The final year of the Nechako NATMAP project to study the geology of central British Columbia was used to research information collected in the field & laboratory, and to compile & document the study results. This article includes a review of upcoming publications & other products, by type of product: maps, journal articles, conference presentations, and computer products, as well as ongoing research on petrology, palaeontology, terrane characterization, tectonics & structure, and Quaternary geology.

Initial assessment and visual communication of the salient features of large sets of geochronological age data are commonly achieved with binned frequency histograms or probability density distributions. This paper describes the mathematical basis of traditional binned frequency histograms and probability density distributions, then compares & contrasts the advantages & limitations of both methods for displaying absolute age data. Important points related to the use of these diagrams as the principal means of communication of such data are noted.

This paper presents a determination of the evolution characteristics of a set of shale pore-structure components (storage porosity, connecting porosity, flow path size, and flow path density) with compaction. The pore-structure component data are derived from bulk petrophysical data (permeability, porosity, and formation factor as a function of increased pressure) reported for seven shale & mudstone samples. Basic pore-structure models and theory are also presented.

This research focuses on the possibility of a coastal migration and/or colonization route via the Queen Charlotte Islands during the period 15,000-8,500 years before present. It assesses two aspects of the changing environment in the Islands during this period: sea level change and available edible biomass for early human populations. Potential food sources of an early coastal migrating population would likely include intertidal edible molluscs. The research examines high-stand deposit locations ranging from 1 to 18 metres above sea level for evidence of edible mollusc shells. Dating of the samples collected will provide a record of high-stand elevations across the Islands, thereby providing a data set with which to model isostatic sea level response on the British Columbia continental margin.