BC’s Geological Heritage – Phase 1

 

In June 2019, Below BC received funding from Geoscience BC under their “Capturing, Preserving and Capitalizing our Heritage of Geoscience” grant. The scope encompassed proposals to “preserve, grow, and empower the use of vast collections of publicly available data, reports, information, and physical samples within the province, for the benefit of future generations”.

Our proposal was to get on the road with our camera and digital technology and visit as many sites as we could. This includes areas of visible geology, as well as collaborating with museums, government and private collections to capture information. By hosting these specimens online in an interactive, digital format, we help to not only preserve collections, but also to allow a broader accessibility by those across the province, and perhaps further.

The project will be split into several phases, with the first covering southern British Columbia. Future trips are planned to include northern British Columbia (in conjunction with Smithers Exploration Group) and Vancouver Island.

Project Goals

This project fits under Geoscience BC’s Strategic Objective of ‘Advancing Science & Innovative Geoscience Technologies’ and the goal to:

  • Support the preservation and curation of significant geological rock suites, core samples, archived government and museum samples, data and other important materials that form reference or historical records to complement efforts of other organizations

Specifically, Below BC will:

  • Update the existing Below BC online digital rock and mineral collection with new photographed and scanned specimens from sites in BC;
    Include researched and scientifically accurate descriptions of all samples, including the composition, history and importance to the province;
  • Engage BC-based exploration companies to provide samples from their sites to increase representation of current activities as well as historical work for the public;
  • Develop additional multimedia (e.g. images, videos, audio narration) for each field trip, incorporating technical expertise, scientific and remote sensing data, historical imagery and local and traditional knowledge;
  • Engage with the industry and the public through various outreach events, classroom visits and conference posters and/or presentations; and
  • Lead workshops for industry, community, education and Indigenous groups showcasing the technology, training how to interact with it and displaying how it can improve geoscience literacy. This will also help improve the digital products.

 

Below is a list of some of the places we are planning to visit on Phase 1 of the project. Note that this is not exhaustive and we are open to other suggestions!

  • Afton Mine
  • Ainsworth Hot Springs
  • Ashcroft Museum
  • Basin Coal Mine / Tulameen Coal Field
  • Bellevue Underground Mine
  • Bluebell Mine, Riondel
  • Boundary Museum & Community Archives
  • Bull River Falls
  • Burgess Shale
  • Cache Creek Fossil Beds
  • Cache Creek Melange
  • Caroline Mine
  • Cathedral Provincial Park
  • Chamber of Mines, Eastern British Columbia
  • Cody Caves
  • Copper Mountain Mine
  • Coquihalla Canyon / Othello Tunnels
  • Cranbrook Museum
  • Crawford Bay Dolomite Mine
  • Creston Museum and Archives
  • Dankoe Mine / Keremeos
  • Dave Pighin Personal Collections
  • District of Sparwood Mines
  • E.C. Manning Park
  • East Kootenay Chamber of Mines
  • Elk Valley Coal Mine
  • Elkview Coal Mine
  • Fernie Miners Walk
  • Fernie Museum
  • Frank Slide
  • Galena Bay
  • Glacier National Park
  • Golden District Museum
  • Greenwood Museum
  • Phoenix Copper Mine
  • Hedley Museum
  • Hells Gate
  • Hope Rockslide
  • Ingerbelle Mine
  • Iron Mask Batholith
  • Jackass Mountain
  • Kamloops Museum
  • Kaslo Mining Museum
  • Kettle River Museum
  • Kicking Horse Pass
  • Kimberley Underground Mining Railway
  • Kimberley Heritage Museum
  • Logan Lake
  • Lytton Museum and Archives
  • Marble Canyon Provincial Park
  • Mighty White Dolomite Ltd.
  • Montebello Museum
  • Mount Revelstoke National Park
  • Mount Outram
  • Nickel Plate Mine
  • Oliver & District Heritage Society Museum
  • Osoyoos & District Museum, Dividend Gold Mine
  • Pasayten Fault
  • Payne Silver Mine, Sandon
  • Princeton Museum & Archives
  • Red Ochre Cliffs
  • Revelstoke Museum
  • Rocky Candy Mine
  • Rocky Mountain Trench
  • Rogers Pass
  • Rossland Museum
  • Salmo Museum
  • Sheep Creek Mining Camp
  • Sicamous Museum
  • Silver King Mine
  • Slocan Mining District
  • Snaza’ist Discovery Center, Mascot Mine
  • Society Girl Mine
  • Sparwood Museum
  • Trail Museum
  • Yale Historic Site
  • Yoho National Park

 

Updates and pictures from the trip will be posted on the site as the projects develop. Following us on one of our Social Media options will allow you to track progress in real time.