A poster and associated web pages provide a cross-section of the earth's structure beneath southwestern Canada. The 100-km deep cross-section crosses the Juan de Fuca ridge where new oceanic crust is formed west of Vancouver Island and continues east across the continent. The profile traverses the earthquake-prone subduction zone beneath Victoria and Vancouver and extends across the Rocky Mountains to the foothills of Alberta. In addition, the poster describes the techniques that geoscientists use to probe the earth's structure and history.

The history of southwestern Canada is extremely complex and includes major episodes of mountain-building, addition of islands and continental fragments, volcanism, and faulting. This dramatic evolution of the "solid" earth continues today. The poster provides a current snapshot of the earth's structure beneath southern British Columbia, extending 100 kilometers below the surface. The cross-section starts to the west of Vancouver Island, crossing the Juan de Fuca ridge where new oceanic crust is formed. Continuing east, the profile traverses the earthquake-prone subduction zone beneath Victoria and Vancouver, crosses the active volcanic belt, and extends across the fold and thrust belts of the Rocky Mountains to the foothills of Alberta. In addition, the poster describes some of the techniques that geoscientists use to probe the earth's structure and history.

View Poster Panels
The eight panels of the poster can be viewed individually by clicking here.

High Resolution
A higher resolution version of the complete poster can be viewed (or downloaded) by clicking here. Caution: 1.3 Mb gif file (120dpi).