A STRATIGRAPHIC LEXICON FOR ONTARIO

The aim of the “Stratigraphic Lexicon for Ontario” project is to produce a lexicon of stratigraphic terms in current and past use in Ontario complete with the references, type locality, history and description for each term; and to establish a framework for introduction of new terms in the future.

In the United States, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is the gatekeeper for stratigraphic nomenclature, an online version of which is provided through GEOLEX (http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/geolex_home.html). However, in Canada, until recently, no single source of information existed for geological names. In 2004, the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) began work on the Canadian Stratigraphic Lexicon, which is available online as WEBLEX (http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_e.pl) and is hosted under the auspices of the Canadian Geoscience Knowledge Network (CGKN). The GSC approached the provincial surveys, including the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS), about participation and co-operation in this project.

For Ontario, there is no lexicon of stratigraphic names that comprises detailed, current and correct information. In late 2004, following a preliminary evaluation request from OGS staff, the GSC provided their existing Ontario data from the GSC's STRATLEX database. In a first-stage “triage”, these data were merged with the OGS list and examined to establish the quantity of unique terms and quality of data. This “triage”, completed late in 2005, yielded approximately 4300 terms to be examined.

The “Stratigraphic Lexicon for Ontario” project has received tentative approval. Data generated by this project will be re-incorporated into the STRATLEX database and published, in other formats, by the OGS. Work on this project to date and future plans will be presented.