Two related scientific papers published in the past two weeks, one on the First Peoples initial settlement of coastal North America and the second giving a probable new timeline of the retreat of the glaciers during the last Ice Age, taken together are likely confirmation of the Haisla story of how that nation first settled […]
Category: geology
If some travellers, perhaps about 12,000 years ago, had headed up what is now called Douglas Channel, around the north end of Hawkesbury Island they likely would have seen a glacial retreat driven by a warming planet, something very familiar to the television viewers of 2017, video of 21st century coastal Greenland, where massive glaciers […]
UPDATED with comments from District of Kitimat, Terrace and the Gitga'at Nation A preliminary seismic hazard assessment by Natural Resources Canada has identified possible earthquake scenarios for the Douglas Channel near Hartley Bay, Terrace and Bella Bella. The same studies indicate that while Kitimat may not be directly in a seismic zone prolonged earthquakes cause […]
Scientists have identified a new species of a strange marine mammal group that lived on the Pacific Coast between 33 million years ago and 10 million years ago. The new specimens -- from at least four individuals -- were recovered from Unalaska, in theAleutians. The Desmostylians, unlike other marine mammals species alive today -- such […]
New Douglas Channel geological studies near completion
Three studies of the geology of Douglas Channel are near completion and publication, according to Natural Resources Canada. That news comes as studies, released today, warn of a major megathrust earthquake on the fault west of Haida Gwaii. Northwest Coast Energy News asked the Geological Survey of Canada if there were any recent updates available […]
Is Kitimat ready for a “big one?”
Studies of the October 2012 magnitude 7.8 Haida Gwaii earthquake show that the region is vulnerable to a “major megathrust” earthquake along a newly confirmed fault line west of the islands. That earthquake was felt in Kitimat and Kitamaat Village and a tsunami warning was issued within a few minutes. So have the District of […]
Commentary: The earthshaking difference between Enbridge and LNG
Buried deep in the LNG Canada environmental assessment application, a reader will find a key difference in attitude with at least one of the group of companies planning liquified natural gas development in the northwest and Enbridge Northern Gateway. It's an earthshaking difference, since it's all about earthquakes. The documents filed by LNG Canada with […]
Could the future of northwestern British Columbia's hoped for natural gas boom depend on the outcome of this weekend's Australian general election? While the mainstream media in North America has mostly been following the personal feud between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott or speculating whether or not Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's […]
Apache Corporation said Thursday it will sell oil and gas producing properties in the Nevis, North Grant Lands and South Grant Lands areas of western Alberta, to Ember Resources Inc., a private Canadian company, for CAN$220 million, as part of the company's "portfolio rebalancing," Apache said in a news release. At the same time, Apache CEO Rodney Eichler […]
A study by two scholars at Simon Fraser University says that the Enbridge Northern Gateway project is much more hazardous to Kitimat harbour, Douglas Channel and the BC Coast than Enbridge has told the Joint Review Panel. The study by Dr. Thomas Gunton, director of the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU and […]