Paleomagnetism of East Arm of Great Slave Lake

Regions: North Slave Region, South Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, geology, stratigraphy

Principal Investigator: Mitchell, Ross E. (2)
Licence Number: 14688
Organization: Yale University
Licensed Year(s): 2010
Issued: Mar 17, 2010
Project Team: Ross Mitchell (Field geologist, Yale University), Paul Hoffman (Field geologist, Harvard Univeristy (ex Geological Survey of Canada scientist)), Wouter Bleeker (Field geologist, Geological Survey of C... Show moreanada), David Evans (Field geologist, Yale University), Nick Swanson-Hysell (Field geologist, Princeton University) Show less

Objective(s): To sample strata that have yielded evidence for geographic shifts.

Project Description: The goals of this research project are to: 1) Re-sample previously sampled strata that have yielded evidence for geographic shifts. 2) Sample previously unsampled strata in between previously sampled units in order to capture more continuous record of Slave province's geographic whereabouts. 3) Sample several parallel (or repeat) stratigraphic sections in order to demonstrate that we can reproduce our results (for example, researcher will sample same repeated section at both Ethen and Blanchet Islands in order to demonstrate reproducibility). For paleomagnetic sampling small finger-sized cores will be collected from exposed strata. The researcher needs cores instead of random blocks since the researcher needs to know the current orientation of the rock in order to back-calculate the "fossilized" magnetization direction. Cores are drilled with a hand-held modified chain saw. Small paleomagnetic cores are general... Show morely much smaller than typical geological samples so the impact to the environment is particularly small. Back in the laboratory at Yale University, the researcher measures the magnetism of the cores. Isolating the ancient fossilized magnetization often involves heating the cores to elevated temperatures such that only the most stable magnetic minerals stick around. Local high school students from Yellowknife, NWT could be involved as field assistants for portions of the geological fieldwork, as an educational outreach. The researcher plans to present the results from this work at the annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum which is a three-day session aimed at sharing scientific progress made in mineralogical exploration and geoscience, an interdisciplinary interface between industry and academic pursuits. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 15, 2010 to July 30, 2010. Show less