The AAPG Canada Region welcomed Rice AAPG Student Chapter for a four day guided transect through the Canadian Rockies. This trip was supported in part by funds provided by SHELL.

Trip Leaders:

Dr. Clinton Tippett (Geoscience Leader), Dr. Kevin Root (Geoscience Leader) and Dr. Malcolm Ross (SHELL – Rice University)

Assistant trip leaders:

Lacey Pyle and Catherine Ross

Student Participants:

Alana Semple, Christopher Odezulu, Jingxuan Liu, Joyeeta Bhattacharya, Maryam Nasizadeh, Nancy Zhou, Wey Yi Foo, William Farrell,  Yue Yao and Zuyue Zhang

Day 1: Calgary to Lake Louise

Copithorne Ridge, McConnell Thrust at Mount Yamnuska, Lac des Arcs Region, Rundle Thrust Sheet Viewpoint (Harvey Heights), Grassi Lakes Devonian Section above Canmore, Kootenay-Fernie section, Mt. Norquay Overlook, Castle Mountain

Leaders Clinton Tippett (R) and Kevin Root(L) explaining the regional geology of Jumping Pound Gas Field

The group by the Grassi Lakes carbonates

The group looking at turbidites on a road cut section

Alana is leaning on a fossilized log!

Day 2: Lake Louise to Fernie

Lake Louise, Cambrian Facies Change, Marble Canyon, Folds in the Cambrian Chancellor Formation, Redwall Thrust, Radium Hot Pool, Sinclair Canyon, Out-of-sequence Thrusts, Columbia River Overlook, Radium, Toby Formation, Windermere Lake Area,  Southern Rocky Mountain Trench, Fort Steele Area, Southern Rocky Mountain Trench, Elko Area

The tranquility of Lake Louise in the morning

A hike along the Marble Canyon offers a great view of sea green-colored glacial melt water streams

Varied types of folds in the Cambrian Chancellor Formation

Enlarged view of fold in Chancellor formation

Kevin explaining the geology of Radium area while the whole group relaxes in lukewarm waters of the Radium hot water pool!

Clinton showing diamictites.

Day 3: Fernie to Waterton

Crowsnest Lake, Cardium Formation, Crowsnest Formation Volcanics, Frank Slide, Triangle Zone of the Outer Foothills

Duplex in the Banff formation, highlighted in red colour outline

Crownsnest formation volcanics (A deer came here to pose as a scale for the geologists.)

Canada’s deadliest rock slide known as Frank slide, devastated the town of Frank in 1903 when the overturned anticline made of carbonate rocks in the Turtle Mountain fell off probably due to extensive mining practices and alternate freeze-thaw of snow on the mountains which made incipient cracks propagate into vulnerable fractures and cause the mass wasting.

Day 4: Waterton to Calgary

Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton Field, Triangle Zone structures in the Canyon of the Oldman River, Livingstone Gap, Okotoks “Big Rock” Erratic

St. Mary River formation dinosaur traces

Big Rock Erratic: The huge chunk of quartzite was transported by glacier in the Last Glacial maximum and is dissected longitudinally, reason of which is still debated.

“End of the trip group photo” at the Big Rock Erratic

From Left: Jingxuan Liu, Zuyue Zhang, Maryam Nasizadeh, Alana Semple, Catherine Ross, Joyeeta Bhattacharya, Nancy Zhou, Lacey Pyle, Wey Yi Foo, William Farrell, Christopher Odezulu, Clint Tipette, Yue Yao and Malcolm Ross. Behind the lens: Kevin Root

Blog created by:Joyeeta Bhattacharya