The staff of GSC Pacific Division have a broad range of skills in several disciplines and they make strong contributions to government priorities such as building strong and safe communities, maintaining a clean environment and the sustainable development of natural resources. While staff contribute to several programs including Groundwater, Reducing Canada's Vulnerability to Climate Change, and Gas Hydrates: Fuel of the future?, they are principally involved in four others;

• Natural Hazards and Emergency Response

  Under the Natural Hazards and Emergency Response Program earthquake monitoring and research done by the division establishes the earthquake hazard zonation for Canada. By monitoring changes in the Earth's magnetic field the geomagnetic group is able to predict magnetic storms which have the potential to damage pipelines and power systems.

• Northern Resources Development

• Consolidating Canada's Geoscience Knowledge

  Geologists and GIS experts in the Vancouver Office are contributing to mapping and compilation projects as part of the Northern Resources Development and Consolidating Canada's Geoscience Knowledge (CCGK) programs. Also through involvement in the CCGK program staff are helping to build the Canadian Geoscience Knowledge Network and have taken leadership in the development of digital libraries and their use as decision-making tools.

• Geoscience for Oceans Management The marine group in Sidney provide the west coast component of the Geoscience for Oceans Management program. On the international front staff in the Vancouver office are leading a second, CIDA funded, multinational geoscience project in South America.

All of this work is delivered from six locations in two provinces and two territories providing a federal presence outside of Ottawa and a national perspective to the work of the department.

GSC Pacific maintains:

• a team of specialists in geology, geophysics and related technologies and information systems. national observatory networks to monitor earthquakes and changes in the Earth's magnetic field.
• the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty National Data Centre.
• a logistical staging post for Canadian marine geoscience research in the Pacific.
• in Vancouver the most extensive geoscience library on the West Coast and a large Map and Publication Sales Office with a wide selection of geoscience information, topographic maps and nautical charts.
• a system for rapid earthquake reporting and for forecasting geomagnetic storms.

Fore more information:

• Sidney Subdivision

• Vancouver Subdivision