscience to mid-Vancouver Island communities.
“The new wall-size poster illustrates and explains our geological landscape, from its rugged rock foundation, dynamic coastline, fantastic beaches, landslide, earthquake and tsunami hazards, legacy of coal, delicate caves and water and mineral resources,” said Maggie McColl, who teaches geology at Malaspina. “Awareness of our unique and enviable geoscape allows us to appreciate the land and use it in a wise and sustained manner.”
The poster, called Geoscape Nanaimo, took four years to complete. “First the team identified the key geological issues for our area, prepared suitable text for each topic, and collected visual images to support it,” explained McColl. “The most difficult part was deciding what should be included, and what to leave out due to space constraints. We didn’t have room for everything, so we are creating a website that people can refer to for more information.”
McColl said the poster and website will be of interest to teachers, planners, residents and visitors to central Vancouver Island.
The Geoscape Nanaimo team invites the public to an official poster launch on Saturday, February 26 at the Nanaimo District Museum from 1 to 2 pm.
To order copies of the poster ($15 each) contact Geological Survey of Canada (Pacific) Maps and Publications Sales at (604) 666-0271.
For more information, contact the Malaspina Geology department at (250) 753-3245.
Tags: In the Community
