Description of BC Geological Survey Publication Products

Bulletins

Bulletins are the premier geoscience publication product from the Ministry.  They were initiated in 1896, although the current series sequential numbering was started in 1940.

They are produced on completion of major research or mapping projects and document an author’s final and considered thoughts on the topics covered.  They are critically reviewed and edited by one or more specialists and are acknowledged as major contributions to the British Columbia geoscience database. They normally include numerous illustrations, photos, tables and data. They are commonly accompanied by large-scale maps.

Papers including Geological Fieldwork

The Paper series was initiated in 1978 and includes the annual publication "Geological Fieldwork".  Paper series products normally comprise independent contributions from several authors and these manuscripts are comparable in scope to the subject matter appearing in scientific journals.  Geological Fieldwork focuses particularly on reports of activities and results from ongoing research or mapping projects, while other products in the Paper series commonly deal with specific geoscience themes.  Early products in the series may contain material of broader public interest, and/or material dealt with in a less comprehensive fashion than expected for Bulletins.

Exploration in British Columbia

This annual publication was started in 1969 under the title, "Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia" (GEM). It comprises sections covering mining, exploration and development activities and trends in metals, industrial minerals, coal and placer compiled by the Ministry’s Regional Geologists.  Many issues include a "Part B" which incorporates geological and technical reports on mineral properties or camps, which are similar to those included in the earlier Annual Reports.

Open Files

The Open File series of geoscience reports, maps and database products was started in 1986 to place information in the hands of the public as quickly as possible.  These products are not rigorously edited and reviewed and are commonly interim products from ongoing research and mapping projects, or compilations from geoscience databases or library research.  Although many these products are replaced by final reports, such as Bulletins, many Open Files constitute the only published material on the topic, particularly for those projects of short duration.

GeoFiles

GeoFiles are digital geoscience products designed to get information out quickly to clients.  They are not subject to the same editorial standards as hardcopy publications and are similar in some aspects to the Open File series of products. They address a variety of geoscience topics, and make information available to the public which previously may not have justified publication.

These products are not available in hardcopy but may be downloaded free of charge, through the BC Geological Survey website at: http://142.32.76.197/Mining/Geoscience/PublicationsCatalogue/GeoFiles/Pages/default.aspx.

Annual Report of the Minister

Annual Reports of the Ministry, 1874-1979, document mineral exploration and development, and economic activity related to the mineral resource sector within the province on an annual basis.  They contain details of geology, individual and company activity and production, and reserves/resources statistics.  These reports contain a wealth of historical information on British Columbia's mining industry.

From 1969 to 1974, technical reports on geology, mineral exploration, metal mines, placer, industrial minerals, structural materials and coal, formerly included in the Annual Report, were published separately in Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia.  In 1975, Geology, Exploration and Mining in British Columbia was divided into three parts.

All Annual Reports are available digitally (free) from this website.

Information Circulars

The Information Circular series of products started in the late 1980s to address the need for geoscience information by the general public, or for specialist marketing and promotional objectives.  Typical of the products issued in this series are publications on Earthquakes, Landslides, The Geology of Strathcona Park, as well as a variety of brochures on industrial minerals, and educational topics.  Most of the popular products with long-term attraction are now available digitally from the BC Geological Survey website.

Geoscience Maps

The Geoscience Map series was started in 1991 to encompass all final geoscience map products.  They normally comprise geological maps with legends and commonly short marginal notes.  They may be used to accompany Bulletins but provide a vehicle to release mapping information relatively quickly, and commonly before a final Bulletin report has been completed.

Preliminary Maps

The Preliminary Map series was discontinued after 1990.  Similar products now appear as either Geoscience Maps or Open File maps.  Originally, the Preliminary Maps were products made available prior to the release of final Bulletin quality map products.  However, the technology used to produce this style of maps had become increasingly costly and required substantial preparation time before maps were in the hands of clients so the series was discontinued.

Mineral Potential Maps

The BC Geological Survey released the first in a series of Mineral Potential Maps for British Columbia in 1992.  These maps present an evaluation of the mineral potential of the various areas and are based on recent 1:50 000-scale geological mapping, an integration of geochemical and geophysical data and a current knowledge of economic geology. The new interpretation replaces older maps made unreliable by advancing technology and knowledge.  These maps will be particularly useful to land use planners and to explorationists considering the mineral potential of a region.  The data presented on these individual maps is now available in an interactive environment through the MapPlace.

MapPlace

MapPlace is a window on geoscience and other georeferenced data available to the BC Geological Survey.  This information is accessed using the Autodesk MapGuide Viewer which transforms your browser into a map viewer which works over the internet.  The advantages of this system are its speed and functionality.  Only the information required to produce the map in the browser's view window is downloaded, not the entire data set.  Each item, such as a contour line, mineral claim polygon or MINFILE point has information associated with it or is linked to a large database allowing access to vast amounts of information simply by selecting a point on the map.  The vector nature of the displays allows the screen display to be cut and pasted into graphics programs such as CorelDraw, ungrouped and enhanced for high quality map products.

The Viewer allows you to select a theme which is then downloaded from data sets that are updated on a regular basis.  As each theme is selected, different layers are added to the map.  These layers can be turned on or off depending on the information that is required.  As you ZOOM into an area, more themes are available and the detail increases.

MapPlace provides interactive access to MINFILE, ARIS, RGS data, mineral titles information and a host of similar geoscience data products.

MINFILE

Minfile is a digital database containing summary information on over 12 500 metallic mineral, placer, coal and industrial mineral occurrences within the Province of British Columbia.  The database contains extensive information on geology, resources, historical production, references and economic geology for each of the mineral occurrences identified.  It is the premier source of information on mineral occurrences and operating mines within the Province.

Property File

Property File material is available in hardcopy only within the Ministry’s library in Victoria.  Property File is a library of research material indexed and cross-referenced relative NTS map sheets and to MINFILE.  It contains materials, generally unavailable elsewhere and it expands continuously with new acquisitions from companies and individuals. Information contained in Property File consists of unpublished reports, theses, papers, field notes, company prospectuses and pamphlets, historical and commodity information, geology, geochemistry, geophysics, drilling data, claim maps, sketches of workings and photographs.  Property File also contains general information on each NTS area, the National Mineral Inventory cards, topographic maps and some work histories.  Donations to Property File are strongly encouraged.

An index to the material in Property File is in preparation.   

ARIS

The BC Geological Survey Branch has over 30 000 approved mineral exploration assessment reports filed by the exploration and mining industry since 1947.  These reports provide information on geological, geophysical, geochemical, drilling and other exploration-related activities throughout B.C. Paper copies of the Assessment Report Index, Assessment Report Index Maps and original and/or microfilmed assessment reports (those approved to March 1999) can be viewed at provincial government offices throughout the province. Assessment reports can be purchased as photocopies and on CD.

The BC Geological Survey maintains a computer-based Assessment Report Indexing System (ARIS) which provides ARIS data for interactive viewing along with other Geological Survey databases at the MapPlace.  As of January 1999, we have incorporated several ARIS Searches into this site, including the ability to import text files containing assessment report numbers.  All reports are available for viewing, or download, as Adobe Acrobat PDF files on this website.

RGS - REGIONAL GEOCHEMICAL SURVEY DATABASE

The Regional Geochemical Survey (RGS) Program develops, maintains and disseminates a comprehensive geochemical database consisting of stream sediment, lake sediment, stream water and lake water analytical data plus field site observations.  Data from joint federal-provincial reconnaissance scale geochemical surveys have been systematically collected, compiled and published in British Columbia on an annual basis since 1976.  Survey standards are based on the National Geochemical Reconnaissance Program which was originally developed by the Geological Survey of Canada.

To date, the RGS program has conducted 42 reconnaissance scale surveys.  The database contains analytical determinations for up to 40 metals, field observations and sample location information for approximately 45 000 sample sites covering approximately 70% of the province.

The availability of high-quality baseline geochemical data to the mining industry encourages the exploration and development of B.C.'s mineral resources.  Survey results are used to outline regional geochemical trends, assist mineral potential evaluation and aid regional metallogenic studies and geologic interpretations.  Data are also useful for resource management, landuse planning and environmental assessment.

This data is available digitally from the BC Geological Survey website.