Turtle Mountain Field Laboratory, Alberta (NTS 82G): 2010 Data and Activity Summary

The Turtle Mountain monitoring system is a near-real-time monitoring system that provides data from a series network of more than 80 geotechnical sensors on the south peak of Turtle Mountain (site of the 1903 Frank Slide) in the Crowsnest Pass. Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) is responsible for the long-term monitoring and interpretation of data. It also notifies the Alberta Emergency Management Agency should significant movements occur.

This report has three main chapters:

Chapter 2 lists the major changes to the physical sensor network of the monitoring system during 2009. This includes a review of the main repair and maintenance activities, a summary of new installations and overall system performance and reliability.

Chapter 3 details the interpretations of slope conditions and displacement behaviour from instrumentation results. As weather conditions affected some of the sensors, the report focuses only on the sensors that have provided reliable annual data.

Chapter 4 focuses on results from the most recent studies. These studies include the following:

- preliminary results from the field analysis of the Frank Slide debris; and

- updates on the displacement trends revealed by a series of 18 points as part of a periodic GPS monitoring system.