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Frank Slide & Turtle Mountain Tour
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Meet in the Hyatt Calgary lobby by 7:45 a.m.
The trip will leave from Hyatt Regency Hotel Lobby at 8am sharp, and will arrive at the Bayshore Inn, Waterton at 5pm. Lunch will be provided, and all admission fees are included in the cost of the tour. Guidebook will be provided.
In 1903, a rockslide depositing 30 million cubic metres of debris occurred on Turtle Mountain. The rockslide devastated a portion of the town of Frank, Alberta, and killed over 70 people in its path. To date, the Frank Slide remains most deadly landslide in Canadian history.
Today, the site of Frank Slide is being used by the Alberta Geological Survey as a world class field study for the use of early warning systems, and is still the focus of research studying rock slope failure mechanics and debris mobility.
This field trip to Frank Slide will take delegates to the base of the slide where they can witness Turtle Mountain, walk amongst the landslide rubble, and observe the runout distance of the slide debris. Delegates will have the opportunity to:
- learn about the structural geology of Alberta's front ranges from an Alberta Geological Survey geologist,
- discuss advanced theories regarding the mechanisms causing the original slide with landslide researchers from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland,
- witness current advanced early warning devices (including ground-based InSAR) and discuss the early monitoring program with an engineer with the Alberta Geological Survey,
- watch the docu-drama "On the Edge of Destruction - The Frank Slide Story", and
- explore the newly opened interpretive centre.
In addition, the tour will include a stop at the worlds largest known glacial erratic near Okatoks, Alberta ("Big Rock"), where Alberta Geological Survey staff will discuss the glacial history of Alberta. The tour will also traverse a portion of the scenic "Cowboy Trail" located between the Rocky Mountains and the cattle ranching region of the Alberta Prairie.
Links:
Alberta geological survey early warning system