| Title | Quaternary mapping and till geochemical analysis: Glacial dispersal of a gold deposit in the Amaruq area, Nunavut |
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| Author | de Bronac de Vazelhes, V; Boulianne-Verschelden, N; Beaudoin, G; McMartin, I ; Côté-Mantha, O; Simard, M |
| Source | AME Roundup 2017 Vancouver; 2017. |
| Links | Online - En ligne
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| Image |  |
| Year | 2017 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20160289 |
| Publisher | Association of Mineral Exploration BC |
| Meeting | AME Roundup 2017; Vancouver, BC; CA; January 23-26, 2017 |
| Document | book |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Nunavut |
| Subjects | glacial deposits; sediment reworking; mineralization; glacial erosion; ice flow; till geochemistry; gold; arsenic; silver; cobalt; nickel; copper; Woodburn Lake group; Rae Province; Churchill Craton;
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) |
| Program | GEM2: Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals Rae Province, Chantrey-Thelon |
| Released | 2017 01 01 |
| Abstract | Understanding remobilization of a deposit by glacial processes is challenging, especially in polyphase glacial flow areas, highlighting the need to map and interpret glacial deposits in detail. The
Amaruq deposit (Nunavut), owned by Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., is located in the Rae Province of the Churchill craton, within the Woodburn Lake greenstone belt. The mineralization is interpreted as a stratiform and vein-type iron formation-hosted gold
deposit. During the last Wisconsin glaciation, it was eroded by the Laurentide Ice Sheet which covered the Archaean basement with till and remodeled the bedrock surface. Amaruq offers an excellent case study, because of the association of multiple
glacial landforms, variable till thickness, lack of significant vegetation cover, and mineralized structures perpendicular to the main regional ice flow direction.
Four sets of ice flow indicators are recognized. The oldest oriented towards the
NNW (345°) is responsible for most of the glacial moulding of the landscape. The second and third are oriented respectively at 325° and 308°. The final ice flow is oriented toward a nearby esker.
The interpretation of a detailed scale till
geochemical dataset (100 m spacing) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) shows an association between gold and arsenic, silver, cobalt, nickel and copper in the first component (45 % variance). Kriging of PCA scores in this component at each till
sampling point shows a NNW dispersal pattern in the gold mineralization signature. An area of thick till north of the Whale Tail zone suggests the deposit anomaly reaches the till surface approximately 1,5 km from the outcropping mineralization, now
beneath a lake. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
This poster presents the results of a detailed glacial sediment geochemical survey completed in 2015 on the Amaruq gold exploration project in central
mainland Nunavut. The interpretation of this survey as well as targeted till and mineralized bedrock sampling in 2016 will form part of an MSc thesis to develop till geochemistry and indicator mineral methods for gold in the region. The Geological
Survey of Canada is involved in co-supervising the student within the Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG-Agnico Eagle en exploration minérale at Laval University. The study area lies inside the GEM-2 Thelon-Chantrey Rae Project area and the
work will contribute to the surficial geology component of this activity to improve drift exploration methods in glaciated terrain underlain by permafrost and support informed decision making for resource exploration and development, and for land use
management. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 299521 |
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