Geology of Sand and Gravel Deposits in Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia

"IntroductionT'HE PRODUCTION of gravel and sand may be considered to be the major mining operation in the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. At least thirty pits are in operation with a yearly production probably in excess of two million yards and a value in excess of one million five hundred thousand dollars before crushing, washing, and sizing. The value of the finished products would probably be double the above figure.Since 1949, the writer and his co-workers have been engaged in the geological investigation of the Lower Fraser valley and adjoining Coast mountains for the Geological Survey of Canada. The study, which is not yet completed, includes both bed-rock geology and geology of the unconsolidated sediments lying above bed-rock. In a rapidly expanding industrial area, .an advance knowledge of the geology may• greatly aid in future 'planning, and in many cases may .prevent not only the wastage of large sums of money, 'but possible disaster. Some of the present and future applications in which geological information in the Lower Fraser valley should be of value are as follows: the development of domestic, irrigation, industrial, and municipal groundwater supplies; drainage for industrial sites,, roadbeds, and farmlands; flood control along the Fraser river and smaller streams in the area; the location of dam sites, of major tunnels for water supply •and sewage, of road-beds, of foundation sites for large buildings .and other engineering undertakings in which geology may aid; the evaluation of oil and gas •possibilities; the production of building stone; and the production of sand and gravel, the subject with which this paper is primarily concerned."