| Title | Chemical studies of kimberlite indicator minerals from stream sediment and till samples in the southern Mackenzie region (NTS 85B, C, F, G), Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Download | Downloads |
| |
| Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
| Author | Smith, I R ; Day,
S J A; Paulen, R C; Pearson, D G |
| Source | Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8799, 2021, 29 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/329080  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2021 |
| Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
| Document | open file |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | digital; on-line |
| Related | NRCan photo(s) in this
publication |
| File format | readme
|
| File format | pdf; rtf; docx (Microsoft® Word®); xlsx (Microsoft® Excel®) |
| Province | Northwest Territories |
| NTS | 85B; 85C; 85F; 85G |
| Area | Great Slave Lake; Hay River; Fort Providence; Kakisa; Cameron Hills |
| Lat/Long WENS | -118.0000 -114.0000 62.0000 60.0000 |
| Subjects | economic geology; surficial geology/geomorphology; mineralogy; geochemistry; Science and Technology; Nature and Environment; mineral potential; mineral exploration; mineral deposits; diamond; bedrock
geology; lithology; igneous rocks; intrusive rocks; kimberlites; mineral associations; garnet; pyrope; ilmenite; spinel; chromite; olivine; clinopyroxene; till samples; stream sediment samples; stream sediment geochemistry; till geochemistry; trace
element geochemistry; major element geochemistry; rare earths geochemistry; glacial history; Wisconsinian glacial stage; glaciation; ice flow; glacial erosion; sediment transport; sediment dispersal; geothermometry; glacial deposits; tills; glacial
landforms; glacial lakes; paleodrainage; mantle; Pine Point Mine; Drybones Bay Kimberlite; Mud Lake Kimberlite; Laurentide Ice Sheet; Glacial Lake McConnell; Canadian Shield; Slave Craton; ice-flow directions; Quality control; alluvial sediments;
Methodology; Phanerozoic; Cenozoic; Quaternary; Mesozoic; Cretaceous; Paleozoic; Devonian; Silurian; Precambrian |
| Illustrations | location maps; geoscientific sketch maps; flow diagrams; plots; photomicrographs; bar graphs |
| Program | GEM2: Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals Mackenzie Corridor, Southern Mackenzie Surficial Mapping |
| Released | 2021 11 02 |
| Abstract | Till (n=196) and stream sediment (n=60) samples were collected in the area south and west of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories (NTS 85B, C, F, and G), over the course of 3 summer field seasons.
Samples were processed to recover kimberlite and other indicator minerals. This report summarizes results of the kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) studies, including measures of KIM mineral types, abundances, and chemistry (major, trace, and rare
earth elements). KIMs were present in 24% of the samples collected, and only 183 KIM grains in total were recovered, of which Cr-pyrope garnets were the most abundant (65.6%). Chemical analyses revealed strong similarities to the Drybones Bay and Mud
Lake kimberlites which are situated 50 to >100 km to the northeast, roughly aligned with prominent glacially streamlined landform flowsets in this field area. Results suggest there is little evidence for undetected kimberlite outcrop or sub-crop in
the study area. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
This Open File presents the results of 3 summers of kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) stream sediment and till sample collections (n=256) from the
southern Mackenzie region. A total of 182 KIM grains were recovered from the samples, and these were then subjected to a range of chemical analyses, including electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and trace and rare earth element (REE) concentrations
by laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Results were compiled and plotted, and then compared to regional KIM and kimberlite published studies. Analyses indicate that KIMs are scarce or absent through most of the core
study area (NTS 85B, C, F, G). Highest abundances occur in northwestern NTS 85G, and along a discontinuous southwestward vector across NTS 85F. Similarities in KIM chemistries point to possible glacial dispersal of kimberlitic material from the
Drybones Bay/Mud Lake kimberlites, situated on the eastern shore of Great Slave Lake, ~50-100 km east of our study area. Low KIM abundances and mineral chemistry of recovered KIM grains suggest that the core study area (NTS 85B, C, F, G) is unlikely
to contain local (unknown) kimberlite outcrops. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 329080 |
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