Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 25/98) - Trip back 45 million years ago to Axel Heiberg Island and you would be in the trees.

Today, all that's left of this High Arctic forest are fossilized stumps.

To learn more about this unique feature of the North, take in a presentation by University of Saskatchewan professor James Basinger.

His talk, part of the 26th Geoscience Forum, is free and open to the public. It gets under way tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Explorer Hotel.

Basinger first learned about Axel Heiberg Island's fossilized forests after they were discovered by a Geological Survey of Canada mapping crew in 1985.

The island, which straddles the 80th parallel, was discovered in 1899 by Otto Sverdrup who named it for the Norwegian consul.

Ask Pierre LePage what he knows about Axel Heiberg Island and he's apt to tell you his new Iridium satellite phone works there.

LePage, a communications specialist with Danmax in Yellowknife, has sold about 30 Iridium phone systems. He will have one in hand at the Geoscience Forum. Conference-goers will get a chance to try out the phone for free. Bring an international phone number, and make a call, LePage said.

The Iridium system includes 66 low earth orbiting satellites and gives subscribers global telephone and pager capabilities.

"This phone works anywhere in the world. The beauty of it is it's hand held," he said.

MSAT, the phone system carried in a small suitcase, works off of one satellite and there are voice delays and the MSAT does not work everywhere on earth.

The NWT is a perfect place for the Iridium phone system, LePage said. And resource companies have been the biggest buyers of the technology to date. But, he adds, even a few individuals have bought them.

The units which come with a slew of features, go for about $5,000. Per minute costs in North America are $2.50.

LePage and Basinger are just two of dozens of people who will be taking in the Geoscience Forum under way today and concluding Friday.

Mining and related companies, prospectors and academics are among the attendees.

The forum includes:

• Technical talks based on 1998 government and university exploration, field projects and research.

• An economic development session.

• The prospectors room where discoveries are highlighted.

• Core rooms where companies will show off intersections of rock.

• A regulatory room where the latest rule developments will be discussed, including a Land claims update.

• There will be 58 displays. Commercial, government and non-profit groups will be on hand to field questions.

• The posters room will show recent mapping works.

• Environmental management and the NWT mineral industry will cover the techniques used to monitor the effects of mineral development on the environment and environmental management practises.

The Geoscience Forum was started by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Today, the NWT Chamber of Mines and the GNWT Minerals, Oil and Gas Division of Resources Wildlife and Economic Development are part of the hosting team.

Formal talks on the oil and gas sector are among the new events this year.