| Title | Interpretation of buried basement in the southwestern Athabasca Basin, Canada, from integrated geophysical and geological datasets |
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| Author | Tschirhart, V ;
Pehrsson, S; Card, C; Potter, E G; Powell, J; Pana, D |
| Source | Thematic collection: Uranium fluid pathways; by Potter, E (ed.); Tschirhart, V (ed.); Powell, J (ed.); Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis vol. 21, issue 1, geochem2019-061, 2020 p. 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1144/geochem2019-061 |
| Links | Thematic collection: Uranium fluid pathways
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| Image |  |
| Year | 2020 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20190601 |
| Publisher | Geological Society of London |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf; html |
| Province | Saskatchewan; Alberta |
| NTS | 74E; 74F; 74G; 74J; 74K; 74L; 74M; 74N; 74O |
| Lat/Long WENS | -112.0000 -106.0000 60.0000 57.0000 |
| Subjects | economic geology; geophysics; structural geology; Science and Technology; Nature and Environment; host rocks; basement geology; mineral exploration; exploration guidelines; mineral deposits; uranium;
ore mineral genesis; structural controls; geophysical interpretations; gravity interpretations; magnetic interpretations; geophysical logging; magnetic susceptibility; crustal structure; tectonic history; fluid flow; intrusions; bedrock geology;
lithology; igneous rocks; felsic intrusive rocks; structural features; faults; alteration; Athabasca Basin; Tantato Domain; Taltson Domain; Clearwater Domain; Canadian Shield; Rae Province; Data processing; Precambrian; Proterozoic |
| Illustrations | location maps; geoscientific sketch maps; tables; geophysical logs; plots; profiles |
| Program | Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI-5) Uranium ore systems |
| Released | 2020 04 09 |
| Abstract | Recent discoveries of basement-hosted uranium deposits in the Patterson Lake corridor in the southwestern Athabasca Basin of Canada have brought vigorous exploration interest to the region. New
lithostratigraphic constraints, geochronology and airborne geophysical surveys have dramatically improved the understanding of the host basement geology, warranting a re-examination of the remote predictive mapping and geophysical responses of the
buried basement rocks. This study took a two-step approach to examine the regional basement geology and architecture. First, a mosaic of the long-wavelength response of potential field (gravity and magnetic) datasets was examined to divide the
basement into regional domains based on bulk physical property variations. The interpretive geological model was then refined using textural and lineament analysis of new airborne gravity and magnetic datasets, geological drill hole logs and magnetic
susceptibility measurements. The new basement map identifies and updates major features including a crustal-scale structure that separates the southern Tantato Domain from the newly defined eastern Taltson Domain. This structure may have played a
role in localizing fluid flow in the Patterson Lake corridor, defining the spatial extents of structurally controlled buried felsic intrusions, and redefines the boundaries of the Taltson, Clearwater and Tantato Domains. In addition, the potential
field enhancements delineated significant regional faults that controlled the geometry of Paleoproterozoic cover sequences and have implications for understanding the crustal architecture of the southern Rae Province. These new interpretations shed
light on the tectonic history of the region to support on-going exploration activities and delineate regionally prospective areas in this understudied area of the Canadian Shield. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
This contribution to the Target Geoscience Initiative program uses a combination of newly acquired airborne geophysical datasets, rock property data and
drill hole geological observations to interpret basement rocks buried by sedimentary cover. The interpretations presented in this study have implications for uranium exploration in the region and for understanding the tectonic setting of this
understudied region of the Canadian Shield. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 321917 |
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