133 

 Miles and branch with the main Hne, the low plateau 



Kilometres. r • i • i r • i i • i 



lacing north is underlain by a coal seam with 

 an average thickness of nine feet (2 • 7m) over- 

 lain by a slight thickness of sandy shales, clay 

 and boulder clay, or by the latter alone. On 

 the property of the Tofield Coal Company the 

 overburden is mainly shales and sandstones 

 and the mantle of drift is quite thin, but on the 

 Dobel property to the east the original cover is 

 thinner but there is a greater thickness of boulder 

 clay which includes detached and turned up rock 

 masses of the original cover. The portions of 

 the seam, where stripped by the glacial advance 

 and re-covered with boulder clay, are much more 

 weathered. Steam shovels and Lubecker ex- 

 cavators are used 'n removing the over-burden, 

 and the coal is mined in open quarries. 



At the town of Tofield, where this seam is 

 entirely eroded away, a boring was made down 

 to the top of the Belly River formation. The 

 following is a generalized summary of the sec- 

 tion : — 



Feet. Metres. 



fShales and sandstones 200-0 60-90 



Edmonton I Coal 2-0 0-60 



Parting 1-5 0-33 



[Coal 5-8 1-76 



Pierre Shale 740-6 225-10 



fCoal I - o 0-30 



Belly River j Shales and sands 100 -o 30-48 



[Coal 4-0 1-21 



Just below the horizon of the lowest coal 

 seam, gas and water were found. Further dril- 

 ling operations are under way to thoroughly test 

 the importance of the gas-bearing horizon. 



793 m. Edmonton — Altitude 2,179 ft. (664 m.). 



1,276 km. Edmonton is situated on the Saskatchewan 

 river 793 miles (1,276 km.) west of Winnipeg. 

 The stream has cut a valley over 165 feet (50-4 

 m.) deep, the sides of which afford sections, at 

 frequent intervals, of the Edmonton rocks. 

 Workable coal seams outcrop at Clover Bar, 

 5 miles (8 km.) east of the city, and these con- 



