The Digital Collections

Maps

Library and Archives Canada

Manuscript maps are hand-drawn and unpublished. In the case of the Geological Survey of Canada, such maps were prepared by a geologist following the completion of his fieldwork. Several manuscript compilations were usually prepared by a geologist prior to the preparation of a final drawing. In some cases, the final drawing was published along with a summary report of the geologist's fieldwork.

Manuscript maps can be carefully drawn and lettered scaled drawings, or they may be roughly sketched with little attention paid to accurate measurement. Often they were done in pencil or ink on tracing paper or drafting linen. At times, these 'one-of-a-kind' maps may have used a published map as a base, with manuscript notations updating, correcting, or supplementing various pieces of information in the published base map.

When used in conjunction with the notebooks, Logan's manuscript maps provide a rich visual summary of his field observations.

There are other geological maps in the collections of Library and Archives Canada. These may be accessed through ArchiviaNet, Maps, Plans and Charts.

Earth Sciences Sector

In keeping with its mandate to provide Canadians with comprehensive products to help them understand their country's landmass and manage their rich natural resources, the Earth Sciences Sector at Natural Resources Canada has scanned nearly 10,000 paper-based maps published by the Geological Survey of Canada. These maps are linked to extensive metadata records that can be accessed using a variety of search criteria: map title, geologist name, date of publication, map number, etc. The maps can be downloaded or viewed online.