Natural Resources Canada
www.nrcan.gc.ca
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GSC Atlantic
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Geological Survey of Canada - Atlantic
Fact Sheets
- Historical Gold Mines
The environmental effects of early gold production in Canada were unregulated. Many abandoned mine sites are now contaminated with metals and other potentially hazardous substances because of poorly controlled waste disposal. Recent studies in Nova Scotia by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and its partners are helping to characterize the environmental and human health hazards associated with these historical mine wastes. - Mapping Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay, in Newfoundland, is an environmentally sensitive area, hosting a diverse marine ecosystem. It is fringed by small coastal communities which rely on the adjoining waters for their livelihood. It is also the scene of significant industrial activities including oil refineries, a shipyard, and a mineral refining plant. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is producing a new series of ocean-floor maps, based on multibeam sonar technology, a technique of reflecting many “beams” of sound off of the ocean floor to produce images. These maps will assist ocean sector industries, such as oil and gas and telecommunications, to locate safe and appropriate places to lay underwater equipment. They will also help improve fishing industry efficiency and management practices. - Nova Scotia's Coastlines
Sea levels along Nova Scotia have been rising for thousands of years and most shorelines are retreating and migrating landward. Responsible coastal development must account for natural rates and processes of shoreline change to avoid costly damage and adverse alteration to natural shoreline processes. - Searching for Petroleum Resources in Offshore Atlantic Canada
Canada and many other nations need a stable and secure supply of oil and natural gas; this has led to increased exploration, including around Atlantic Canada. Exploring for petroleum in the offshore is very costly, therefore a good understanding of the regional geology and petroleum systems is necessary to improve the chance of successfully finding oil and gas. Researchers at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are studying the subsurface beneath the continental shelves and slopes of Atlantic Canada to better understand how these regions were formed and to identify areas with oil and gas potential. - Using Science to Delineate the Limits of Canada’s Continental Shelf
Canada is a coastal state, bordering three oceans, the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic. About 40% of Canada’s territory lies beyond the coast line beneath the sea and extends to 200 nautical miles (nm) offshore. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) coastal states that have a wide continental margin, like Canada, can obtain sovereign rights over an area beyond the 200 nm - the extended continental shelf. This will give Canada the exclusive rights to the resources on and below the seabed in this area.
http://cgc.rncan.gc.ca/org/atlantic/factsheets_e.php