GEOSCIENCE ATLAS:
OVERVIEW OF LAYERS


The Geoscience Atlas internet mapping application consists of the digital geoscience data from the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, Mineral Lands and other government departments.  The digital data includes geological, geochemical and geophysical data, map staked claims (present and historical), quarry information and ancillary data such as public water supplies and topographic data. The Atlas provides map overlay and query capabilities as well as the ability to download the geoscience data layers. This help file contains a brief description of all the layers in the Geoscience Atlas.  Other help files provide an Atlas Tutorial, an overview of the Tools available in the Atlas, and Frequently Asked Questions.





LAYERS IN THE GEOSCIENCE ATLAS


The following is a comprehensive list of all the layers of information presently contained in this Atlas. Some layers are scale dependent (e.g., Map Layers > Map Labels) and can only be viewed when zoomed in to larger scales.  Other layers (e.g., Map Layers > Roads) provide more detail as the scale is increased.

These layers are listed by their order in the Geoscience Atlas Contents. They link to the Alphabetical List and descriptions provided below.


Map Layers

Coastal Monitoring

Indexes

Land Use

Mineral Lands

Geochemistry

Bedrock Geology

Surficial Geology

Geophysics - Labrador

Geophysics - Newfoundland

Base Maps

Overview Map

Other Links


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ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ALL LAYERS


1:1 Million Bedrock Geology

The 1:1 Million Bedrock Geology layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group. This compilation is the regional scale geology available for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


1:1 Million Faults and Contacts

The 1:1 Million Faults and Contacts layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group.   This compilation is the regional scale faults and contacts available for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


Aggregate Samples, Eskers and Potential

The Aggregate layers consist of point Samples, linear Eskers and polygons delineating the Potential for aggregate resources. These layers are accessed through the Surficial Geology group, Aggregate subgroup. Samples were collected in populated areas, areas of interest (e.g., proposed mining and hydro development sites), and along a 6-km-wide corridor centered and parallel to existing, proposed, or partially constructed highways and secondary roads in Newfoundland and Labrador. Attribute data for the samples include grain size analysis and petrographic analysis. The Aggregate Eskers layer delineates the extent of eskers around the province. The Aggregate Potential layer indicates the areas which have potential aggregate deposits, based on their grain size (e.g., sand, sand and gravel). Potential areas defined by aerial photography, with no field verification, are also delineated. A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Aggregate Resources Help File.


Airborne Geophysical Surveys Index

The Airborne Geophysical Surveys Index, in the Indexes Group, covers all of Newfoundland and Labrador. It provides users with the extents and logistical information about airborne geophysical surveys conducted by the federal and provincial governments as well as non-confidential industry surveys. Surveys which include digital data are shaded. Detailed information about the surveys (including digital pdf reports where available) can be accessed by clicking on a survey or by using the query tool.  The resulting Search Results window provides the tabular information for that survey, where the 'Link' hyperlink, on the left side of the record, links to further survey information as well as links to pdf reports and digital data.  The information in this Survey Index is updated periodically. Note that surveys, such as the regional Residual Magnetics for Newfoundland and Labrador, are not included as they cover the entire province.  A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Index of Airborne Geophysical Surveys Help File.


Base Maps

The Base Map layers are accessed through the Base Map icon (third from the left). The base maps consist of Topographic, Scanned Topo, Outline Topo, Grey Topo and Grey Topo DEM.  Link to the individual base maps for more detailed descriptions.  These layers are not available to download.

 

Bedrock Geology Maps Index

The Bedrock Geology Maps index, in the Indexes Group, covers all of Newfoundland and Labrador. It provides attribute information for the published Bedrock Geology maps grouped according to NTS area. This index provides bibliographic information (e.g., NTS sheet, map name, authors, year, map title, etc.) for the original maps selected for the "Bedrock Geology layers", along with other historical or lesser detailed publications. This index is updated periodically. A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Index of Bedrock Geology Maps Help File.


Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas (CPCAD)
The CPCAD is provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada. For details, refer to the CPCAD website.


Carbon 14 Age Dates
The Carbon 14 Age Dates layer, in the Surficial Geology group, are geochronology points consisting of over 1400 Carbon-14 dates for Newfoundland and Labrador. This compilation provides background information for studies on sea-level change, glacial history, archaeology, and other quaternary sciences. The attribute information includes site location, sample number, material sampled, elevation, date, collector, and references. A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Radiocarbon Dates Help File.


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Claim Staking
The On-line Mineral Claims Staking System for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (MinLAP) can be accessed by clicking on the 'Mineral Lands Claim Staking' link in the Geoscience Online webpage. This Claim Staking system provides the ability to stake claims in Newfoundland and Labrador from anywhere in the world, using an Internet connection and a compatible web browser. More information can be found on this web page.


Coastal Characterization - Original Points
This is a point file which indicates the shoreline characterization approximately every 200 m along the Newfoundland and SE Labrador coastline. These files classify the coastline with a Shoreline Classification system which considers coastal geomorphology and sedimentology. These layers are available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Characterization subgroup. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Coastal Characterization - Sediment
These are line files which are converted from the point shoreline characterization to provide the shoreline substrate characteristics as sand, organics, mud, gravel and sand, gravel, boulders with mixed clastics or other. These layers are available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Characterization subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Coastal Characterization - Slope
These are line files which are converted from the point shoreline characterization to provide the shoreline slope characteristics as flat, flat - channelized, low, steep or other. This layer is available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Characterization subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Coastal Characterization - Substrate
These are line files which are converted from the point shoreline characterization to provide the shoreline substrate characteristics as sediments, rock, rock and sediments, mixed, gypsum rock and other. These layers are available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Characterization subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Coastal Characterization - Width
These are line files which are converted from the point shoreline characterization to provide the shoreline width characteristics as wide, narrow, wide to narrow or other.These layers are available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Characterization subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Coastal Erosion Index
The Coastal Erosion Index reflects short term sensitivity to coastal erosion, as opposed to the Coastal Sensitivity Index. This layer is available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Indices subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Coastal Monitoring Sites
The coastal monitoring database is a collection of coastal data to assess the erosion or accretion rates of shorelines and changes in beach profiles around Newfoundland and Labrador. A more detailed description of this layer is available in the Coastal Monitoring Help File.


Coastal Sensitivity Index
The Coastal Sensitivity Index reflects sensitivity to longer term sensitivity and to sea level rise and follows the national level index of Shaw et al. (1998). This layer is available through the Coastal Monitoring group > Coastal Indices subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


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Contours - Geochemistry

-see Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Contours


Contours - Map Layers

The elevation Contours, in the Map Layers group, are scale dependent. The contours are not displayed at smaller scales. As the scale is increased by zooming in on the map view, the 1:250,000 scale contours will be displayed from the 1:250 000 Resource Mapping provincial topographic dataset.  These will change to the most detailed scale data provided from Natural Resources Canada's 1:50,000 CanVec digital cartographic reference product. The layer is searcheable but cannot be downloaded. The elevation column is in metres for the 1:250,000 layer, but is in feet and metres for the 1:50,000 layer; where the Entity_class column indicates 'Contour imperial' the contours are in feet.


Detailed Bedrock Geology (Geofile NFLD2616 v.7)

The Detailed Bedrock Geology (Polygons) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Polygons Newfoundland subgroup.   This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). For the 'Detailed' level of geology, every unit that was distinguished on the original published maps is distinguished on the digital map. Fields on the polygon attribute table starting with D_ are specific to this map. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files, including a link to a file containing the ESRI layer symbology files and a method to colour the polygons in MapInfo and QGIS.


Detailed Contacts - Line (Bedrock Geology NFLD2616 v.7)

The Detailed Contacts (Line) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Newfoundland subgroup. The 'Line' layer provides a simple black line style for the contacts, as opposed to the 'Symbol' layer. This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). For the 'Detailed' level, every contact that was distinguished on the original published maps is distinguished on the digital map. Fields in the contact attribute table starting with D_ are specific to this map and indicate the full labels of the polygons on the left and right of the contact of interest. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


Detailed Contacts - Symbol (Bedrock Geology NFLD2616 v.7) The Detailed Contacts (Symbol) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Newfoundland subgroup. The 'Symbol' layer provides line style symbols (e.g., dashes, dots) for the contacts, as opposed to the simple black lines in the 'Line' layer.  Open the Legend to view the symbol types.  This layer may take longer to draw.  This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). For the 'Detailed' level, every contact that was distinguished on the original published maps is distinguished on the digital map. Fields in the contact attribute table starting with D_ are specific to this map and indicate the full labels of the polygons on the left and right of the contact of interest. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files, including a link to a file containing the ESRI layer symbology files and the font file.


Detailed Faults - Line (Bedrock Geology NFLD2616 v.7)

The Detailed Faults (Line) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Newfoundland subgroup. The 'Line' layer provides a simple black line style for the faults, as opposed to the 'Symbol' layer. This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012).  More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


Detailed Faults - Symbol (Bedrock Geology NFLD2616 v.7)

The Detailed Faults (Symbol) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Newfoundland subgroup. The 'Symbol' layer provides line style symbols (e.g., barbed thrust faults) for the faults, as opposed to the simple black lines in the 'Line' layer.  Open the Legend to view the symbol types.  This layer may take longer to draw.  This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012).  More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files, including a link to a file containing the ESRI layer symbology files.


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Detailed Lake Sediment/Water Geochemistry

These layers include all geochemical lake-sediment or lake-water data collected from detailed-scale lake surveys conducted in Labrador by the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey, during the period 1978 to 2007. Most of the data have been released previously in various open-file reports. However, as new analytical methods became available, some samples were re-analyzed for additional elements. The databases includes descriptive fields (e.g. year sampled, location, lake area and depth) as well as trace element data.  New reports and data (including 2011 and 2014 surveys) can be accessed through the Detailed Lake Surveys in the Indexes Group > Index of Geochemical Surveys.  More information is available in the Detailed Lake Sediment and Water Geochemistry Help Files.


Detailed Surficial Geology

The Detailed Surficial Geology layer, in the Surficial Geology group, consists of over 150 1:50,000 NTS sheets (as of 2021). Click on the Legend icon to display the legend information for this layer or go to the Legend link (2.5mb pdf) to view the descriptions for the detailed surficial geology map units. Note that the detailed surficial geology layer will not automatically be displayed as you zoom in to larger scales from the regional surficial geology - it needs to be manually turned on through the Contents panel - Surficial Geology group. More information is available in the Detailed Surficial Geology Help Files.


Drill Core
The Drill Core layer, in the Map Layers group, currently contains data on over 9,000 drillholes from Newfoundland and Labrador. It contains summary information (e.g., coordinates of drill collar, company, year, number of boxes, location of core storage) on all drill core in the core storage libraries around the province. This database does not include drill hole information for holes where no core has been stored in the core storage libraries.  The drill core has been provided by exploration companies.  Further information can be obtained from the Drill Core Information website.


Forest Access Roads

The Forest Access Roads layer, in the Map Layers group, is created and maintained by the Forest Engineering and Industry Services Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. It displays forest access roads on the Island of Newfoundland and Labrador. Further information can be obtained from the Forestry Resource Access Roads website This layer will be updated periodically in the Geoscience Atlas, but the original source of the database can be viewed on the Forestry Resource Access Roads website.


Generalised Bedrock Geology for Newfoundland

The Generalised Bedrock Geology (polygons) for Newfoundland layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Polygons Newfoundland subgroup.   This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). For the 'Generalised' level of geological detail, units are labelled according to the most senior stratigraphic division to which they belong (e.g., all units of the Buchans Group are labelled "O:B" standing for "Ordovician Buchans Group"). On the map, contacts separating subdivisions of a lumped unit are omitted but otherwise the line work is the same as in the detailed version. Fields in the polygon attribute list starting with G_ are specific to this map. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help File.


Generalised Contacts (Bedrock Geology NFLD2616 v.7)

The Generalised Contacts for the Newfoundland Bedrock Geology layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Newfoundland subgroup. This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). This layer is available as symbolized or non-symbolized display (non-symbolized will draw faster).  Open the Legend to view the symbol types.  For the 'Generalised' level of geological detail, contacts separating subdivisions of a lumped unit are omitted but otherwise the line work is the same as in the detailed version. Fields in the contact attribute table starting with G_ are specific to this map and indicate the full labels of the polygons on the left and right of the contact of interest. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


Geochemical Surveys Index

The Geochemical Surveys index, in the Indexes Group, provides users with a rapid, map-based guide to the locations of detailed geochemical surveys conducted in Newfoundland and Labrador. These consist of detailed lake sediment/water surveys, detailed stream surveys, detailed rock surveys and detailed soil surveys. The database links out to the Geofile survey pdf report as well as digital data associated with that survey. This layer will be updated periodically as new surveys are completed and old surveys are compiled. More information is available in the Index of Geochemical Surveys Help File.


Geochronology

This Geochronology database compilation can be used as a starting point for research into geochronological age dating performed on geological units throughout the Province. It is not exhaustive. Many of the references provided can be used to further investigate other sources of documented dates. As with any data, a knowledge of the limitations and relevance of the proposed ages is required. The user is expected to read the reference document in which the provided date was published in order to ascertain the reliability of the dating method and subsequent interpretation with respect to the nature and genesis of the rock unit being dated. S+ome dating methods have been proven to be more reliable than others at determining the various timings of major episodic events that affected the named geological unit. It is presumed that the user has a working knowledge of Geochronological dating methods and the differences in the applicability of the various isotope systems employed. .


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Geophysics

The images from the detailed airborne geophysical surveys are raster layers accessed through the Geophysics group. These surveys are available for northwest, central and east central Labrador, western Newfoundland/Deer Lake area, Baie Verte/Springdale/Red Indian Line area and the St. Alban's area.  The detailed surveys were flown at line spacings ranging from 100m to 300m; images were exported from these at 10 m ground resolution. For information on each layer, use the Index of Airborne Geophysical Surveys which link to a metadata files describing the line spacing and altitude, as well as various other survey specifications. These layers cannot be queried but can be downloaded in many formats including ESRI Grid, tif, jpg and png. Regional Magnetics for all of Newfoundland and Labrador are also available at the bottom of the Geophysics group of raster images. More information is available in the Geophysics Help File.


Grey Topo Base Map

The Grey Topo base map can be accessed through the Base Map icon on the menu bar. For this base map, land area is white and hydrological features (lakes, rivers) are gray. At the smallest scale (the whole province) the base map depicts the regional Provincial Wallmap Series (1:500 000 and 1:1 000 000). At larger scales, the base map will depict more detailed lakes and rivers. More information about the detailed maps is available from the provincial Surveys and Mapping website. The most detailed base map depicts Natural Resources Canada's 1:50,000 CanVec digital cartographic reference product. The CanVec data have been reformatted to the 1927 North American Datum. The data are represented by grey filled lakes and rivers with no other features. The topographic data are available for viewing but cannot be downloaded or queried through the Geoscience Atlas. Download free CanVec data from Canada's Open Government website.

Grey Topo DEM Base Map

The Grey Topo Digital Elevation Model (DEM) base map can be accessed through the Base Map icon on the menu bar.  The Grey Topo DEM is a raster map (raster cell size 90m) for all of Newfoundland and Labrador.  The elevation information was obtained from the  Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) which consisted of a specially modified radar system that flew onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in February of 2000. This information is freely available to download through the above link .  It was processed through the Global Mapper program to produce this shaded-relief elevation image.  The base map information is not available to download or query.


Historical Claims

The Historical Claims layer, in the  Mineral Lands group, provides the polygons of historical claims (licences) for Newfoundland and Labrador. This database includes ground staked and map staked licences from 1977 to claims recently dropped. The attribute information includes the licence number, client (company or individual), location, number of claims, staking date, the NTS mapsheet(s) and total expenditures on that license. More information is available in the Mineral Lands Help File. This layer is updated every evening.


Hydro Geology

The Hydrogeology layer, in the Bedrock Geology group, provides the aquifer potential (relative yield) of the major geological units on the Island in relation to the occurrence, availability, and quality of the constituent groundwater. Further information can be found at the Water Resouces - Hydrogeology website.

Images
Go to Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Images

Indexes

Go to the name for each index (Bedrock Geology Maps, Surficial Geology Maps, Till Geochemical Surveys, Geochemical Surveys or Airborne Geophysical Surveys).

Lake Sediment Geochemistry Sites, Contours and Images

Go to Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry.


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Landform Lines NL

The Landform Lines layer, in the Surficial Geology group, was mapped and compiled on a regional scale by the GSC.  It is only available for Labrador and provides data on the types of linear material and landforms found at the surface. The linear landforms include esker ridges, moraine ridges and ribbed moraines. More information is available in the Landforms Help File.

Landform Points NL
The Landform Points layer, in the Surficial Geology group, was mapped and compiled on a regional scale by the GSC. It is only available for Labrador and provide data on the types of point material and landforms found at the surface. The point landforms include drumlins, crag and tail features,and marine limit point elevations. More information is available in the Landforms Help File.

Landform Lines 50K
The Landform Lines 50K layer, in the Surficial Geology group, provides data on the types of linear material and landforms found at the surface and mapped at the 1:50,000 scale. These maps are largely derived from aerial photograph interpretation with a variable amount of field checking. The detailed linear landforms in this layer, such as meltwater channels, eskers, and moraine ridges, were mapped by personnel of the NL Geological Survey. These features are all symbolized by a black line. Click on the feature to determine the 'type' in the Search Results window.  To see the reliability of the mapped features in an area, see the density of 'Observation sites' in the 1:50 000 Landform Points dataset. More information is available in the Landforms Help File.

Landform Points 50K

The Landform Points 50K layer, in the Surficial group, provides data on the types of point material and landforms found at the surface and mapped at the 1:50,000 scale. These maps are largely derived from aerial photograph interpretation with a variable amount of field checking. The detailed point landforms in this layer, such as drumlins, crag and tail features,and marine limit point elevations, were mapped by personnel of the NL Geological Survey. These features are all symbolized by a black point. Click on the feature to determine the 'type' in the Search Results window.  Many of these features are listed as 'Observation Site'; these are groundtruth locations which include sites where till samples, striations or other field samples or information were collected. The density of the observation sites provides an indication of the reliability of the mapped features in that area. More information is available in the Landforms Help File.


LIL - Labrador Inuit Lands

The Labrador Inuit Lands layer, in the Land Use group, contains polygons delineating the extents of the Inuit lands in Labrador. In Labrador Inuit Lands, Inuit have the exclusive right to carving stone, ownership of 3,950 square kilometres (1,525 square miles) of quarry materials and a 25 per cent ownership interest in subsurface resources. For further information see the Land Claims Agreement.


LISA - Labrador Inuit Settlement Areas

The Labrador Inuit Settlement Areas layer, in the Land Use group, contains polygons delineating the extents of the Inuit Settlement Areas in Labrador. These include Labrador Inuit Lands and the five Inuit communities of Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet. In the northern part of the Settlement Area, land will be set aside for the establishment of the Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve. Inuit will have special rights in all of these areas. Within the Settlement Areas, Inuit own 15,800 square kilometres (6,100 square miles) of land referred to as Labrador Inuit Lands. It is in this area where Inuit have the most rights and benefits. For further information see the Land Claims Agreement.


Lithofacies Bedrock Geology (from Geofile NFLD/2616 v.7)

The Lithofacies Bedrock Geology (Polygons) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology - Polygons Newfoundland group.   This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). See the reference Map 90-01: Geology of the Island of Newfoundland, Colman-Sadd et al., 1990.This map uses the tectonic lithofacies classification for units rather than the stratigraphic classification. Fields in the polygon attribute list starting with L_ are specific to this map. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


Lithofacies Contacts (Bedrock Geology, from Geofile NFLD2616 v.7)
The Lithofacies Contacts (Lines) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology - Lines Newfoundland group.  This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). This layer is symbolized. Open the Legend to view the symbol types. The 'Lithofacies' classification allows the geology to be displayed in the same format as the 1:1 million scale map (Map 90-01); contacts separating subdivisions of a lumped unit are omitted but otherwise the line work is the same as in the detailed version. Fields in the contact attribute table starting with L_ are specific to this map and indicate the full labels of the polygons on the left and right of the contact of interest. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


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Map Labels
The Map Labels layer, in the Map Layers group, consists of place names, such as names of cities and towns, lakes and rivers, and topographic features. More detailed information is displayed as the scale is increased. This layer will be updated as needed.


Map Staked Claims

The Map Staked Claims layer, in the Mineral Lands group, provides the polygons of currently held claims (licenses) for Newfoundland and Labrador. This database includes information on the license number, client (company or individual), general location of the license, number of claims in the license, staking date, work due date, the NTS mapsheet(s) and total expenditures on that license. This database is updated in real time through the MinLAP system (Mineral Rights, Mineral Lands Division, Mines Branch, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador). More information is available in the Mineral Lands Help File.


Mineral Occurrences
The Mineral Occurrence layer, in the Map Layers group, is the principal repository for geological information on the province's mineral resources. The layer comprises summary information (e.g., location, commodity, mineralization, chemical analyses, grades, tonnage, and exploration history) on over 7000 mineral occurrences (as of 2020). Zooming in to larger scales provides the label for the occurrences main commodity (e.g., Pyr or Au). The Geoscience Atlas version of this layer as well as the data available through the website is updated every evening.


Mineral Rights Cancelled

The Mineral Rights Cancelled layer, in the Mineral Lands group,  displays the Mineral rights (map staked claims, mining leases, fee simple mining grants and concession lands) which have reverted back to the Crown for non compliance with the Mineral Act and its associated Mineral Regulations and/or the Mineral Holdings Impost Act and its associated Mineral Holdings Impost Regulations. This includes cancelled, surrendered, partially surrendered and expired map staked claims and surrendered, partially surrendered, expired or forfeited (non payment of impost taxes) fee simple mining grants and concession lands. Click on a polygon to see the license number, client (company or individual), location of the license, number of claims in the license, the NTS mapsheet(s) and total expenditures on that license, as well as links to the Mineral Rights Inquiry Report and any Geofile assessment reports. This database is updated in real time through the MinLAP system (Mineral Rights, Mineral Lands Division, Mines Branch, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador). More information is available in the Mineral Lands Help File.


Mineral Tenure

The Mineral Tenure layer, in the Mineral Lands group, contains polygons delineating various land uses, such as mining leases, park areas and exempt lands. More information is available in the Mineral Lands Help File.


Municipal Boundaries

The Municipal Boundaries layer, in the Land Use group, indicates areas in which a municipal council can exercise the powers given to it under the Municipalities Act.  The database contains the name of the municipality.  A Municipal Planning Area (see Planning Areas below) is the area in which a municipal plan applies. The Municipal and Planning Area boundaries were originally produced in a digital format in 2002. These are updated periodically when required. However, it should be noted that the written gazetted description is the legal boundary.

Notices Gazetted

The Notices Gazetted layer, in the Mineral Lands group, consist of Mineral rights which have been cancelled, surrendered, partially surrendered, expired or forfeited that have had a notice published in the Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette as per Section 62 of the Mineral Regulations. Notices are published on Fridays and the mineral rights will become available for claim staking, through normal on-line claim staking procedures, at 9:00 in the morning of the thirty-second day after publication (always a Tuesday).   (Disclaimer: The Notices Gazetted layer in the Geoscience Atlas is for convenient reference only. The Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette should be consulted for confirmation). Click on a polygon to see the tabular database with links to the Mineral Rights Inquiry Report and any Geofile assessment reports. This database is updated in real time through the MinLAP system (Mineral Rights, Mineral Lands Division, Mines Branch, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador). More information is available in the Mineral Lands Help File.


NTS Mapsheet Grid

The NTS Mapsheet Grid layer is accessible from the Map Layers group. The National Topographic System (NTS) mapsheet grid provides a standardized system to identify general geographic locations based on latitude and longitude boundaries. This grid provides the 1:250 000 (e.g., 12H, 13K) and 1:50 000 (e.g., 12H/06, 13K/10) scale divisions. To determine the NTS mapsheet either zoom in, to be able to view the labels, or click on a mapsheet to view the grid label in the Search Results window.


Original Boundaries

The Original Boundaries layer, in the Mineral Lands group, provides the boundaries (as polylines, not polygons) of original ground staked claim lines where the claim has been converted to a map staked claim. This information is updated when any changes occur (e.g.,when those claims are cancelled) and so only contains a few remaining lines.


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Outline Topo Base Map

The Outline Topo base map can be accessed through the Base Map icon on the menu bar. At the smallest scale, showing all the Newfoundland and Labrador, the Outline Topographic base map (grey outline) is from the regional Provincial Wallmap Series. As the scale is increased by zooming in on the map view, the topographic base map will change to provide data from the 1:250 000 Resource Mapping topographic dataset with a grey outline of water bodies, including more detailed lakes and rivers. More information about these maps is available from the provincial Surveys and Mapping website. The most detailed scale of data is provided from the federal governments 1:50,000 CanVec digital cartographic reference product, from Natural Resources Canada. The CanVec data has been restructured to provide sublayers similar to the previous provincial dataset and reformatted to the 1927 North American Datum. The data are represented by a grey outline of lakes and rivers, black building smbols, red dashed power lines and grey populated areas. The topographic data are available for viewing but cannot be downloaded or queried through the Geoscience Atlas. The CanVec data is available for free download from the federal governments Natural Resources Topographic Data web site.


Overview Map

The Overview Map, in the lower right corner of the map window, uses the Topographic basemap as the index map. The overview map is used to indicate the location of the map window extents (red box) in the inset map. It can also be used to quickly move the map window extents to another part of the province by clicking and dragging the red box to the new location in the inset map window.

Petroleum Vulnerability Index
The Petroleum Vulnerability Index is available in the Coastal Monitoring > Coastal Indices subgroup for Newfoundland and SE Labrador. The sensitivity and exposure of shorelines to petroleum contamination were considered separately. The two results were then multiplied to generate a numerical assessment of the overall vulnerability of petroleum contamination, the Petroleum Vulnerability Index or PVI. More information can be found through Catto (2011, 2019).


Planning Areas

The Planning Areas layer, in the Land Use group, indicates areas in which a municipal plan applies. Not all municipalities have planning areas. The Municipal Boundaries layer (see Municipal Boundaries above) indicates areas in which a municipal council can exercise its powers given to it under the Municipalities Act. The Municipal and Planning Area boundaries were originally produced in a digital format in 2002. These are updated periodically when required. However, it should be noted that the written gazetted description is the legal boundary.


Plutonic Rock Geochemistry

The Plutonic Rock Geochemistry layer, in the Geochemistry group, consists of field and analytical data for samples of Newfoundland plutonic rocks collected by geologists of the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey. The database includes descriptive fields (e.g., age, texture, presence of various minerals) as well as major and trace element data. New reports and data that are not yet compiled in the Plutonic Rock Geochemistry layer can be accessed through the Indexes group, Geochemical Surveys subgroup, where the SurveyType is Rock Survey.


Protected Areas Plan

The Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council (WERAC) released "A Home for Nature: Protected Areas Plan for the Island of Newfoundland" for public review in 2020. The Plan outlines a proposal for establishing protected areas for the Island of Newfoundland. The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources (FLR) has included the shapefile map layer on the Geoscience Atlas - Land Use group to enable the proposed reserves to be viewed in relation to geoscience, mineral lands and ancillary data. Please note that the boundaries of these proposed reserves are not final.


Provincial Border

The Provincial Border layer is provided in the Map Layers group. This layer consists of the border between Labrador and Quebec. This feature was manually digitized from paper 1:50,000 topographic maps in the early 1990's and is not available to download.


Public Water Supplies
The Public Water Supplies layer, in the Land Use group, is provided by Water Resources in the Department of Environment and Climate Change. It includes polygon boundaries of the extents of surface and groundwater supply areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. The attribute information includes the community being supplied, the sources of the water, type of treatment (e.g. chlorination) and other descriptive information. The downloadable GIS file on the Department of Environment and Climate Change web site is updated on a daily basis. The database in this Geoscience Atlas is updated periodically.


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Quarries

The Quarries layers, in the Mineral Lands group, are point layers which consist of permitting information for over 1500 quarry sites in both Newfoundland and Labrador. The database includes information on the company, permit type, issuance and expiry dates as well as location information (UTM coordinates and NTS map sheet). On the Geoscience Atlas, the database has been divided into 6 types: New Applications, Subordinate Permits, Permits, Leases, Permits Expired Last Year, and Archived quarries. The first 5 layers will be updated every day and the archived layer will be updated yearly. More information is available in the Quarries Help File.


Regional Mag - Geophysics

The Regional Magnetics raster layers for Newfoundland and for Labrador are accessed through the Geophysics group. This is the regional compilation of the shaded-relief airborne geophysical magnetic data, available for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. The GSC "Regional" data were flown at 800 m line spacing and the images were saved here at 20 m resolution. These layers cannot be queried but can be downloaded in many formats including tif, jpg and png.  More information is available in the Airborne Regional Magnetics metadata file.


Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry
The Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry layer, in the Geochemistry group, provides site locations, field observations and analytical results of lake centre bottom samples collected primarily between 1973 and 1994. Sample coverage includes Labrador south of 58.5 degrees N and all of Newfoundland except the area within Gros Morne National Park. The data collected were from approximately 19,000 sites in Labrador and 17,000 sites on the Island of Newfoundland. The sample locations ('Sites' in the drop down list) are represented by small black circles. Plots of graduated dots, representing the element values, are also available in the drop down list. Over 40 elements are available to be viewed as dot plots, including fluorine and uranium in lake waters (in Labrador). The values for each size dot is displayed by turning on the Legend.


Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Contours

The Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Contours layers are accessed through the drop down list in the Geochemistry group. The element contours were derived using the method outlined in the Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Contours help file. Only elements which had values of good quality were interpolated. There are over 30 contour files of regional lake sediment element values for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. Contours for lake waters are available for fluorine and pH (listed as Fw9 and pHw, respectively), for Labrador only. The associated interpolated images can be viewed at the same time, for the same or a different element.


Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Images

The Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Images layers are accessed through the drop down list in the Geochemistry group. The interpolated element images were derived using the method outlined in the Regional Lake Sediment Geochemistry Images help file. Only elements which had values of good quality were interpolated. There are over 30 images of interpolated regional lake sediment element values for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. Images for lake waters are available for fluorine and pH (listed as Fw9 and pH, respectively), for Labrador only. Shading can be turned on for any of these images, as well as viewing the associated contours for the same or a different element.


Regional Surficial Geology

The Regional Surficial Geology layer, in the Surficial Geology group, was mapped (predominantly using air photos) at a scale of 1:250 000 and is available for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. Click on the Legend icon to display the legend information for this layer. Attribute information includes brief material characteristics (e.g. ridged till, bog etc.) at both the 1:250 000 and 1:1million scale, as well as sources (e.g. GSC, GSNL) and references. More information is available in the Regional Surficial Geology help file.


Road Network

The Road Network (RN) layer, in the Map Layers group, is available for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is scale dependent and displays more detail at larger scales. The RN layer is a compilation of data available from Federal and Provincial sources. Most of the Road Network is available from the Open Government portal of the Government of Canada. The portion of the Trans-Labrador Highway, south of the Mealy Mountains, has been appended to the RN from data provided by the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Finance - Road Network Management Group.  The railway in western Labrador is included in the RN.  The RN is not available to query or download from the Geoscience Atlas but the above sources can provide the necessary data to compile the network. The RN symbols do not appear in the legend.


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Scanned Topo Base Map
The Scanned Topo base map can be accessed through the Base Map icon on the menu bar. At the smallest scale, showing all of Newfoundland and Labrador, the yellow Topographic base map is displayed from the digital regional Provincial Wallmap Series. As the scale is increased, by zooming in on the map view to 1:1,100,000, the topographic base map changes to display scans from the 1:250 000 NTDB topographic paper maps. Further increase of the scale to 1:100,000 displays scans from the 1:50,000 NTDB topographic paper maps. Note that some of the original paper maps were based on the NAD27 datum and some were based on the NAD83 datum. Those based on NAD83, such as the St. John's map sheet NTS 1N/10, will display the paper UTM grid lines offset by about 70m west and 210m south of the digital NAD27 UTM Grid Lines layer from the Map Layers group.  All the scanned maps are displayed on the Geoscience Atlas in the NAD27 datum. The topographic data are available for viewing but can not be downloaded or queried through the Geoscience Atlas.


SE Labrador Bedrock Geology

The SE Labrador Bedrock Geology was compiled by C.F. Gower (2019).  The memoir, maps and associated databases are available in Geofile LAB/1752 .  The SE Labrador Geology (polygons) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Polygons Labrador subgroup.


SE Labrador Contacts - Line or Symbol

The SE Labrador Contacts (Line or Symbol) layers are accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Labrador subgroup. The 'Line' layer provides a simple black line style for the contacts, as opposed to the 'Symbol' layer which provides line style symbols (e.g., dashes, dots) for the various contacts. The symbolized layer may take longer to draw.


SE Labrador Faults - Line or Symbol

The SE Labrador Faults (Line or Symbol) layers are accessed through the Bedrock Geology group > Lines Labrador subgroup. The 'Line' layer provides a simple black line style for the faults, as opposed to the 'Symbol' layer which provides line style symbols (e.g., dashes, thrust symbols) for the various fault styles. The symbolized layer may take longer to draw.


Striations
The Striations layer, in the Surficial Geology group, indicates ice flow directions for all of Newfoundland and selected areas in Labrador. The compilation includes information on striation point location, direction, and relative age with respect to other striations in the area.  There are over 10,000 records compiled from published and unpublished reports, maps and field notes from provincial and federal geologists (1948 to the present). This database will be updated periodically as new data are collected. More information is available in the Striation database help file.


Surficial Geology
The Surficial Geology layers are listed under Regional Surficial Geology and Detailed Surficial Geology.


Tectonic Bedrock Geology (from Geofile NFLD2616 v.7)
The Tectonic Bedrock Geology (Polygons) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology - Polygons Newfoundlland group.  This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). The 'Tectonic' classification is similar to that used in the Western Cordillera (Gabrielse et al., 1991) and distinguishes terranes in more detail than the lithofacies version. Fields in the attribute table starting with A_ are specific to this map. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


Tectonic Contacts - Line (Bedrock Geology NFLD2616 v.7)

The Tectonic Contacts (Line) layer is accessed through the Bedrock Geology - Lines Newfoundland group. This compilation, from Open File NFLD/2616 version 7, is presently available for all of Newfoundland (Nov. 2012). This layer is symbolized.  Open the Legend to view the symbol types.  For the 'Tectonic' level, the classification is similar to that used in the Western Cordillera (Gabrielse et al., 1991) and distinguishes terranes in more detail than the lithofacies version. Fields in the contact attribute table starting with A_ are specific to this map and indicate the full labels of the polygons on the left and right of the contact of interest. More information is available in the Bedrock Geology Help Files.


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Till Sediment Geochemistry

The Till Sediment Geochemistry layer, in the Geochemistry group, provides site locations, field observations and analytical results of till samples collected since the late 1970s in both Newfoundland and Labrador. The samples have been collected from over 22,000 sites in Newfoundland and Labrador (as of 2020). Plots of graduated dots, representing the element values, are available in the drop down list. Over 60 elements are available to be viewed as dot plots. The values for each size dot is displayed by turning on the Legend. More information is available in the Till Geochemistry help file.


Topographic Base Map

The Topographic base map can be accessed through the Base Map icon on the menu bar.  At the smallest scale, showing all the Newfoundland and Labrador, the Topographic base map (yellow land mass) is from the regional Provincial Wallmap Series, 1:500 000 and 1:1 000 000 scales.   As the scale is increased by zooming in on the map view, the topographic base map will change to provide data from the 1:250 000 Resource Mapping topographic dataset with blue rivers and light blue-filled lakes.  More information about these maps is available from the provincial Surveys and Mapping website. The most detailed scale of data is provided from the federal governments 1:50,000 CanVec digital cartographic reference product, from Natural Resources Canada. The CanVec data has been restructured to provide sublayers similar to the previous provincial dataset and reformatted to the 1927 North American Datum. The data are represented by blue lakes and rivers, black building smbols, red dashed power lines and grey populated areas.  The topographic data are available for viewing but cannot be downloaded or queried through the Geoscience Atlas. The CanVec data is available for free download from the federal governments Natural Resources Topographic Data web site.


UTM Grid Lines

The UTM grid lines layer, in the Map Layers group, is scale dependent and only displays at the larger map scales.  It consists of a 10km UTM grid and, at larger scales, a 1 km UTM grid (based on the NAD27 datum).  UTM Easting and Northing labels are displayed on the lines. The placement of the labels is adjusted automatically by the program.


Volcanic Rock Geochemistry
The Volcanic Rock Geochemistry, Majors and Traces, layers, in the Geochemistry group, are updated, reformatted versions of the 1995 Saunders digital database. It comprises volcanic and subvolcanic rock samples collected from 1966 to 1994 by the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey (published and unpublished data), from M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses completed at various universities and from a few exploration companies. The database consists of 5081 rock samples: 1040 samples from Labrador and 4041 samples from Newfoundland.  The data are presented in two files: one for the field data and major element analyses (Volcanic Rock Geochemistry - Majors) and another for the trace element analyses (Volcanic Rock Geochemistry - Traces). More recent volcanic rock geochemical data will be compiled and added to this database in the future; new reports and data can be accessed through the Indexes group, Geochemical Surveys layer, where the SurveyType is 'Rock Survey'.


Water Lines

The Water Lines layer is provided in the Map Layers group (black lines) as well as the Geophysics group (white lines) to display on top of other layers. This layer includes shorelines in Newfoundland and Labrador and consists of data from three scales of maps: 1:1 million, 1:250,000 and 1:50,000. At larger scales the Water Lines will be displayed from successively larger scale mapping.  Water Lines are also available on some of the Base Maps but in this case will display below other layers.

What's New

The "What's New" list can be accessed by clicking on "What's New" on the Geoscience Online page. This is a brief description of the updates to the Geoscience Atlas and when they took effect.


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DISCLAIMER for the Geoscience Atlas

The Geological Survey Division of the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador ('Geological Survey Division') provides this website to disseminate digital geological data and ancillary data. The Geological Survey Division retains the sole right and title to the original geoscience data and the information contained in any product thereby produced and provided. The Geological Survey Division makes available for public use open file reports, maps and digital geological data. These materials have not been formally edited or peer reviewed and are based upon preliminary data and evaluation. The Geological Survey Division assumes no legal liability or responsibility for any alterations, changes, representations or misrepresentations made by users or third parties with respect to the materials and original data. Users and third parties should consult with the Geological Survey Division to ensure the originality and correctness of the materials and original data provided. The users of these materials and original data agree not to provide a digital reproduction or copy of same to a third party. Furthermore, the Geological Survey Division assumes no liability of any nature or kind with respect to digital reproductions, copies of original products or for derivative products which may be made by or for third parties. Derivative products should acknowledge the source of the data upon which the products are based.


CONTACT

Questions, comments or suggestions can be directed to:

Geoscience Online
Email: GeoscienceOnline@gov.nl.ca

Geological Survey Division, Mines Branch
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL A1B 4J6

(updated February, 2024)