NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Tags: physical sciences, geology, tectonic movement

Objective(s): To map the fault and the structures in the rocks that it cuts through to look for evidence of when it formed and how much movement has occurred between the two sides of the fault.

Project Description: The geologists will map the fault and the structures in the rocks that it cuts through to look for evidence of when it formed and how much movement has occurred between the two sides of the fault. This will provide the research team with a better understanding of the rocks in the region and how they formed. The geologists will walk in a series of traverses along ridges and outcrops where the trace of the fault can be identified. Fist sized samples will be collected for chemical and microscopic analysis. Measurement of fractures and cracks associated with the fault will be made at the outcrop. Where possible samples of stream sediments will also be collected to add to the existing database. The orientation of the samples will be recorded on maps and these maps will be entered into a three dimensional database to aid in the reconstruction of the events that caused the fault. Tiny apatite crystals will be collected from those that will help show how deep the rocks were buried and when they moved using fission track methods. The project involves small camps in isolated locations. The findings will be presented at community meetings during Northwest Territories (NWT) Geological Survey outreach events. The results of the research will be assembled and published initially as an NWT Geological Survey report. A verbal presentation will be completed and presented at the NWT Geoscience Forum. The results will then be presented to the communities by NWT geologists during outreach events at the request of the communities. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 28, 2015 to December 31, 2015.