Alberta's Lower Athabasca Basin

Archaeology and Palaeoenvironments

Edited by Brian M. Ronaghan
Categories: Indigenous Studies, Environmental & Nature Studies, Natural Resources, Regional & Cultural Studies, Environmental History, Environmental Protection & Preservation
Publisher: Athabasca University Press
Hardcover : 9781926836904, 568 pages, June 2017
Ebook (PDF) : 9781926836911, 565 pages, May 2017
Ebook (EPUB) : 9781926836928, 565 pages, May 2017
Ebook (Kindle) : 9781927356999, 565 pages, May 2017

This is the fascinating story of how an ice-age flood left behind a unique landscape, making deposits of bitumen available for mining.

Description

Over the past two decades, the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta has been the site of unprecedented levels of development. Alberta’s Lower Athabasca Basin tells a fascinating story of how a catastrophic ice age flood left behind a unique landscape, one that made deposits of bitumen available for surface mining. Less well known is the discovery that this flood also produced an environment that supported perhaps the most intensive use of boreal forest resources by prehistoric Native people yet recognized in Canada. Touching on various elements of this rich environmental and archaeological record, this collection offers new insights into human and natural history.

Awards

  • <P>Scholarly and Academic Book of the Year, Alberta Book Awards</P>