New Section

The SLC section with limited access currently, was discovered by Daniel Caron and Luc
Le Blanc in November of 2017, and is dated to approximately 15,000 years. Exploration of the
SLC’s full extent is ongoing, and has been restricted by high water levels in the cavern, among
other things. The walls of the SLC are comprised of limestone primarily, and there is abundant
clay and other substrate with relatively small-clast size throughout the newly discovered section.
Stalactites, sedimentary stratum, and large calcite deposits are present in the undisturbed
private section of the SLC, and the ESG 362 believes that this site has potential for geologic
and biologic studies, and as a source of proxy data for past climates.

3D Visualization Done by ESG362 Students

The ESG 326 Advanced GIS group is working with the intention to gain a practical and advanced understanding of the concepts and techniques involved in GIS projects such as the ongoing SLC Project. The attainment of project management skills such as organization, collaboration, and task delegation/division has been a central pursuit in the SLC Project. Additional development of oral presentation skills and communication of scientific results has also been an intended result of this project and the group’s presentation of the findings. The main practical goals of the SLC Project have been; (1) mapping recently discovered caverns in the SLC using LIDAR imaging, (2) reconstructing LIDAR images using GIS software and techniques, and (3) providing public access to a three-dimensional reconstruction of the private section of the SLC to the public. Our group has additional interest in the extent of the SLC in relation to the extent of the roads and buildings of the Saint- Léonard borough in Montréal, as well as the site’s geological history, stability, and dynamic systems and organisms
in the SLC. A minimum of two trips may be made to the SLC to obtain sufficient LIDAR images, and to perform spectral and other analyses that have been organized.