Massive Ice Study in Granular Deposits
Principal Investigator: Pollard, Wayne H (12)
Licence Number: 13409
Organization: McGill University
Licensed Year(s): 2006 2005 2004 2003
Issued: Mar 27, 2003
Project Team: Gregory De

Objective(s): This study is an investigation of massive ice in granular deposits in the Mackenzie Delta area and northeastern North Slave region. The presence of massive ice in aggregate deposits results in a series of resource management problems, particularly for the oil industry and its contractors who rely on local granular deposits (sand, gravel, crushed stone) as building material. From an environmental perspective, there is the problem of thermokarst and terrain instability that results when these deposits are disturbed, and from the development perspective, there are problems of extraction and over estimation of reserves. Preliminary fieldwork will be conducted in March and will combine a variety of remote sensing and geophysical tools to map ground ice sites in granular deposits close to Inuvik. Collection of ice and sediment samples from two or more sites will also occur in order to have an understanding of the stratigraphic relationships between the aggregates and massive ground ice presence. Other sites, including those in the North Slave region, are expected to be visited during the summer by helicopter. The work is being undertaken jointly by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and McGill University.