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FBY NEWSLETTERFebruary 2007

“FOUR BILLION YEARS AND COUNTING:CANADA’S GEOLOGICAL HERITAGE”

A community project to produce a popular book on thegeology of Canada

The LatestWinter has finally arrived in the East and Spring is probably

threatening in the Far West, so things are unfolding as they should. Andif the FBY project is unfolding as it should, the pitter-patter of newmanuscript drafts should be reaching the Editorial Board by the end of themonth ... many thanks to the efforts of text co-ordinators and contributors(listed herein) so far. As reports in this Newsletter will show, severalcommittees and initiatives within the project have been progressing overthe last six weeks. A Graphics Committee has been struck under theleadership of John Clague, and the Publication and Funding committees,under Jennifer Bates and Graham Williams respectively have beenmoving ahead. Plans for the French edition, under the leadership ofAïcha Achab are beginning to come together. Jim Monger has beencompiling an events chart that will help provide a framework for thetime-slice chapters, while David Corrigan has been coordinating the

Precambrian contribution. Rob Fensome has been working on the growing image collection (oursmørgasbord), with thanks to all who have submitted material. And the broader Canadiancontribution of International Year of Planet Earth, of which FBY is part, is beginning to takeshape, as readers will learn from Godfrey Nowlan’s contribution to this Newsletter. Thus a lot ishappening, and the Editorial Board greatly appreciates the broad support and enthusiasm fromthe geoscience and education communities ... and beyond. Many thanks. We hope you enjoythis Newsletter. Feedback is welcome.

(Aïcha Achab, John Clague, David Corrigan, Rob Fensome, Jim Monger,Godfrey Nowlan and Graham Williams)

“Regional” coordinator John Storer (second fromright) is shown here at an FBY meeting in Vancouverlast October, sandwiched between Editorial Boardmembers Graham Williams (far left), Godfrey Nowlan(second from left) and Jim Monger (far right). © RobFensome.

(IYPE logo courtesy of the International Union of Geological Sciences)________________________ . . . ________________________

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International Year of Planet EarthThe International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), declared for 2008 by the United Nations,

is an ambitious program designed to foster outreach and research activities, the purpose being toraise worldwide public and political awareness of the vast (but often under-used) potential ofEarth Sciences for improving the quality of life and safeguarding the planet. The aim isencapsulated in the Year’s tagline “Earth Sciences for Society”. Its desired outcomes are raisingpublic awareness and enhancing research, in both less developed countries (LDCs) anddeveloped nations, with all the attendant capacity building this will entail.

IYPE is sponsored by the International Union of Geological Sciences and UNESCO.There is an international secretariat based in Norway, but the bulk of the effort will be made bynational committees, more than 30 of which have been established so far. John Boyd of Calgaryis Chair of Canada’s National Committee (CNC). Others are being added to the committee andan initial request for projects has been responded to by individuals affiliated to the CanadianGeoscience Education Network (CGEN). Another request for ideas will be going out to allCanadian societies through the new Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CAFÉ).

Our book project, Four Billion Years and Counting will be part of the Canadian effort,for which fund-raising will begin in April 2007 once a full “menu” of projects has beenassembled by CNC

Submitted by Godfrey Nowlan.

An “Events Catalog”The authors contributing to “time-slice” Chapters 9-14 were asked to contribute lists of

the ages of geological and paleontological events in their regions that they considered to besignificant. The lists were compiled and correlated by age in an attempt to show significant “pan-Canadian” events that can be used by the coordinating editor of each time-slice chapter to linkthe very disparate geological records in the different geological provinces of Canada. Threeevents stand out, the youngest of which has been recognized for several decades: as the AtlanticOcean started to spread rapidly off the eastern side of the continent in the Middle Jurassic, soCordilleran mountain-building started on its western side. In a second event, the MiddleDevonian Neoacadian orogeny in the Appalachians was initiated at the same time as onset of theEllesmerian orogeny in the Arctic and transition from passive to active plate boundary along thepre-Cordilleran margin. And thirdly, Laurentia (North America plus Greenland) became adiscrete continent in late Early Cambrian time, to be surrounded, for a geologically brief interval,by a passive margin.

Submitted by Jim Monger

¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶

As Fundy and Atlanticbasins stretched in theeast, the Cordillerawere crunched in thewest. Both images ©Rob Fensome.

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The Graphics Committee

A committee has been struck to develop a plan for coordinating and producing illustrativematerial for Four Billion Years and Counting. The Graphics Committee comprises John Clague(Chair), Richard Franklin, Bill MacMillan and Graham Williams. Richard Franklin has beencommissioned to draft drawings and maps for the book. Richard has long experience as ageoscience illustrator and artist, and is the ideal person to bring to life the book's key concepts.The Graphics Committee is currently developing protocols for handling illustrations and willthen report to the Editorial Board, which in turn will inform chapter coordinators and authors theprotocols that will be used to develop and submit artwork for drafting. Any queries can bedirected to John Clague (jclague@sfu.ca).

Submitted by John Clague

________________________ . . . ________________________

Original paintings will serve as an important “hook” to captivate our audience. This paintingby New Brunswick artist Judi Pennanen shows a late Triassic scene from the Fundy Basin,Maritime Canada, with conditions and life as evident in part from dicoveries in the WolfvilleFormation. Bones and teeth of metoposaurs (crocodile-like amphibians), Rauisuchus (thedinosaur-like reptile in the distance), and Hypsognathus (the strange box-like critters in theforeground) - provide solid evidence for their preserce here. But, although root-cast are notuncommon in the Wolfville, no specific plant fossils have been identified, so the flora is a generallate Triassic one. The cliffs in the background represent the line of the Cobequid-ChedabuctoFault, an ancient terrane boundary re-activated in the formation of the Fundy Basin. © AtlanticGeoscience Society.

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The challenge of a French Edition

After the acceptance of our book as one of the main Canadian contributions to IYPE, theEditorial Board was faced by a challenging issue: How to release the book simultaneously in thetwo official languages?

Due to prohibitive costs and unacceptable delays, recourse to professional translators wasquickly abandoned. The idea to involve francophone colleagues who would be responsible forthe French version emerged progressively as an attractive and unique solution. It was realizedthat this would work only if francophone colleagues/co-authors become involved as early aspossible in the process so that they work not only as translators, but buy into and activelyparticipate in the project.

Although acknowledging that the project was further advanced than would be ideal for thisinitiative, the Editorial Board nevertheless decided to encourage each coordinator, if notfrancophone, to co-opt a francophone colleague/co-author who would be responsible for theFrench version of each chapter. A potential francophone or bilingual co-author can be suggestedby the Editorial Board for authors unable to find a francophone partner.

Some coordinators have been understandably reluctant or uncomfortable with thissuggestion; so some recourse to formal translation will be unavoidable. Nevertheless, theinitiative has had some success, and the Editorial Board is firmly convinced that if we canmaximize the pro-activity and support of the geological community, we will have a far betterchance of meeting our August 2008 deadline for both English and French versions.

Submitted by Aïcha Achab________________________ . . . ________________________

<<<Devonian carbonates at Cap Bon Ami inForillon National Park of Canada, Quebec. ©Rob Fensome.

>>> St. Boniface landslide, Machiche River valley,near Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Photographer:Greg Brooks. Reproduced with thepermission of the Minister of Public Worksand Government Services Canada 2007 andcourtesy of Natural Resources Canada,Geological Survey of Canada.

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The project’s people (February 2007 update)Apologies to anyone inadvertently missed, or to anyone surprised to be listed : please bring

corrections to the attention of Rob Fensome (rfensome@nrcan.gc.ca),who is happy to take the blame

Editorial BoardAicha Achab (Quebec City), John Clague (Vancouver), David Corrigan (Ottawa), Rob Fensome(Dartmouth), Jim Monger (Vancouver), Godfrey Nowlan (Calgary) and Graham Williams(Dartmouth).

Publication CommitteeSandra Barr, Jennifer Bates, Rob Fensome and Godfrey Nowlan.

French Edition CoordinatorAïcha Achab

Text Coordinators* and Contributors (so far)Aïcha Achab, Alwynne Beaudoin*, Sandra Barr, Benoit Beauchamp, Wouter Bleeker*, DougBoyce, John Calder, John Clague*, Maurice Colpron, David Corrigan*, Sonya Dehler*, KeithDewing*, Lynda Dredge*, Dave Eberth*, Dixon Edwards*, Ashton Embry, Carol Evenchick,Nick Eyles*, Rob Fensome, Martin Fowler*, Martin Gibling*, Wayne Goodfellow*, SteveGrasby, Fran Haidl*, Chris Harrison*, Cathie Hickson, Phil Hill*, Andrew Hynes, CharlieJefferson, Ian Knight, Denis Lavoie*, Andrew Miall*, Jim Monger*, Alan Morgan*, BrendanMurphy*, Guy Narbonne, JoAnne Nelson, Godfrey Nowlan*, Andy Okulitch*, John Percival,Ray Price*, Robin Rainbird, Pat Rasmussen*, Cindy Riediger, Bruce Ryan, Osman Salad Hersi,Bruce Sanford, Chris Scotese, John Storer*, Harvey Thorleifson*, Cees van Staal, Hans Wielens,Graham Williams*, John-Paul Zonneveld

Fund-raising CommitteeAïcha Achab, Peter Bobrowsky, Peter Dimmell,Mike Enachescu, Linda Ham, Dave Lenz, GrantWach and Graham Williams.

>>> Interesting erosional patterns characterizethis Cretaceous outcrop in Alberta’sBadlands. © John William Webb.

Graphics CommitteeJohn Clague, Richard Franklin, Bill MacMillanand Graham Williams.

Plate tectonic reconstructionsJim Monger, Cees van Staal, Chris Scotese

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>>> Multicoloured agate surrounding a core of purpleamethyst, from Nova Scotia. © Atlantic GeoscienceSociety.

Photographic CoordinatorRob Fensome

Photographic Contributors (so far: others havepromised)Sandra Barr, Jim Basinger, Jennifer Bates, Benoit Beauchamp, Alwynne Beaudoin, Ruth Bezys,Doug Boyce, Greg Brooks, Dave Brown, John Calder, Joyce S.K. Chew, John Clague, RonClowes, David Corrigan, Louise Corriveau, Pascale Côté, Sylvain Desbiens, Keith Dewing, ElioDolente, Hans Dommasch, Al Donaldson, Howard Donohoe, Martin Douma, Lynda Dredge,Dave Eberth, Carol Evenchick, Nick Eyles, Tim Fedak, Rob Fensome, Martin Fowler, Les Fyffe,Wayne Garland, Pat Gensel, Martin Gibling, Philip Giles, Wayne Goodfellow, Bob Grantham,Steve Grasby, Phil Hammer, Chris Harrison, Charles Henderson, Phil Hill, Rob Hingston, HansHofmann, Fenton Isenor, Ruth Jackson, Lubomir Jansa, Sue Johnson, Rod Klassen, Larry Lane,Denis Lavoie, Ted Little, Darrel Long, Bill MacMillan, Andrew MacRae, Gwen Martin, KristaMcCuish, Steve McCutcheon, Margot McMechan, David Mercer, Andrew Miall, Yves Michaud,Jim Monger, Alan Morgan, Grant Mossop, Peter Mustard, Guy Narbonne, Godfrey Nowlan, PaulOlsen, Jerry Osborn, Mike Parkhill, Ron Pickerill, Patrick Potter, Rob Raeside, Rob Rainbird,Pat Rasmussen, Barry Richards, Cindy Riediger, André Rochon, Bryan Rutley, Bruce Ryan,Allen Seaman, Deborah Skilliter, Ian Spooner, Ralph Stea, Glen Stockmal, Bob Taylor, LorraineThompson, Bob Turner, Gilbert van Ryckevorsel, Keith Vaughan, John Waldron, John WilliamWebb, Heinz Wiele, Graham Williams, Alex Wilson, Reg Wilson, Graham Young and ChrisYorath

Provincial Contacts (so far)Les Fyffe (New Brunswick), David Liverman (Newfoundland), Chris White (Nova Scotia), AlainLeclair (Quebec).

Geologist Reviewers (so far)Esther Asselin, Andrée Bolduc, Sebastien Castonguay, LouiseCorriveau, Sandy McCracken, Ray Price, Dave Scott, ChristyVodden and others TBA

Educational/Non-Geological Reviewers (so far)Larry Bogdan, Pat Dennis, Dave Frobel, Heather Johnson,Christine Kulyk, Jane Londero, Murray Metherall, JohanneRanger, Bev Ross, Sophie Sliwa, Jeannette Wielens, EricaWilliams >>>

Sand ripples on an active sand dune surface, Great Sand Hills,Saskatchewan. Photographer: Stephen Wolfe. Reproducedwith the permission of the Minister of Public Works andGovernment Services Canada 2007 and courtesy of NaturalResources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada.

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Structure of the book (French version)(All titles are provisional: although the Editorial Board will have the final say, suggestions —

both in French and English — would be appreciated)

PARTIE 1: INTRODUCTIONChapitre 1 – Introduction

PARTIE 2: LES FONDATIONSChapitre 2 – Les rochesChapitre 3 – La quatrième dimensionChapitre 4 – La danse des continentsChapitre 5 – Les fossiles et l’arbre de vieChapitre 6 – Si les roches parlaient

PARTIE 3: L’ÉVOLUTION DU CANADAChapitre 7 – Origines de notre planète [4600-2500 Ma]Chapitre 8 – Les fondations se précisent [2500 -

1800/1000 Ma]Chapitre 9 – Le monde respire [1800/1000 - 600 Ma]Chapitre 10 – Des marges différentes, active à l'est et

passive à l'ouest [600-390 Ma] Chapitre 11 – La formation d’un super continent [390-250

Ma]Chapitre 12 – Le morcellement de Pangea [250-185 Ma]Chapitre 13 – Bâtir des montagnes [185-55 Ma]Chapitre 14 – Le Canada prend forme [55-2 Ma]Chapitre 15 – Un gel intense et un long étéChapitre 16 – Le Canada se peupleChapitre 17 – Le paysage moderne

PARTIE 4: RESSOURCES ET BIEN-ÊTREChapitre 18 – Roches et richessesChapitre 19 – De l’énergie pour le CanadaChapitre 20 – Des pierres pour construire Chapitre 21 – L’eau : une impérieuse nécessitéChapitre 22 – À la plageChapitre 23 – Sur une Terre instableChapitre 24 – Les impacts environnementauxChapitre 25 – Notre santé en dépend: géologie et

environnement sainChapitre 26 – Un climat variable: naturel ou anthropique?

PARTIE 5: PISTES DE RÉFLEXIONChapitre 27 – Le passé du Canada: une fenêtre sur le

futur?

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Medial moraines, St. Elias Mountains,Kluane National Park of Canada,Yukon. Photographer: Robert Belanger.Reproduced with the permission of theMinister of Public Works andGovernment Services Canada 2007 andcourtesy of Natural Resources Canada,Geological Survey of Canada.

Different colours in lake and riverwater reflect differences in sedimentcontent. Jasper National Park ofCanada, Alberta. © Rob Fensome.

Proterozoic red beds, WatertonNational Park of Canada, Alberta. ©John William Webb.

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Timetable(indicating items completed (green) and those at red, orange and yellow “alert” stages).

2005 May – special session at Halifax 2005.2006 Spring – mock-up and framework complete.2006 August – accepted as IYPE project.2007 end February – first drafts due.2007 March-September – iterations between editors and contributors to produce draft forreviews.2007 end September – submission to specialist contributing reviewers. (French edition: 15November)2007 end October – specialist reviews complete and received by editors. (French edition 15December)2007 end November – submission to non-geologist contributing reviewers. (French edition: 15January)2008 mid January – non-geologist reviews complete and submitted to editors. (French editionend February)2008 end February – submission to designer. (French edition: end March)2008 end June – manuscript to printer. (French edition: end July)2008 end August – release.

________________________ . . . ________________________

<<<Whorl-shaped leaves known as Asterophyllites. This is the foliageCalamites. Several branches with leaves are preserved on thisspecimen from late Carboniferous rocks near Clifton, NewBrunswick. © Atlantic Geoscience Society.

>>> Cycles of Jurassic deltaic strata, Bowser Basin,northern British Columbia. © Carol Evenchick.

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Book TipIn Four Billion Years and Counting, one of the

themes that we hope will be reflected throughoutthe book is global change through geological time(as reflected especially of course in the Canadianrecord). A recent book by prodigious geologicalwriter Peter Ward of the University ofWashington stresses the possible role thatchanging oxygen concentrations in the atmospheremay have played in the evolution of life. Thebook, Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds and theEarth’s Ancient Atmosphere, published JosephHenry Press in 2006, discusses for example, whybirds can fly gracefully above Mount Everest,while we humans need oxygen tanks to struggle tothe top: Peter Ward thinks that the answer lies inthe Permian-Triassic “oxygen crash”. It’s astimulating read.

Submitted by Rob Fensome. <<<

Relationships among vertebrates (as of 5 yearsago). The timescale is labelled in millions ofyears, with the present day at zero. © AtlanticGeoscience Society.

________________________ . . . ________________________

WE NEED YOU !!

We need photographs to add to our “smorgasbord” of possibleimages

We need non-geologists or pre-university level educators asreviewers for (parts of) the text

For more information on the project, to volunteer photographsor to become involved in the review process, contact:

Rob Fensome rfensome@nrcan.gc.caAïcha Achab aicha_achab@ete.inrs.caJohn Clague jclague@sfu.caDavid Corrigan dcorriga@nrcan.gc.caJim Monger jimonger@nrcan.gc.caGodfrey Nowlan gnowlan@nrcan.gc.caGraham Williams grwillia@nrcan.gc.ca

© Rob Fensome.