Geology of British Columbia

The mountainous physiography and the diversity of the different types and ages of rock hint at the complex geology, which is still undergoing revision despite a century of exploration and mapping.

The province's most prominent geological features are its mountain ranges, including the North American Cordillera which stretches from Southern Mexico to Alaska.

Terrane theory was first proposed by Jim Monger of the Geological Survey of Canada and Charlie Rouse in 1971 as an explanation for a set of fusulinid fossils that were found in central British Columbia.

Rather than suggest that facies changes or seaways were behind this (which were common explanations at the time), the two geologists proposed that the fossils in question had been part of an assemblage of rocks that had migrated across the Pacific Ocean to their present location.

In the southeast, there is a series of small terranes of both oceanic (Bridge River Vent and Chilliwack Batholith) and continental affinity (Jack Konat Mountain, Ladner).