This month, the OGS team was in Sandy Lake First Nation in Northwestern Ontario as part of an OGS airborne geophysical survey which began in July 2017. Here’s a shot of the contractor’s helicopter taking off with a 26 metre diameter loop which detects, measures and maps electrical conductivity in the Earth’s subsurface. Sandy Lake First Nation will be using the results of the survey to help their land use planning efforts, and we’ll be using the results when our field crews head out to the area for a geological bedrock mapping project.

We’re gearing up for a busy 2018 season! Our OGS geologists will be conducting 21 geoscience mapping projects across Ontario. Check out the projects we have planned: http://bit.ly/2sv8I0K

Were northwestern Canada and northern Australia once connected? A new study from Curtin University says yes, and the proof may be in the distinct sedimentary rocks that both regions share. http://bit.ly/2DL3bHO

New exploration opportunities await! Our 2017-2018 Recommendations for Exploration guide is now available online. We’ve used our geological and exploration data to help you find targets for exploration, including gold and base metals, and talc and rare metals in geological environments across Ontario. Download it at http://bit.ly/2BHqgKL

Applications are now being accepted for Junior and Senior Summer Field Assistants at the OGS! Work with our team to collect and prepare rock, sediment or water samples in the field; plot digital data; take field notes and learn the fundamentals of geologic field operations. Earth science college or university students are eligible to apply. Deadline is March 15. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2CZhcRD

Kakabeka Falls, known as the Niagara Falls of the north, is located in Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, west of Thunder Bay. The Kakabeka Falls area is underlain by flat-lying layers of soft shale that erode easily. However, within the shale are layers of chert, a hard sedimentary rock that resists erosion. One chert layer underlies the bed of the Kaministiquia River above the falls, and forms a durable lip, or cap rock, for the falls. The underlying shale erodes easily, undercutting the cap rock and causing it to topple. In this way the falls retreats upstream while maintaining a near vertical drop.

As the year draws to a close, we’re highlighting some of the projects the OGS team has been working on in 2017. Today we’re featuring the Ambient Groundwater Geochemistry Program in Manitoulin Island and North Shore. Since 2007, the OGS has conducted the Ambient Groundwater Geochemistry Project, which involves the sampling of groundwater wells across southern Ontario to determine how natural variations in rock and soil characteristics affect groundwater quality. In 2016 we expanded the project into Northern Ontario. This year, our project area was located west of Sudbury along the north shore of Lake Huron. It covers approximately 14 000 km2 and extends from Espanola to Iron Bridge and includes all of Manitoulin Island. Our preliminary investigation coupled with early laboratory analyses, revealed some geochemical trends. Groundwater samples collected along the North Shore area (Precambrian rocks) have a unique chemical signature that differs from groundwater samples collected in younger Paleozoic rocks on Manitoulin Island. For example, groundwater from Precambrian rocks has more variable pH values whereas groundwater in carbonate rocks on Manitoulin Island contain more soluble carbonate minerals resulting in much higher bicarbonate values. This project is an excellent example of how geology can influence groundwater quality, and how the OGS can help identify areas where groundwater quality is affected by the bedrock chemistry. This data can be used to help determine the locations of future groundwater wells and treatment of water in current household wells. To find out more about this project, download the OGS 2017 Summary of Fieldwork and go to page 26-1 http://bit.ly/2BOQV88.

Our 2017 Summary of Field Work and Other Activities is now online! Watch our Facebook page over the next few weeks as we highlight some of the amazing projects our Geologists have been working on throughout Ontario. Download the full Summary online at: http://bit.ly/2BOQV88

Check out our December 2017 Publications now available online! This month’s highlights include a field trip guidebook on gold metallogeny in the Abitibi greenstone belt in Northeastern Ontario & a series of geology maps for the lowlands region in Northern Ontario. http://bit.ly/2BNwKHB

A massive secret cave was recently discovered under a Montreal park. Take a look. http://bit.ly/2z9it6d

An awesome interactive website showcasing how the Washington Geological Survey uses lidar to study landslides, volcanoes, bedrock geology and more. In this screenshot of the Hood Canal, you can see how lidar reveals glacial drumlins over the landscape. In the photograph, the glacial landforms are barely visible. Check out the site at: http://arcg.is/2z8U9kT

The PLOS Paleo Community’s Top 10 Open Access Fossil Taxa of 2017 have been announced! Number 8 goes to Websteroprion armstrongi, the oldest “bobbit worm” ever found and which possessed the largest jaws ever recorded of this type of species from the fossil record. It was named after OGS Geoscientist Derek Armstrong, who found and collected the first specimens. http://bit.ly/2zSqyKu