NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Tags: physical sciences, geology, diamond exploration, kimberlite

Objective(s): To collect the geological information needed to correlate Cretaceous (<140 Ma) and younger geology of the Smoking Hills with that on Banks Island and elsewhere in the Canadian High Arctic and Mackenzie-Beaufort region.

Project Description: This research will provide the geological information needed to correlate Cretaceous (<140 Ma) and younger geology of the Smoking Hills with that on Banks Island and elsewhere in the Canadian High Arctic and Mackenzie-Beaufort region. This will provide a greater understanding of the age and evolution of the offshore Canada Basin (Arctic Ocean). Studies of kimberlite indicator minerals will provide understanding of the role bedrock-inheritance may play in complicating regional glacial sediment prospecting. Studies of acidified waters and rare mineral types will help understand the environmental dynamics of natural geological processes operating in the Smoking Hills. Studies of bedrock geology require the research team to visit naturally occurring exposures (small cliffs, river cut sections, and headwalls of slumps), to measure and record aspects of the stratigraphy (sediment types, thickness and dip (inclination) of different beds). Using hand shovels, trowels and rock hammers, small areas of surfaces are cleaned to provide access to unweathered bedrock where small (4 kg) samples of rock are then collected for laboratory analysis (in the case of a few age dating samples, up to 10 kg may be required). Sample analyses will vary depending on the types of rock and the questions being asked, but may include: palynology (environmental reconstruction), macro-fossils (e.g., foraminifera), geochemistry, and geochronology (dating of materials). Collecting these small hand-sized samples throughout the study area will help in the regional characterization of the bedrock units and in distinguishing one deposit from another. It is estimated that up to 100 samples may be collected throughout the field area. Kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) samples require collection of larger amounts of sandy sediments (1 five gallon pail; ~25 kg). Preference is given to collecting samples from natural vertical exposures as may occur along river banks and stream cuts, but also include samples collected at the surface by digging a small hole(<50 cm deep) with a shovel. Care is taken to avoid vegetated surfaces and any disturbance is minimized by smoothing surrounding material back in to fill the hole. Stream sediment samples of sand may also be collected in areas of natural boulder traps, or mid-channel bars, and are used to provide broader regional characterization of local deposits. Up to 30 sample pails may be collected throughout the field area, and these will be shipped south to various laboratories for processing and analysis. Small (<1 litre) samples of naturally acidic surface waters will be collected from the shores of regional water bodies, streams, and seeps. Preliminary testing of conditions like pH, temperature, conductivity and dissolved oxygen will be performed with analytical probes in the field, and filtered samples will be shipped south for more detailed chemical analyses. The Smoking Hills exhibit several rare forms of non-economic minerals related to natural geological processes, which include the oxidation reactions at surface producing the “smoke.” Collection of small (4 kg) samples from areas of active “smoking” and former, now inactive, deposits, will provide a better understanding of similar geological processes that were once active throughout many areas of the western Arctic Islands. Community engagement visits with Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee (HTC) and Community Corporation and Tuktoyaktuk HTC were initiated in April 2017. A follow up visit would occur in winter 2018 following the summer field season to provide a summary of activities, and plans for scientific analyses and reporting. Initial engagement visits with the Paulatuk HTC and Community Corporation, the Tuktoyaktuk HTC, and the Inuvialuit Land Administration took place in April, 2017. These were used to present notional ideas about the proposed research, and seek guidance and recommendations from various groups and representatives. The wildlife monitor who will accompany the research team for the duration of the field program will help to communicate the research back to the communities. Shortly after completing the field season, both communities will be provided with an outline of what research activities were completed, and details of the samples collected. A follow-up engagement visit with the communities will occur in February 2019, providing them with an account of activities-to-date and plans for the future. A copy of all future presentations and publications stemming from this research will be provided to the two communities. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from July 15, 2018 to July 28, 2018.