Sand and Gravel Resources of the Whitecourt Area, Alberta

The Whitecourt area is located 160 km west-northwest of the city of Edmonton and encompasses 1900 km². A study of the sand and gravel resources of the area was conducted in 1978 to provide information on the distribution and availability of the resource. Seven weeks of field investigations, including hammer drilling at selected sites, revealed that the most important sources of granular material in the area are associated with the Athabasca and McLeod River Valleys. Terrace and floodplain deposits of these rivers contain coarse gravel and coarse sandy gravel which is as much as 20 m thick. These deposits are the major source of granular material in the area. Major deposits of sand and gravel away from the two rivers were not found in the area.