Soil survey of a portion of the Syncrude Lease 17 area, Alberta

• Main Author: Twardy, A.G.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 1978
• Subjects: Oil Sands; Surveys; Environmental Research Monograph 1978-1; Soils; Tar Sands; Syncrude; Alberta; permafrost
• Online Access: https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/4698505f-cdfd-4283-8ac8-48bb25ce2460; https://doi.org/10.7939/R3NV4W

A soil survey of a portion of Syncrude No. 17 Lease Area, encompassing an area of about 93 square kilometres, was conducted during the period between June 20 and July 8, 1977. The soils were inspected and described at 413 sites and representative soils were sampled for physical and chemical laboratory analyses. The distribution of the soils is presented on the soils map at a scale of 1:24,000. Soils of the Luvisolic, Brunisolic, Gleysolic, Cryosolic and Organic Orders were recognized and characterized. Moderately well drained Orthic Gray Luvisols developed on fine to very fine textured glaciolacustrine materials predominate, occupying about 49 percent of the study area. Organic and Organic Cryosol soils occupy about 35 percent of the area. The depth of peat in the majority of these soils is less than 80 cm. Both bogs and fens were recognized. Bogs have the larger areal extent occupying about 26 percent of the study area. Permafrost was encountered in some of the deep bogs. No permafrost occurs in any of the fens or shallow bogs.