Coal
Geology of the Canadian Badlands
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock.
It is composed primarily of carbon along with variable quantities
of other elements, mainly hydrogen, with smaller quantities of
sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen. Coal begins as layers of plant matter
accumulating at the bottom of a body of water. For the process to
continue the plant matter must be protected, usually by mud or
acidic water. All these pockets of trapped atmospheric carbon in
the ground eventually were covered over and deeply buried by
sediments under which they metamorphosed into coal. Over time, the
chemical and physical properties of the plant remains were changed
by geological action to create a solid material. In 1911 and the
years shortly after, there were a total of 139 coal mines in the
Drumheller valley.
The Legacy Trail
The Legacy Trail is a collection of geocaches that circles its
way over 100 miles on country roads traversing some of the most
scenic and spectacular landscape in this part of the Canadian
Badlands. A large number of caches in a variety of types, sizes and
difficulty are placed on the Trail. Every town, village and hamlet
in the Canadian Badlands has its own cache. Some caches were named
after local historic events and people, as well as celebrities who
grew up in this area. Some caches were sponsored by geocachers who
attended the Best of the Bad Mega Event. The Legacy Trail was
produced by the Canadian Badlands Geocaching Association for the
Best of the Bad Mega Event.
The Canadian Badlands
The Canadian Badlands in Alberta are like no other place on
earth, home to the world's most extensive dinosaur bonebeds,
badlands and hoodoos, and a world-class museum that shelters a 75
million-year-old legacy. The region is rich in culturally and
historically significant sites that tell the story of the First
Nations people and early settlers, and of a complex and diverse
modern society that is still deeply rooted in the spirit of the
frontier.