Permafrost Site Location Training Data for Northern Alberta (tabular data, tab-delimited format)

This tabular dataset provides the locations of sites where the presence or absence of near-surface permafrost was ascertained in the plains and shield regions of Alberta. The dataset is restricted to northern Alberta, because in Alberta, with the exception of the Alberta Rocky Mountains and Foothills region, no permafrost exists south of 56° N latitude. The data represent point locations where the presence or absence of permafrost was established using soil probes, augers, hand-dug soil pits or using shallow coring equipment. In addition, the permafrost site locations are augmented by mapping of permafrost-related landforms and features using 1 m resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) digital elevation model (DEM) data and high-resolution satellite data (SPOT 6) and orthoimagery.

The dataset includes information from field observations collected by the Alberta Geological Survey (AGS), and data collected by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) through the collaborative GSC/AGS Shallow Gas and Diamonds and the Targeted Geoscience Initative-2 projects. These data are compiled along with information from published reports, environmental impact assessments, journal publications and university theses.