"This report describes the surficial geology of 64,000 km2 of Canada's most northern mainland and complements of a similar report on Somerset Island which lies immediately north of Boothia Peninsula being separated from it by the very narrow waters of Bellot Strait. The report discusses the potential use of geological information to future land use projects and to mineral exploration and presents new interpretations regarding the structure and dynamics of the northern part of the last ice sheet to cover Canada." --

This report presents the first comprehensive summaries of Quaternary geology and landscape evolution for the Melville Peninsula, glaciated by the Wisconsin Laurentide Ice. After an introduction on the bedrock geology and physiography of the study area, sections of the report describe the area's surficial materials and landforms, including till, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits and landforms, marine deposits and landforms; dispersal trains and ice dynamics; glaciation and ice flow in the study area; deglaciation of the various parts of the peninsula; glacial and postglacial sea-level changes, and their interpretation; the regional context of glaciation and sea-level change; the economic and environmental geology of Quaternary materials such as permafrost and patterned ground forms; postglacial faulting and neotectonics; and till geochemistry, with reference to drift prospecting models.

Fourteen chapters discuss regional stratigraphy by time intervals from Precambrian to Quaternary, while other chapters describe the geography, geomorphology, tectonics, geophysical characteristics, and resources of the region. A summary chapter includes geologic maps, structural cross-sections, a geotectonic correlation chart, a gravity map, and a location map for exploration wells in the Arctic Islands and northern Greenland. A wealth of additional information is contained on the nine accompanying plates.

The seven volumes in this series contain reproductions of papers that the individual editors regarded as the initiators of critical concepts in geomorphology.