A STANDARD BEDROCK NOMENCLATURE FOR THE PROVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA

The Bedrock Nomenclature of New Brunswick had its beginnings in the early 1970's following the signing of an agreement between the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Department of Regional Economic Expansion to accelerate geological mapping in the Miramichi Highlands, an area known to host important base-metal deposits. It soon became apparent that a standard stratigraphic nomenclature was needed to establish consistency in map legends throughout the region. Later, when the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists initiated the compilation of stratigraphic terminology for eastern Canada, the New Brunswick Geological Surveys Branch undertook the task of expanding the existing bedrock file to include named units over the entire Province. The Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, Atlantic Region, was published in 1985, containing some 200 formal and 70 informal terms recognized in New Brunswick at that time. The New Brunswick stratigraphic lexicon proved its worth in 1990 when the Geological Surveys Branch used it to establish standardized computer codes for the production of digitized geological map compilations. To further facilitate computerization, it become imperative to introduce a uniform stratigraphic terminology to new bedrock units during field mapping programs. A searchable Microsoft Access database containing nearly 500 stratigraphic terms became available on the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources website in early 2006. The digital Bedrock Nomenclature of New Brunswick includes detailed descriptions of all lithostratigraphic and intrusive units currently used by the Geological Surveys Branch to denote bedrock units in the Province. The following subheadings are used for each entry: Unit Name; Age; Author; Type Locality; Lithology; Thickness and Distribution; Relations to Other Units; Age Justification; History; and References. It is important to note that this lexicon is intended to serve primarily as a working stratigraphy for New Brunswick . No attempt has been made to classify the bedrock units into formal and informal categories as defined in the North American Stratigraphic Code.