Structural Elements in the Alberta Plains Interactive App and Map

This web mapping application comprises a user-friendly province-wide compilation of structural features observed or inferred by different geologists from different organizations through different methods at different structural and stratigraphic levels, from the crystalline basement to surface. Lineaments from various literature sources (digital and nondigital) were geospatially referenced, compiled digitally into ArcMap® layers (i.e., shapefiles), and individually tagged with attribute data stored in a database. Positional accuracy for each set of features from a given source was estimated based on the root mean square (RMS) error reported during georeferencing. Each individual feature was assigned descriptive geological attributes, using both ArcGIS and Microsoft Access to view and capture the information.

The users can visualize the spatial data at various map scales, run queries, build on the available attributes, and extract subsets of vector features in different file formats or in a tabular form without any advanced knowledge of GIS technologies. There is no requirement to install and maintain GIS capable software on a local device unless deemed necessary to facilitate more complex spatial analyses. The scalability and the ability to configure the web mapping application and expand its functionality as needed in real-time make it, in many regards, the first choice of tool to explore and analyze the data.

The associated AGS Open File Report 2021-01 (building on its precursor Earth Sciences Report 2001-01) summarizes the compilation work flow and includes a succinct overview of the structural framework of the Alberta portion of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, with an ample list of references, in order to facilitate understanding of the geological significance of the compiled structural features with respect to the overall architecture of the basin.