Biophysical Information
This page contains biophysical information on the Yukon including a Yukon overview, links to maps and spatial data, and regional information on the North Yukon, South-East Yukon and the Whitehorse Trough oil and gas basins.
Biophysical Descriptions - Yukon overview
- Introduction to Biophysical Properties 26 KB
- Yukon Overview (Taken from the "Ecoregions of the Yukon" publication available for sale on the Yukon Geological Survey site) 10.3 MB
This document contains information on: geographic setting, bedrock geology, watersheds and hydrologic regions, climate, glacial history, surficial geology, permafrost, soils, vegetation and wetlands, wildlife, fish, insects and traditional land use.
In addition, you can download these files:
Maps and Spatial Data Links - find links related to each of the following topics.
- Base Information:
The Yukon government uses various scales and types of map bases, the majority through purchase and/or use agreements with Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) as follows: - Free download from Yukon government: 1:1,000,000 and 1:2,000,000 Digital Chart of the World and 90 metre LandSat mosaic - Geomatics Yukon - NRCAN: Geogratis, Geobase and Geoconnections
- Biophysical Mapping 941 KB
Contact: John Meikle at the Department of Environment or Shawn Francis at North Yukon Planning Commission (http://www.planyukon.ca/)
- Caribou Ranges 9 MB
Yukon Government Department of Environment - Geomatics
- Climate
Environment Canada National Climate Data and Information Archive
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
Geomatics Yukon
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
Yukon Government Department of Environment - Geomatics
- Ecozones and Ecoregions - Yukon
Yukon Government Department of Environment - Geomatics
- Ecozones - Canada
Yukon Government Department of Environment - Geomatics
- Ecoregions and Oil and Gas Regions 649 KB
Yukon Government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources - Oil and Gas Management Branch
- Fire Regime 633 KB or a JPG file 103 KB
Yukon Government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources - Forest Management Branch
- Geology
Geomatics Yukon
- Geology
Yukon Geological Survey Interactive Maps
- Hydrometric Report
Yukon Water Resources Hydrometric Program Historical Summary 1975 – 2004 Yukon Government Department of Environment
- Mineral Potential
Geomatics Yukon
- Mineral Potential
Yukon Geological Survey Recent Publications page
- Mineral Potential
Yukon Mining Recorder home page
- Oil and Gas Basins
Yukon Government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources - Oil and Gas Management Branch
- Oil and Gas Regions 816 KB
Yukon Government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources - Oil and Gas Management Branch
- Peel Plateau Earthcover Data 415 KB
Contact: Al Richard at Western Boreal Forest, Ducks Unlimited Canada
- Placer Atlas
Information on placer mining in the Yukon. It is housed by the Yukon Geological Survey
- Regional Stream Geochemistry
Yukon Geological Survey
- Species at Risk
Yukon Government Department of Environment
- Watersheds 19 MB
Yukon Government Department of Environment - Geomatics
- Wildlife
Yukon Government Department of Environment
- Wildlife Key Area Inventory Program
Yukon Government Department of Environment - Geomatics
- Yukon Natural Resource Maps
Yukon Government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources - Mineral Resources Branch
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Biophysical Descriptions – North Yukon
North Yukon Ecozones and Ecoregions The North Yukon Oil and Gas Region is extraordinarily complex, encompassing three ecoregions and nine ecozones.
- Southern Arctic Ecozone 706 KB
The Southern Arctic Ecozone is located in the far north. It is the only Yukon ecoregion that has both a southern arctic ecosystem and a marine coastline.
Yukon Coastal Plain Ecoregion 574 KB This area is home to populations of muskoxen, polar bear and Arctic fox and is the summer range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. During the last Ice Age, much of the land was glaciated by the Laurentide ice sheet.
- Taiga Cordillera Ecozone 2.7 MB
This ecozone includes the British-Richardson Mountains, Old Crow Basin, Old Crow Flats, North Ogilvie Mountains, Eagle Plains and Mackenzie Mountains.
British-Richardson Mountains Ecoregion 487 KB This ecoregion contains the largest extent of unglaciated mountain ranges in Canada. Examples of periglacial landforms are found within the area. The northernmost section consists of phosphate minerals and the vegetation cover is made up of diverse ecosystems and habitats. The Yukon portion of the Porcupine Caribou Herd calving grounds and other migration routes are found in this ecoregion.
Old Crow Basin Ecoregion 367 KB This large physiographic basin was unglaciated during the Pleistocene and many of the lower elevations were submerged under glacial Lake Old Crow. This lake formed because the Laurentide ice sheet blocked the previous drainage system and changed the direction of the Porcupine River. The spring and fall migration routes of the Porcupine Caribou Herd fall in this region.
Old Crow Flats Ecoregion 429 KB The extent of this ecoregion is defined by analysing lake bottom sediments deposited by a glacial lake that formed at the end of the last Ice Age. The climate is strongly continental with warm summers and long, cold winters and the most abundant waterfowl population within the Taiga Cordillera Ecozone in Canada reside here.
North Ogilvie Mountains Ecoregion 385 KB In this region, the mountains are made of sedimentary rock with unvegetated summits and rubble covered slopes. These mountains are separated by broad valleys. This ecoregion was largely ice-free during the most recent glacial event, but there is evidence of older glaciations. Periglacial landforms are common. The area provides wintering grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd and is home to the Ogilvie Mountain lemming.
Eagle Plains Ecoregion 475 KB This is an intermontane basin of modest relief underlain by Devonian through Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. The ecoregion drains into both the Yukon and Mackenzie River systems. Much of the area escaped glaciation, but is now underlain by continuous permafrost and periglacial features are common. This area has one of the lowest levels of mammalian diversity in the Taiga Cordillera Ecozone because habitat diversity for many species is limited.
Mackenzie Mountains Ecoregion 524 KB Sedimentary rock underlies much of this ecoregion. These rocks range in age from the Early Proterozoic to Middle Jurassic. In Canada, exposed sedimentary records of this duration (1.6 billion years) are rare. The landscape also consists of landforms associated with multiple glaciations and periglacial weathering. This transition from the boreal in the south to the taiga in the north takes place in this area. The Yukon portion of the ecoregion is home to some of the largest woodland caribou herds in the territory.
- Taiga Plain Ecozone 1 MB
The Taiga Plain Ecozone includes the Peel River Plateau and the Fort McPherson Plain.
Peel River Plateau Ecoregion 407 KB This is the only ecoregion in the Yukon with landscapes shaped almost entirely as a result of the movement of the Laurentide ice sheet. The rapid northward draining of pro-glacial lakes about 10,500 years ago created several canyons where Peel River tributaries, such as the Snake, Caribou, Trail and Road rivers downcut into the plateau. Most species of large Yukon mammals occur, but only the polar representatives of most small mammals inhabit the ecoregion. The extensive wetlands and the broad Peel River valley support considerable bird life.
Fort McPherson Plain Ecoregion 345 KB Only a small portion of low relief, low elevation occurs within the Yukon. This ecoregion includes the only part of the territory that lies on the floor of the Mackenzie Valley. Perennially frozen peatlands are extensive, covering over 25 per cent of the area. The mean annual runoff is extremely low because of the very low relief. The mean seasonal and summer stream flows of rivers are the lowest per unit area among all the Yukon ecoregions.
Source: Smith, C.A.S., Meikle, J.C. and Roots,C.F. (editors), 2004. Ecoregions of the Yukon Territory - Biophysical Properties of Yukon Landscapes. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PARC Technical Bulletin 04-01, Summerland, British Columbia, pages 61 to 148.
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Biophysical Descriptions – South-East Yukon
South-East Yukon Ecozones and Ecoregions The Southeast Yukon Oil and Gas Region includes both the Boreal Cordillera Ecozone and the Taiga Plain Ecozone.
- Boreal Cordillera Ecozone 4.4 MB
This ecozone is an extension of the boreal forest zone that stretches across the continent from the Atlantic coast. It is modified within the cordillera by strong gradients of elevation, temperature and precipitation over short distances. Two ecoregions are found within this oil and gas region, the Liard Basin and the Hyland Highland.
Hyland Highland Ecoregion 475 KB During the Late Pleistocene, glaciers blanketed much of this ecoregion leaving it with fine-textured morainal and well defined, sandy, gravelly glaciofluvial deposits. Most of the ecoregion drains into the Liard River through south flowing tributary rivers. Permafrost is relatively rare and thermal springs and associated vegetation are found. The area is dominated by coniferous forests and home to moose, black bear, grizzly bear, and woodland caribou.
Liard Basin Ecoregion 442 KB The Liard Basin Ecoregion consists of low hills seperated by broad plains surrounded by mountains and plateaus. The low elevation, moderate precipitation and relatively long, warm summers result in vigorous forest growth, most notably in the floodplains of the Liard, Meister, Frances, Hyland and Coal rivers. The extensive boreal forest provides prime habitat for moose, marten, snowshoe hare and lynx. Thousands of sandhill cranes migrate through the region each spring and fall, following the Frances and Liard valleys.
- Taiga Plain Ecozone 1 MB
The Taiga Plain Ecozone is represented in the Yukon by portions of three ecoregions, the Muskwa Plateau Ecoregion in the extreme southeast of Yukon and the Peel River Plateau and Fort McPherson Plain ecoregions in the northeast. All three of these regions essentially lie east of the main ranges of the Western Cordilleran and have climatic and physiographic conditions that are distinctly different from the rest of the Yukon, although the Muskwa Plateau Ecoregion is ecologically more representative of boreal than taiga (subarctic) conditions.
Muskwa Plateau Ecoregion 333 KB The Muskwa Plateau is centred in northern British Columbia/Alberta and extends into the extreme southeast corner of the Yukon. It is the only representation in the Yukon of northern boreal conditions east of the Cordillera. A low frequency of forest fires results in a distinct forest composition. This is augmented by the meeting of four major vegetation domains, resulting in a unique assemblage of plant species.
Source: Smith, C.A.S., Meikle, J.C. and Roots,C.F. (editors), 2004. Ecoregions of the Yukon Territory - Biophysical Properties of Yukon Landscapes. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PARC Technical Bulletin 04-01, Summerland, British Columbia, pages 89 to 256.
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Biophysical Descriptions – Whitehorse Trough
Whitehorse Trough Ecozones and Ecoregions The Whitehorse Trough Ecozone is found entirely within the Boreal Cordillera Ecozone. This area consists of the Yukon Plateau - Central, Yukon Southern, Yukon Stikine Highlands and the Boreal Mountains and Plateau ecoregions.
- Boreal Cordillera Ecozone 4.3 MB
The Boreal Cordillera Ecozone is an extension of the boreal forest zone that spans across the continent from the Atlantic coast. It is modified within the Cordillera by strong gradients of elevation, temperature and precipitation over short distances. Most of the ecozone experiences a rapid increase in stream flow discharge in May due to snowmelt, with high flow continuing for a few weeks maintained by summer rainfall. Because it is south of the continuous permafrost zone, there is more ground water flow than in the Taiga Cordillera Ecozone and ground water discharge generally continues throughout winter. The Pacific maritime influence moderates temperatures over most of the ecozone.
Yukon Plateau – Central Ecoregion 566 KB The western portions of the Yukon Plateau-Central ecoregion are very dry with annual precipitation amounts of only 250 to 275 millimetres. The south-facing slopes support extensive grassland communities and wetlands associated with the Tintina Trench flyway, such as Reid Lakes and the Needle Rock complex, provide important migratory and nesting habitat for waterfowl. Very frequent forest fires maintain vast areas of relatively young aspen and lodgepole pine forests.
Yukon Southern Lakes Ecoregion 556 KB Broad valleys and large lakes characterize the Yukon Southern Lakes Ecoregion. Set within the rain shadow of the St. Elias Mountains, this area has a dry and cool climate. It lies in a sporadic discontinuous permafrost zone, where permafrost underlies less than one quarter of the landscape. Soils tend to be alkaline and wetlands (mainly fens) are typically dominated by marl formation. This ecoregion supports the highest mammalian diversity in the Yukon, with representatives of at least 50 of the 60 species known to occur at present.
Yukon Stikine Highlands Ecoregion 354 KB The Yukon Stikine Highlands Ecoregion is heavily influenced by Pacific maritime weather systems, producing relatively moderate temperatures and enough precipitation to support scattered alpine glaciers. Forest vegetation does not experience the temperature and moisture stresses common elsewhere in southwestern Yukon. Adapted to steep terrain and high snowfall, mountain goats reach their highest Yukon population densities here.
Boreal Mountains and Plateau Ecoregion 263 KB The Boreal Mountains and Plateaus Ecoregion, centred in northern British Columbia, extends into only two small areas in southern Yukon. In these, the landscape and biota differ little from the highlands of the neighbouring Yukon Southern Lakes Ecoregion. Wetlands and subalpine forest support a diverse bird population, particularly during spring and fall.
Source: Smith, C.A.S., Meikle, J.C. and Roots,C.F. (editors), 2004. Ecoregions of the Yukon Territory - Biophysical Properties of Yukon Landscapes. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PARC Technical Bulletin 04-01, Summerland, British Columbia, pages 187 to 240.
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