Landforms of British Columbia 1976 - Department of Geography

FOREWORD
British Columbia has more variety in its climate and scenery than any other
Province of Canada. The mildness and wetness of the southern coast is in sharp
contrast with the extreme dryness of the desert areas in the interior and the harshness
of subarctic conditions in the northernmost parts. Moreover, in every part, climate
and vegetation vary with altitude and to a lesser extent with configuration of the
land. Although the Province includes almost a thousand-mile length of one of the
world’s greatest mountain chains, that which borders the north Pacitic Ocean, it is
not all mountainous but contains a variety of lowlands and intermontane areas.
Because of the abundance of mountains, and because of its short history of
settlement, a good deal of British Columbia is almost uninhabited and almost
unknown. However, the concept of accessibility has changed profoundly in the
past 20 years, owing largely to the use of aircraft and particularly the helicopter.
There is now complete coverage by air photography, and by far the largest part of
the Province has been mapped topographically and geologically. In the same period
of time the highways have been very greatly improved, and the secondary roads are
much more numerous. The average citizen is much more aware of his Province, but,
although knowledge has greatly improved with access, many misconceptions remain
on the part of the general public as to the precise meaning even of such names as
Cascade Mountains, Fraser Plateau, and many others.
This bulletin is an authoritative account of the major land subdivisions of
British Columbia. It defines the boundaries of the vario’us mountain, plateau, or
plain areas, many of them for the first time. Agreement has been reached with the
Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names, with Provincial Government
officials, and with geologists and the various sorts of map-makers whose
knowledge of the Province is most thorough. In particular, close attention has been
paid to H. S. Bostock’s “ Physiography of the Canadian Cordillera, with Special
Reference to the Area North of the Fifty-fifth Parallel,” which has heretofore been
the chief authority, and any departures from that work have been fully discussed
with Dr. Bostock.
The form of presentation, and much of the subject-matter, is a reflection of
the mind and the interests of the writer, who is a field geologist with a broad knowledge
of the Province. Thus the reader is aware throughout of the principal processes
that have formed the land as we now see it, and of the reasons for much of the
character of the scenery and landforms. Concluding are five short essays that are
written to clarify the text, and a complete glossary of terms. This bulletin is more
than an enunciation of physical boundaries and is, it is hoped, a source book for
the better knowledge and understanding of the face of British Columbia.
The average reader will surely find much to interest him, though he may care
little about the precise boundaries of the Spat&i Plateau, the Tagish Highland, or of
other places he may never visit. Literally thousands of air photographs have been
examined in the preparation of this bulletin, and many of the finest photographs
available have been chosen to illustrate each subdivision mentioned in the table of
contents. It is suggested that the reader study the photographs and their captions
and refer to the text (Chapter II) for further description. The five essays of Chapter
III are written to be read alone, but constant reference to the illustrations and
descriptive text makes them more interesting. This is not the sort of bulletin to be
read and digested at one sitting.