NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: physical sciences, geology, metals, mineralogy

Objective(s): To gain a better understanding of the source of metals, processes responsible for mineralization and to determine necessary steps to develop genetic and exploration models for this type of mineralization.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5077. Ironstones are marine biochemical sedimentary rocks with >15 wt.% Fe that commonly occur together with phosphorites. Phosphorites are chemical sedimentary rocks that form in response to coastal upwelling. An exceptionally large accumulation of phosphatic ironstones is located in the Rapid Creek Formation within the northern Richardson Mountains of Northwest Territories and Yukon. Despite the high abundances of metals, an estimated of many billions of tonnes, the genetic controls on ironstone mineralization have not been investigated. Thus, the proposed research will focus on the metallogeny of phosphatic ironstones to gain a better understanding of the source of metals, processes responsible for mineralization and to determine necessary steps to develop genetic and exploration models for this type of mineralization. Moreover, the age and style of this mineralization is relatively rare, has not been studied in detail and has the ability to advance our understanding of similar locations from a global perspective. This makes the work on the Rapid Creek formations the initial processes towards developing thematic models that better constrain the genesis of this style of mineralization that can be applied to other ironstone mineralization elsewhere in Canada (e.g., iron-rich Cretaceous sandstone in northern Alberta) and other parts of the world. Legacy samples from collections are currently housed at Geological Survey of Canada facilities in Calgary and Ottawa. Preliminary research will include curation, description and photography. A representative suite will be prepared for further work that includes petrography (thin sections), cathodoluminescence, scanning electron microscopy, laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and lithogeochemistry. The research team aim to disseminate this research through one or more of the following publishing formats: Geological Survey of Canada Open File, Northwest Territories Geological Survey Open File, journal publication. In concert with the TGI (Targeted Geoscience Initiative) Coordination Office other information will be shared with communities when it becomes available or when questions arise from the communities The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from February 4, 2022 to March 31, 2022.