BC Digital Surficial Geology

Last updated on June 1, 2026

The British Columbia Geological Survey is developing a digital compilation of surficial geology. The first phase of this work is for the Interior Plateau, a region in central British Columbia where thick packages of glacial sediments can add complexity to mineral exploration, land-use planning, forestry, and infrastructure projects.

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Download Digital Surficial Geology – Shapefile

Download Digital Surficial Geology – GeoPackage

Download Digital Surficial Geology – Geodatabase

The British Columbia Geological Survey offers digital coverage of surficial geology for British Columbia’s Interior Plateau, including details (point symbols, line symbols, and geologic polygons) from field mapping at scales from 1:50,000 up to 1:1,000,000. BC Digital Surficial Geology integrates new mapping as it becomes available. The current version of BC digital surficial geology is v.2026-05-29.

BC Digital Surficial Geology is standardized with consistent unit labels and symbol codes. Symbol codes (found in the gsc_symbol column) correspond to the latest version of the Geological Survey of Canada’s Surficial Data Model (Deblonde et al., 2024; https://doi.org/10.4095/332530).

Compiled data reflect original sources, which are referenced. Spatial accuracy of contacts and errors in original unit/feature labels (found in the src_featur column) were not corrected. BC Digital Surficial Geology is available for download under the British Columbia Open Government License.

Recommended citation:

British Columbia Geological Survey, 2026. British Columbia Digital Surficial Geology. British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals, British Columbia Geological Survey. Data version 2026-05-29.

For more information contact: Easton Elia, Quaternary Geologist

More information on surficial geology maps:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/mineral-exploration-mining/british-columbia-geological-survey/geology/surficialmapping

More information on Digital Surficial Geology methods:

Elia, E.A., and Ferbey, T., 2026. Interior Plateau surficial geology compilation: Selection and standardization of maps and data. In: Geological Fieldwork 2025, British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals, British Columbia Geological Survey Paper 2026-01, pp. 227-237.

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.