Saunders Creek and Nordegg Coal Basins, Alberta

The importance of coal deposits in Alberta is emphasized by the fact that with the exception of natural gas, almost the entire mineral production within this province is represented by coal. The revenue from petroleum is very small, and with the exception of common bricks, the other clay products manufactured in Alberta are produced from clays imported from Saskatchewan.

Two years after the organization of geological survey work within the province, it was decided to investigate the geology of certain areas, particularly those in which coal mining development is going on. In the third annual report on the mineral resources of Alberta, 1921, observations and results were given of field investigations on the Drumheller coal basin, the largest domestic coal-producing district in the province.

This is the fourth annual report on the mineral resources of Alberta and includes the results of fieldwork carried out during the field season of 1922 and is divided into two parts. Part I deals with the geology of an important area which contains two coal basins with the inner foothills of central western Alberta. These two basins are distinct and separate geologically. Part II contains a discussion of a reported occurrence of iron ore on the north shore of Lake Athabasca with Saskatchewan but tributary to Alberta.