The Significance of Glaciation in Canada and the Ottawa Valley

Our Presenter:

David Sharpe is a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada in Ottawa, specializing in the glacial geology of Canada. He has worked in many areas of the country including the Oak Ridges Moraine in southern Ontario and the Ottawa region.

The Presentation:

We will review the origin and nature of glaciation in Canada, including insights into a number areas in which we have details of glacial landforms and sediments. Then, we will review the application of this knowledge to mineral exploration, groundwater investigations and other applications to land use and construction.  We will also introduce an exciting new idea that, in addition to the glaciers, much of the glaciated Canadian landscape has been modified by very large glacial floods that discharged from under the continental ice sheets. Finally, the highlights of glaciation in the Ottawa valley will be reviewed.

Biography:

David Sharpe is a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada in Ottawa, specializing in the glacial geology of Canada as applied to mineral exploration and hydrogeology.  He has worked in many areas of the country including Arctic Canada, the barren lands, prairies and most parts of Ontario, including the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Ottawa region.  He has degrees in geology from the universities of Toronto, Colorado and Ottawa. He has been an adjunct professor at the universities of Waterloo and Ottawa, where he has also taught courses in glacial geology.