The project focused on the central Andes, an area long been known to be endowed with considerable mineral wealth. However, due to the inhospitable nature of the region many of these riches have not been found and even the basic geology remains incomplete if not sketchy. It was toward the goal of locating new mineral wealth helping create sustainable communities that this project was aimed. Through providing updated and enhanced geoscience projects it was hoped that exploration in the region would be enhanced. In this vien, numerous different activities were carried out under the project - see MAP News for details and the Final Report (Open File 4415). Four large airborne geophysical surveys were flown and and updated metallogenic map (1:1,000,000) and accompanying two volume CD-ROM (including all the geochemistry and dating done under the project) were produced. These products are a must have to anyone interested in the geology of the central Andes.

The Mt. Meager Volcanic Complex (MMVC) is a world-class natural laboratory which is well-suited for research on landslides and landslide monitoring methods. The Mt. Meager project was broken into five inter-related components: landslides studies, volcanology, seismology, GPS and remote sensing. The components focused on a combination of monitoring methodology development and an improved understanding of landslide hazards. The monitoring aspects of the work included the installation of a GPS network and the use of InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar) to discover slope deformation at the MMVC for the period 1992-1998. The GPS network was established in the Devastation Creek and Capricorn Creek basins to independently confirm the InSAR results. A high resolution DEM was created using airphotos and used to improve the precision of the InSAR results. Field work included mapping, sampling and dating of prehistoric landslide and associated deposits of the MMVC. One focus was the correlation of large magnitude, distal volcanic debris flow deposits (determined from drilling) with mappable proximal landslide deposits and source zones.

The Nechako project was coordinated and funded by both the GSC and BCGS and the program was financially augmented by the GSC's National Mapping Program (NATMAP). More than fifty scientists from the GSC, BCGS, Canadian Forest Service, universities in North America, Asia and Europe, and mining and exploration companies were involved in the program. Bedrock and surficial mapping were enhanced by integration with site and area specific studies of metallic and industrial mineral deposits, biostatigraphy, geochronology, stream and till geochemistry, biogeochemistry, airborne geophysics, seismology and paleomagnetism.

From 1995-2000, new regional and detailed geological and geophysical maps were published for the Nechako River (93F), Fort Fraser (93K) and parts of Prince George (93G/12,13), Smithers (93L/16), Hazelton (93M/1), and Manson River (93N/4,5,12) map areas (see index map). In addition to hardcopy maps and reports, all data were brought together in computer-accessible, GIS compatible format and made available on CD-ROM disks and through the Internet.