Geological History, Mineral Occurrences and Mineral Potential of the Sedimentary Rocks of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

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Dewing, K., Turner, E., and Harrison, J.C., 2007, Geological history, mineral occurrences and mineral potential of the sedimentary rocks of the CanadianArctic Archipelago, in Goodfellow, W.D., ed., Mineral Deposits of Canada: A Synthesis of Major Deposit-Types, District Metallogeny, the Evolution of Geological Provinces, and Exploration Methods: Geological Association of Canada, Mineral Deposits Division, Special Publication No. 5, p. 733-753.

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY, MINERAL OCCURRENCES AND MINERAL POTENTIAL OF THE

SEDIMENTARY R OCKS OF THE CANADIAN ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO

K EITH DEWING1, ELIZABETH TURNER 2, AND J.C. HARRISON1

1. Geological Survey of Canada, 3303-33rd Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7 2. Department of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6

Corresponding author’s email: [email protected]

Abstract

The Canadian Arctic Islands contain many areas that have a high mineral potential. Five geological assemblagesare recognized: crystalline Archean to Paleoproterozoic basement; Mesoproterozoic sedimentary basins and volcanicrocks; Lower Paleozoic passive to convergent margin sedimentary rocks, Upper Paleozoic to Mesozoic rift basin sedi-ments and volcanic rocks; and Tertiary passive margin sediments. To date, only two mines have been put into produc-tion in the islands: Paleozoic Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb Polaris Mine on Little CornwallisIsland and Proterozoic MVT carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb Nanisivik Mine on northern Baffin Island. There is high mineralexploration potential around these past producers, as well as around known showings of Proterozoic-hosted redbed cop-

per on Victoria Island and Paleozoic-hosted polymetallic (Zn-Pb-Ag-Au) veins on northern Ellesmere Island. There isalso potential for as-yet-unfound i) Zn-Pb SEDEX deposits in the Proterozoic on northern Baffin Island and in thePaleozoic on Melville, Bathurst, and Ellesmere islands; ii) sediment-hosted uranium in the Proterozoic of northernBaffin Island, in the Paleozoic of Melville Island, and in Mesozoic and Tertiary of Banks and Prince Patrick islands;and iii) Noril’sk-style Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in the Proterozoicon Victoria Island and in the Mesozoic on Axel HeibergIsland.

The Canadian Arctic is logistically challenging, making it expensive to explore and develop mines. Mineral explor-

ation is also hampered by a lack of local prospectors, large areas that are mapped in insufficient detail, and the lack of digitally available topography, bedrock and surficial mapping, airborne geophysics, and hyperspectral surveys.

Résumé

Dans les îles de l’Arctique canadien, un grand nombre de régions présentent un fort potentiel minéral. On recon-naît cinq assemblages géologiques : un socle cristallin de l’Archéen-Paléoprotérozoïque, des bassins sédimentaires etdes roches volcaniques du Mésoprotérozoïque, des roches sédimentaires de cadre de marge passive à marge de con-vergence du Paléozoïque inférieur, des roches sédimentaires et des roches volcaniques de bassin de rift du Paléozoïquesupérieur-Mésozoïque et des roches sédimentaires de marge passive du Tertiaire. Jusqu’à maintenant, seulement deuxmines ont été mises an exploitation dans l’archipel : la mine Polaris, un gisement de Zn-Pb de type Mississippi-Valleydans des roches carbonatées du Paléozoïque, dans la Petite île Cornwallis et la mine Nanisivik, un autre gisement deZn-Pb de type Mississippi-Valley dans des roches carbonatées du Protérozoïque, dans le nord de l’île de Baffin. Ilexiste un potentiel élevé pour l’exploration minière aux environs de ces anciennes exploitations ainsi qu’aux environsd’indices connus de cuivre dans des roches sédimentaires de type redbeds du Protérozoïque dans l’île Victoria et defilons à minéralisation polymétallique (Zn-Pb-Ag-Au) dans des roches du Paléozoïque dans le nord de l’île

d’Ellesmere. Il existe des possibilités de gîtes non encore découverts des trois types ci-après : i) des gîtes sedex de Pb-Zn dans les roches protérozoïques du nord de l’île de Baffin et dans les roches paléozoïques des îles Melville, Bathurstet Ellesmere, ii) des gîtes d’uranium dans des roches sédimentaires du Protérozoïque du nord de l’île de Baffin, dansles roches paléozoïques de l’île Melville, et dans les roches du Mésozoïque et du Tertiaire des îles Banks et PrincePatrick et iii) des gîtes de Ni-Cu-ÉGP du genre Noril’sk dans les roches protérozoïques de l’île Victoria et dans lesroches mésozoïques de l’île Axel-Heiberg.

L’Arctique canadien présente un défi logistique qui rend coûteuses l’exploration à la recherche de gisements et leur mise en exploitation. L’absence de prospecteurs locaux nuit en outre à l’exploration minière dans de grandes régionsqui ne sont pas cartographiées de manière suffisamment détaillée, exploration que ne facilite pas non plus la nondisponibilité sous forme numérique de cartes topographiques, des cartes géologiques du substratum rocheux ou desmatériaux superficiels ainsi que l’inexistence de levés géophysiques et hyperspectraux aériens.

Introduction

The Arctic Archipelago includes a land area of 780,000 km2

covering much of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut(Fig. 1). It contains three of the ten largest islands in theworld (Baffin, Victoria, and Ellesmere) plus twenty-two oth-ers of appreciable size. Exploration for minerals in this vastarea has been hampered by difficult logistics, short summer,high costs, and lack of local prospectors and infrastructure.To date, only two mines have been put into production in theislands: the Paleozoic carbonate-hosted Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Zn-Pb Polaris Mine on Little Cornwallis Islandand Proterozoic carbonate-hosted MVT Zn-Pb Nanisivik

Mine on northern Baffin Island (Fig. 1). The Polaris Districtis covered in detail in another contribution in this volume

(Dewing et al., 2006), and a description of the Nanisivik deposit is given herein.There is high mineral exploration potential around both

these past producers, as well as around known showings of Proterozoic-hosted redbed copper and banded iron formationiron ore, and Paleozoic-hosted polymetallic (Zn-Pb-Ag-Au)veins. There is also potential for undiscovered, Zn-PbSedimentary Exhalative (SEDEX), sediment-hosted ura-nium, and Noril’sk-style Ni-Cu-PGE deposits.



This contribution is arranged chronologically, startingwith the oldest sedimentary strata exposed in the ArcticIslands and proceeding to the youngest. The geological set-ting for each basin is summarized, and known and likelymineral deposit-types are identified. The geological

provinces are shown on Figure 2 and a time-stratigraphic

correlation diagram (Fig. 3) ties the mineralizing events tothe tectono-stratigraphic assemblages.

Crystalline Basement

The metamorphic grade of Paleoproterozoic and Archeanrocks ranges from upper amphibolite to granulite facies

K. Dewing, E. Turner, and J.C. Harrison

734

Victoria

Island

Prince of Wales

Banks

Island

Devon Island

L a n c a s t e

r S o u n d

Baffin

Island

By lot

Somerset

Island

Ax el

H ei ber g

M elville

C ornw all

C orn-w allis

Bat hu rst

Amu nd

R i g nes

E llef

R i g nes

M ei ghen

Brock

Borden

Stefansson

E g l i n

t o n

P r i n c

e P a t r i c

kL o u g

h e e d

M elville

Peninsu la

Boot hia

Peninsu la

K ing WilliamIsland

By lot

Island

E llesmere Island

M ackenz ie

K ing

N W T

N U N A V U T

NanisivikMine

PolarisMine

M akinson

Inlet

C obu r g Island

Brodeu r

Peninsu la

H ecla & Fu r y Strait

Borden

Peninsu laA d

m i r

a l t y

I n

l e t

Bac he Pen.

Grinnell

Pen.

C. Isabella

700o

70o

100

110120130

8060

o

ooo

o

755o

75o

755o

75o

o

700o

70o

80o

400 km00 km

Resolute Bay

Grise Fiord

Taloyoak

Gjoa Haven

Iqaluktuutiak(Cambridge Bay)

Holman

SachsHarbour

Arviliqjuaq

Igloolik

HallBeach

Community:

Well (oil / gas / both):

Past producing mine:

Resolute Bay

Ba r r o wS t ra i t

Winter Hbr No. 1

FIGURE 1. The Canadian Arctic Islands showing the location of past-producing Zn-Pb mines, oil and gas wells, communities, and the locations referred to inthe text.



Geological History, Mineral Occurrences, and Mineral Potential of the Sedimentary Rocks, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

73

SVERDRUP BASIN

ARCHEAN-PALEOPROTEROZOIC

RIFT-RELATED BASINS

FRANKLINIAN MOBILE BELT ARCTIC PLATFORM

Thrust-fold belts inforeland and platform strata

Undeformed craton cover

CRETACEOUS, TERTIARY Igneous rocks

JURASSIC - EOCENE

PEARYA TERRANE MID-PROTEROZOIC - SILURIAN

CARBONIFEROUS - EOCENE

CAMBRIAN - DEVONIAN NEOPROTEROZOIC - DEVONIAN

ARCTIC CONTINENTAL TERRACE WEDGE MOSTLY NEOGENE sands and gravels at surface

Folded belts in volcanic,deep water strata

Folded belts indeep water strata

Crystalline “ basement ” (3.3-1.7 Ga)

Onshore, offshore,outlier


MID-PROTEROZOIC

CANADA-GREENLAND SHIELD

Basins and craton cover (~1.6-0.9 Ga)

Onshore, offshore, outlier

Onshore, offshore, small exposure

Onshore, offshore

Onshore, offshore

Onshore, offshoreOnshore,offshore

Onshore,offshore


N W T

N U N

A V U T

NWT

NUNAVU

T

P A R R Y

PARRY

F O L DFOLD

B E L TBEL

T

C E N T

R A L

CENTRAL

E L L E S M E R E

E LLE

SMER

E

P E A R Y A

PEARYA

THULE

BASIN

THULE

BASIN

BASIN

S V E R

D R U P

SVERDR

UP

I S LA N D SISLANDS

C AN R O BE R T CANROBERT

C O R N W

A L L I S

CORN

WALLI

S F O L

DB E L

T

FOLDBELT

F O LD BE LT OLD BELT

F O

L D

B E

L T

W E L L I N G T O N

H I G H

WELLINGTON

HIGH

D U K E O F Y O R K

H I G H

DUKEOFYORK

HIGH

M I N T O A R C

H

MINTO ARCH

E G L I N T

O N

B A S I N

EGLINTO

N

BASIN

LA N CA S

T E R S O U

N D

BA S I N

SLANCASTER SOUND

BASINS

McLURE

STRAIT

BASIN

McLURE

STRAIT

BASIN

WOLLASTON

BASIN

WOLLASTON

BASIN

FOXE

BASIN

FOXE

BASIN

C o m m i t t

e e

O r o g e n

Committee

Orogen

McCLINTOCK

BASIN

McCLINTOCK

BASIN

PRINCE

REGENT

BASIN

PRINCE

REGENT

BASIN

BORDEN

BASIN

BORDEN

BASIN

HECLA-FURY

BASIN

HECLA-FURY

BASIN

HUNTING-ASTON

BASIN

HUNTING-ASTON

BASINECLIPSE

BASIN

ECLIPSE

BASIN

BA S I N

S V E R

D R U P

H A Z E N

F O L D

B E L T

I S LA N D S

P A R R Y

C AN R O BE R T

C O R N W

A L L I S

F O L D

B E L T

F O LD BE LT

F O

L D

B E

L T

B O O T H I A

B A C H E

U P L I F T

U P L I F T

W E L L I N G T O N

H I G H

D U K E O F Y O R K

H I G H

M I N T O A R C

H

B A N K

S B A

S I N

E G L I N T

O N

B A S I N

F O L D

B E L T

C E N T

R A L

E L L E S M E R E

LA N CA S

T E R S O U

N D

BA S I N

CLEMENT

MARKHAM

FOLDBELT

CLEMENT

MARKHAM

FOLDBELT

CLEMENT

MARKHAM

FOLDBELT

M’CLURE

STRAIT

BASIN

PRINCE

PATRICK

UPLIFT

WOLLASTON

BASIN

FOXE

BASIN

C o m m i t t

e e

O r o g e n

McCLINTOCK

BASIN

PRINCE

ALBERT

HOMOCLINE

PRINCE

REGENT

BASIN

BORDEN

BASIN

HECLA-FURY

BASIN

HECLA-FURY

BASIN

HUNTING-ASTON

BASIN

THULE

BASIN

ECLIPSE

BASIN

P E A R Y A

N W T

N U N

A V U T

PrincessMargaret

Arch

Princess

Margaret

Arch

PrincessMargaret

Arch

Cornwall Arch

Grantland Uplift

BYLOT

BASIN

BYLOT

BASIN

CAREY

BASIN

CAREY

BASIN

BYLOT

BASIN

CAREY

BASINSche

i S y n c

l i n e

Schei Syncline

Schei S y

n c l i n

e

70o

70o

100110120130

80

80

60

oooo

o

o

75o

75o

75o

75o

o

700o

70o

40000 KM

FIGURE 2. The major tectono-stratigraphic divisions of the Canadian Arctic Islands. Simplified from Okulitch (1991).



throughout the Arctic Islands. Paleoproterozoic regionalmetamorphism and tectonic events have affected all rocks tovarying extent, and the nature and location of contained ter-rane boundaries is uncertain. Rocks as old as 3.3 Ga occur inthe Victoria Fjord inlier in central North Greenland (Hansenet al., 1987), but there are very few reliable radiometric ages.

Mesoarchean and Neoarchean rocks are most widely rep-resented in the “Committee Orogen”, a northeasterly trend-ing terrane that extends from northern Baffin Island andBylot Island to the Thule and Inglefield Bay area on north-west Greenland (Figs. 2, 3, Jackson, 2000). Supracrustalunits of the Committee Orogen include the Mary River Group of northern Baffin Island. Typical rocks in the MaryRiver Group include clastic metasedimentary rocks andmafic metavolcanic rocks, metamorphosed iron formationand meta-anorthositic rocks. More widespread areorthogneisses, felsic to intermediate metaplutonic rocks, andother gneisses of uncertain origin. Banded iron formationdeposits in the Mary River Group are currently beingassessed for their iron ore potential by Baffinland Iron OreMine Ltd. Radiometric ages are 2.72 to 2.76 Ga for thesupracrustal rocks and 2.7 to 2.95 Ga for the associatedgneisses (Jackson, 2000). Younger Archean ages have beenfound on southern Devon Island (Frisch, 1988) and, consid-ered together with detrital zircon ages from Prudhoe Land(Dawes, 2004), indicate a belt of 2.2 to 2.6 Ga Neoarchean

basement located northwest of the Committee Orogen.The Committee Orogen is bordered to the south by

intensely deformed metasedimentary rocks of thePaleoproterozoic Piling Group (Jackson, 2000). These unitshold the potential for metamorphosed carbonate-hosted Zndeposits in the Flint Lake Formation and SEDEX Zn-Pbdeposits in the graphitic pelites of the Astarte River Formation (Scott et al., 2003). The Black Angel deposit of west Greenland (Pederson, 1980) is hosted in evaporite-

bearing marbles of similar age to the Piling Group.Jackson (2000) followed the lead of Hoffman (1989) inassigning the crystalline rocks of much of eastern DevonIsland, southeastern Ellesmere Island, and Inglefield Land tothe Thelon Tectonic Zone. The Greenland nomenclaturerefers to these rocks as “Inglefield mobile belt” (Dawes et al.,2000; Dawes, 2004; Dawes and Garde, 2004). Four distinctlithofacies belts are recognized containing varying propor-tions of supracrustal rocks (Etah Group of Dawes, 2004) andgranitoid intrusives (Etah meta-igneous complex of Dawes etal., 2000). Subsequent retrogressive regional metamorphismis documented, for example, along the western edge of theshield on southeastern Ellesmere Island (Frisch, 1988).

From northwest to southeast, there are four recognizable

facies belts of the Inglefield mobile belt: 1) a granitoid mag-matic arc with granulite-grade aluminous metasedimentaryrocks; 2) a belt of aluminous metasedimentary rocks, calciticmarble, sulphidic paragneiss, and granitoid orthogneiss; 3)aluminous metasedimentary rocks, calcitic and dolomiticmarble, quartzite, and granitoid orthogneiss; and 4) alumi-nous metasedimentary rocks, granitoid orthogneiss, andminor quartzite. The supracrustal rocks of the Inglefieldmobile belt were assigned to the Etah Group by Dawes(2004).

The magmatic arc is exposed from the south coast of Ellesmere Island to northern Inglefield Land via westernMakinson Inlet and western Bache Peninsula. Igneous com-

positions range from quartz diorite and monzodiorite togranite and syenite. There are also metamorphosed maficdykes. Cordierite, sillimanite, and garnet are common in thegranitoid rocks, and sillimanite gneiss of aluminous sedi-mentary origin is extensive and gradationally interleaved

with the plutonic rocks (Harrison, 1984; Frisch, 1988;Dawes, 2004). Granites that are interleaved with Etah Groupsupracrustals have SHRIMP U-Pb ages of 1.95 to 1.91 Ga inInglefield Land (Nutman et al., reported in Dawes, 2004),and radiometric ages of 1.91 to 1.97 Ga on southeasternEllesmere Island (Frisch, 1988). A younger phase of granitesand migmatite in Inglefield Land has SHRIMP U-Pb ages of 1.75 to 1.74 Ga (Nutman et al., reported in Dawes, 2004).

Smaller granitoid bodies occur throughout the other threesupracrustal belts. The Etah Group belt of calcitic marblewith aluminous, sulphidic, and graphitic paragneiss extendsfrom the mouth of Makinson Inlet to northern InglefieldLand via eastern Bache Peninsula. The sulphidic metasedi-mentary rocks form locally spectacular gossans that contain

podiform, pyrrhotite-rich massive sulphide with less com-mon copper and nickel sulphide (Harrison, 1984; Frisch,1988; Dawes, 2004). Detrital zircons from paragneiss lensesin coastal northern Inglefield Land yield SHRIMP U-Pb agesof 2.0 to 1.98 Ga (Nutman et al., reported in Dawes, 2004).

Southward, the Tah Group belt with sulphidic metasedi-mentary rocks gives way to Etah Group quartzite, calcitic ±dolomitic marble, calcsilicate, and aluminous paragneiss.The line of “facies change” coincides with the mouth of theMakinson Inlet (Harrison, 1984; Frisch, 1988). Quartzite iscommon with marble southward throughout southeastern-most Ellesmere Island, Coburg Island (Harrison, 1984;Frisch, 1988), and on northern Devon Island (Harrison,

1984). Marble with minor quartzite (but no sulphidicmetasediment) also occurs in a distinct belt extending fromCape Isabella on coastal eastern Ellesmere Island to SunrisePynt in northwest Greenland; thence northeastward throughsouthern and central Inglefield Land (Frisch, 1988; Dawes,2004). Detrital zircons from an Etah Group quartzite insouthern Inglefield Land yield SHRIMP U-Pb ages of 3.25to 2.35 Ga with a dominant population in the 2.6 to 2.45 Garange (Nutman et al., reported in Dawes, 2004).

The fourth and last of the facies belts of the Inglefieldmobile belt, featuring aluminous metasedimentary rockswith minor quartzite, lies throughout much of southernDevon Island and in southern Inglefield Land and PrudhoeLand. It has been suggested that these quartzitic strata repre-

sent the lowest Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks pre-served above a basement complex (Harrison, 1984; Dawes etal., 2000), distinguished as “Prudhoe Land granulite com-

plex” in Prudhoe Land (Dawes, 2004). A SHRIMP U-Pb dat-ing of Prudhoe Land complex igneous protolith yielded anage of 1.98 Ga, and associated quartzite in the Thule areacontains detrital zircons in the 3.2 to 2.2 Ga age range(Nutman et al., reported in Dawes, 2004).

Assuming that the Prudhoe Land granulite complex is the basement below Etah Group, then deposition of thesesupracrustals would appear to be from 1.98 to 1.92 Ga, simi-


736




73

FIGURE 3. The temporal relationship of the major tectono-stratigraphic successions in the Arctic Islands and the timing of mineralizing events.

ThelonTectonic

belt

ThelonTectonic

belt

Thelonmagmatic

belt

CommitteeOrogen

Committee

Orogen

CommitteeOrogen

Lake HazenBasin

Lake Hazen

Basin

FranklinPierceBasin

Franklin

Pierce

Basin

Axel Heiberg Basin

Axel Heiberg

Basin

EclipseBasinEclipse

Basin

Kap Washington areadyke swarm (64 Ma)KapWashington area

dykeswarm (64 Ma)

CranstonPeninsula

outliers

Cranston

Peninsula

outliers

Sverdrup Basindykes and flows

(120-100 Ma)

Sverdrup Basin

dykes and flows

(120-100 Ma)

Sverdruprift

zone

Sverdrup

rift

zone

SverdrupBasin

Sverdrup

Basin

Varanger diamictites(Moraeneso Fm.)

Varanger diamictites

(Moraeneso Fm.)

Thule-Franklin swarm of dykes and sills (723 Ma)hule-Franklinswarm of dykes andsills (723Ma)

Thule Basinhule BasinBorden Basinorden Basin

Nauyat Fm flows, Mackenzie swarm (1270 Ma)auyat Fm flows,Mackenzieswarm (1270 Ma)

Melville Bugt swarm (1670 Ma)elville Bugt swarm (1670 Ma)

Victoria Fjord inlier

Victoria Fjord

inlier

PearyaSuccession 1

of Trettin (1994)

Pearya

Succession 1

of Trettin (1994)

PEARYATECTONICSETTING

CLEMENTSMARKHAMFOLD BELT

HAZENFOLD BELT,

NANSEN LAND

JUDGE DALYPROMONTORY,

S. WULFF LAND

SOUTH,CENTRAL

ELLESMERE IS.

BACHE PENIN.WASHINGTON

LAND

SE ELLESMERE,

THULEAREAINGLEFIELD LAND

BYLOT ISLAND,BAFFIN ISLAND

Franklinianrifting

Frankliniantrailing margin

Volcanic arc,back arc basin

Caledonianforeland uplifts

Docking of Pearya

EllesmerianOrogeny

Sverdruprifting

SverdrupBasin

subsidence

Baffin Basin- Alpha Ridge

rifting

EurekanOrogeny,

Baffin spreading

Baffin post-rift

subsidence

Thule, Bordenrifting,

subsidence

Orogeny (Pearya)

rifting?

Lake HazenBasin

FranklinPierceBasin

Axel Heiberg Basin

EclipseBasin

Kap Washington areadyke swarm (64 Ma)

CranstonPeninsula

outliers

Sverdrup Basindykes and flows

(120-100 Ma)

Sverdruprift

zone

SverdrupBasin

Devonianclastic wedgeDevonian

clastic wedge

Devonianclastic wedge

Cambrian clastic wedgeambrianclastic wedgeCambrian clastic wedge

Thule-Franklin swarm of dykes and sills (723 Ma)

Thule Basin Borden Basin

Nauyat Fm flows, Mackenzie swarm (1268 Ma)

Melville Bugt swarm (1645 Ma)

Independence Fjord Gp.(sub-ice, east of Wulff Land)Independence FjordGp.

(sub-ice, eastof Wulff Land)

Independence Fjord Gp.(sub-ice, east of Wulff Land)

Inglefield Mobile Belt Inglefield

Mobile Belt

Inglefield mobile belt

Prudhoe Land Complex

Prudhoe Land

Complex

Prudhoe Land Complex

South Devonterrane

SouthDevon

terrane

South Devonterrane

Victoria Fjord inlier

PearyaSuccession 1

of Trettin (1998)

?

Rift(?) basins,NE Greenland

Assembly of Precambrian

crystallineterranes

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

600

100

80

60

40

20

Ma

550

500

400

300

250

200

150

350

450

900

800

700

Pl.,Q

Mio.

Olig.

Pal.

E o c e n e

C r e t a c e o u s

C E N O Z O I C

M E S O Z O I C

P A L E O Z O I C

N E O P R O T E R O Z O I C

A R C H E A N

P A L E O -

P R O T E R O Z O I C

M E S O -

P R O T E R O

Z O I C

J u r a s s i c

T r i a s s i c

P e

r m i a n

C a r b o n i f e r o u s

D e v o n i a n

S i l u r .

O r d o v i c i a n

C a m b r i a n

E d i a c a r a n

N e o -

E o -

M e s o -

P a l e o -

Shaler Basinhaler Basin

Natkusiak Basaltsatkusiak Basalts

VICTORIAISLAND

MineralizingEvents

Shaler Basin

Natkusiak Basalts

Varanger diamictites(Moraeneso Fm.)

Midsommersodolerite dykes

(~1270 Ma)

Midsommerso

dolerite dykes

(~1270 Ma)

Midsommersodolerite dykes

(~1268 Ma)

Mixed coarse and fine siliciclastics

Shelf carbonates

Shelf-deltaic quartz sandstone

Slope mudrocks, siltstone

Slope and basinal carbonatesand mudrocks;olistostromal deposits

Submarine fan deposits;sediment gravity flows

Shelf evaporites

Alluvial fan deposits,diamictite

Volcanics, dykes and sills

Eroded or not deposited

Covered

Crystalline “basement”

Zn-PbMVT Zn-PbMVT

Unconformity U UnconformityU

SandstoneU ?

Ni-PGE

Copper Ni-PGE

SandstoneU ?

Zn-PbMVT

Zn-PbMVT

Unconformity U



lar to the Piling Group of central Baffin Island, which Jackson(2000) considers to have accumulated at about 1.9 Ga.

The lower age limit for deformation associated with theInglefield mobile belt within the map area is provided by

dolerite dykes of the Melville Bugt swarm with a U-Pb bad-deleyite age of 1.645 Ga (reported by Mike A. Hamilton inDawes, 2004).

Proterozoic Basins

Unmetamorphosed and virtually undeformedMesoproterozoic strata are preserved in several disparateareas of the central and eastern Canadian Arctic islands (Fig.1). Basins on northern and northwestern Baffin Island,Somerset Island, and eastern Ellesmere Island (and nearby

parts of Greenland) have been broadly correlated, and likelyrepresent remnants of a formerly contiguous continentalmargin that was undergoing rifting during sediment accumu-lation (Jackson and Iannelli, 1981). It is possible that other Mesoproterozoic basin remnants, or continuations of known

basins, are present beneath younger rock cover elsewhere inthe islands (e.g. Mayr et al., 2004). All of these basins areconsidered to be approximately 1.2 Ga, although publishedradiometric dates are sparse. Faults that accommodated rift-ing in some of these basins have been episodically reacti-vated since the Mesoproterozoic, and some may be impli-cated in the development of structures in overlying Paleozoicrocks.

Borden Basin – Baffin Island

The Borden Basin is an aulacogen comprising three dis-tinct, syndepositional grabens that cover an area approxi-mately 200 km x 300 km on and near the Borden Peninsula(Baffin Island) and Bylot Island. The Milne Inlet Graben isthe largest of these grabens, and is exposed as a 300 km long,southeast-tapering wedge (Fig. 4). Small inliers of BordenBasin rocks are also present beneath basal Paleozoic strataon the east side of Brodeur Peninsula (Scott and de Kemp,1998) and on southern Devon Island (Thorsteinsson andMayr, 1987). The Borden Basin contains widespread car-

bonate-hosted Pb+Zn±Cu±Ag mineralization, including the Nanisivik Mine orebody.

The 6 km thick Bylot Supergroup of the Borden Basinaccumulated over Archean metamorphic basement of theRae craton in grabens that subsided along a series of north-west-trending normal faults (Jackson and Iannelli, 1981). It

is divided into three groups (Fig. 5): 1) the Eqalulik Group,recording rifting (Nauyat Formation basalts and minor asso-ciated sedimentary rocks) and subsequent deposition of flu-vial to marginal marine, mature quartz sand (Adams SoundFormation), and shallow marine to basinal shale (Arctic BayFormation); 2) the Uluksan Group, consisting of the SocietyCliffs and Victor Bay formations. Diverse peritidal to basi-nal dolostones of the Society Cliffs Formation, host to mostof the base-metal mineralization in the district, were sub-aerially eroded in most locations prior to deposition of Victor Bay Formation shale and carbonate rocks. Overlying theVictor Bay Formation is 3) a succession of alluvial to marine


738

73°N

72°N

84°W 80°W

80°W

72°N

84°W

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o r g e

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c o r e

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s R i v e

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Arctic Bay Fm.

Fault

72°N2°N

84°N4°N

NUNAVUT 6 0

°

7 0 °

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Canada

ENLARGED

AREA

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PondInlet

Eclipse Sound

N av y

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l e t

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T a y

S o u n

d

M i l n e

I n l e t

T r e m

b l a y

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n d

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Peninsula

Lancaster Sound

Nanisivik

Settlement

A d m i r a

l t y I n

l e t

S t r a t h c o n a S o u n d

A d a m s S o u n d

Society Cliffs Fm.

M I L N E

I N L E T G R A

B E N

FIGURE 4. Location map of Baffin Island, the Mesoproterozoic Bylot Basins of Nunavut, and the Milne Inlet Graben and its base metal showings.




73

terrigenous sandstones and carbonate lithoclast conglomer-ates (Athole Point, Strathcona Sound, Aqigilik, andSinasiuvik formations belonging to the Nunatsiau Group).These poorly understood formations have been inferred torecord renewed tectonic uplift of basement blocks within andadjacent to the basin. Lithofacies distributions and paleocur-rents in most formations indicate overall basin deepening (asopposed to intragraben deepening) to the west or northwest,consistent with the inferred presence of an ocean to thenorthwest (Jackson and Iannelli, 1981) and with the knowndistribution of cratonic basement. The present-day orienta-tion of this inferred Mesoproterozoic paleocontinental mar-gin is, therefore, roughly the same as that of the Phanerozoiccontinental margin; both were constrained by a northeast-trending (present-day coordinates) limit to the cratonic base-ment.

Thus the early rifting (Nauyat and Adams Sound forma-tions) is now understood to have been followed by a pro-

tracted interval of episodic extensional tectonism (ArcticBay, Society Cliffs, and Victor Bay formations, Turner,2003a, 2004a) and a final stage of basin inversion associatedwith distal compressive stress generated in a foreland fold-thrust belt affecting the Coppermine River Group, some1000 km to the (present-day) west of the Borden Basin, and

bracketed between 1.27 Ga and deposition of the Shaler Group at about 1.0 Ga (Hildebrand and Baragar, 1991;Sherman et al., 2002). The Bylot Supergroup is crosscut byFranklin gabbro dykes (ca. 723 Ma, Pehrsson and Buchan,1999), and unconformably overlain by flat-lying lower Paleozoic strata.

The Nanisivik Mine and Other Mineral Showings

Numerous Pb-Zn showings are located on the BordenPeninsula and nearby areas on northern Baffin Island (Fig.1). The Nanisivik Mine (operation 1976-2002, located atapproximately 73°03’N, 84°30’W) produced approximately17.9 million metric tonnes of ore grading approximately9.0% Zn, 0.7% Pb, and 35 g/t Ag. The orebody and associ-ated showings are loosely classified as MVT deposits,although anomalously high temperatures and very highZn:Pb ratios, along with an enormous amount of pyrite (100Mt), indicate an unusual mode of formation (Sutherland andDumka, 1995; St. Marie et al., 2001).

Stratigraphic relations among the units relevant to miner-alization throughout the graben are considerably more com-

plex than indicated by the stratigraphic nomenclature andearly correlations (Turner, 2003a). This is meaningful for

prospecting for base metals because there is a significantamount of stratigraphic and lithofacies control on the dispo-sition of mineralization throughout the graben. Similarly,contacts between and lateral correlations among units have

been revised, changes that may be extremely important to

mineralization models, particularly if mineralization issynsedimentary or in any way karst-related.The Nanisivik orebody and almost all associated show-

ings are hosted by the Society Cliffs Formation (Figs. 3, 4).The Society Cliffs Formation is a dolostone with greatlithostratigraphic and geographic facies variation, and spansthe entire strike length of the exposed Milne Inlet Graben. Inthe westernmost two-thirds of the Milne Inlet Graben, thehost dolostone is a deep-water laminite locally punctuated bygiant deep-water carbonate mounds (Turner, 2004a,b,c).Stromatolites, microbial laminites, and shallow-water to per-itidal features are completely absent. This observation con-trasts with the content of previous papers in which the lami-nated Nanisivik host rock was inferred to be of peritidal or

sabkha origin (e.g. Geldsetzer, 1973a,b; Jackson andIannelli, 1981; Ghazban et al., 1992). Although freshly bro-ken laminite rock surfaces have a bituminous odour, rock-evaluation analysis shows that the rock contains littleorganic carbon (M. Fowler, pers comm., 2004).

In the eastern one-third of the graben, the formation con-sists of nonbituminous peritidal cycles, each on the order of ~10 to 50 m thick (Kah, 1997; Kah et al., 1999). Between thetwo is a platform-margin to outer-ramp area. The formationis in excess of 1000 m thick in the east and approximately250 m thick in the west (Turner, 2004c), where an unknown

but possibly significant amount of post-depositional erosion,together with a possibly low primary accumulation rate of the deep-water laminite resulted in a comparatively thin suc-cession. A depositional age of ca. 1199 Ma for the SocietyCliffs Formation is provided by Pb-Pb dating on dolostone(Kah, as cited in Samuelsson et al., 1999).

Normal faults, along which the grabens accommodatedsubsidence, have been repeatedly reactivated since theMesoproterozoic, but significant tectonic events in the inter-val since deposition of the Society Cliffs Formation are lim-ited to a poorly known east-directed compressional eventthat coincided with the latter part of basin-filling at the endof deposition of the Victor Bay Formation and throughoutdeposition of Nunatsiaq Group (Sherman et al., 2002). The

CRYSTALLINE

BASEMENT

NAUYAT FM.

ADAMS SOUND FM.

ARCTIC BAY FM.

SOCIETY CLIFFS FM.

VICTOR BAY FM.

STRATHCONASOUND /

ATHOLE POINT FMS.

AQIGILIK FM.

SINASIUVIK FM.

E Q A L U L I K

G P .

U L U K S A N

G P

.

N U N A T S I A Q

G P

.

B Y L O T S U P E R G P

.

NW SE

FRANKLIN

DYKES

~723 Ma

SOCIETY CLIFFS

MOUNDS

LOWER SOCIETYCLIFFS FM.

UPPER SOCIETYCLIFFS FM.

LIMESTONE/

DOLOSTONE

SHALE/SILTSTONE

SANDSTONE

BASALT/GABBRO

CRYSTALLINE

BASEMENT

LEGEND

FIGURE 5. Stratigraphy of the Bylot Supergroup, northern Baffin Island.



Mesoproterozoic strata in the MilneInlet Graben dip gently northeast(~10-20°) and are generally unde-formed except where they have

been drag-folded near reactivatednormal faults (cf. Scott and deKemp, 1998), compactionallydomed over deep-water mounds

(Turner, 2004c), or possibly subtlyfolded by Mesoproterozoic tecton-ism (Sherman et al., 2002). Normalfaults are common and are particu-larly pervasive in the Nanisivik area (cf. Scott and de Kemp, 1998),where they deviate slightly fromthe dominant northwest fault trend.

The main ore zone at Nanisivik is entirely enclosed by laminateddolostone and deep-water moundfacies of the middle to upper Society Cliffs Formation (Turner,2004c). This zone, along with other iron sulphide bodies on the mine

property and areas lying to the east,are located in the apices of subtlecompaction-related structural highs(Fig. 6; Clayton and Thorpe, 1982;Patterson et al., 2003). The orebodyis in a narrow horst within a

broader zone of predominantlyeast-trending high-angle normalfaults. The orebody is elongate,with an east-west length of approx-imately 3 km and width of approx-imately 100 m (Fig. 6, Clayton andThorpe, 1982; Sutherland andDumka, 1995). The lower part of the orebody forms a narrow keelsome 65 m deep and 5 to 30 m widethat follows a stockwork of faultsand fractures (Clayton and Thorpe,1982, 1982; Sutherland andDumka, 1995). The uppermost partof the orebody expands into a tabu-lar mass 100-200 m wide and 10 to30 m thick. The upper surface of the orebody is strikingly horizontal,varying in present-day elevation byno more than several metres over

its length, and crosscuts the gentlynorth-dipping layering of the hostrock (Fig. 6). Ore and host arecrosscut by a diabase dyke (the“mine dyke”) presumed to be of Franklin age (723 Ma), as are allother gabbro dykes in the BordenBasin (Heaman et al., 1992;Pehrsson and Buchan, 1999).

The main-zone sulphide body islargely massive, barren pyrite withminor dolospar gangue, but with


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74

sphalerite-rich zones containing galena, pyrite, and dolospar in the lower part. A succession of mineralization pulses has

been identified using crosscutting relationships (Arne et al.,1991). Ore textures range from massive to centimetrically

banded (Fig. 7) and are generally coarsely crystalline.In addition to the main ore zone, other subeconomic sulphide bodies are present on the mine property. All are elon-gate and spatially associated with predominantly east-trend-ing normal faults.

Nanisivik: Mode of Formation

Nanisivik has been classified as an MVT deposit. Field- based models of sulphide bodies in the Nanisivik areafocused on early void-filling mineralization in porosityformed by meteoric karstification (Clayton and Thorpe,1982; Olson, 1984). This interpretation was based on theinferred cave-like external shape of the orebody, a knowndepositional hiatus and erosion interval post-dating deposi-

tion of the Society Cliffs Formation, and the absence of obvi-ous replacement textures in the ore. Later work, however,identified ore textures (“diagenetic crystallization rhyth-mites”, Arne and Kissin, 1989) characteristic of progressivereplacement of host rock under pulsating fluid influx thatonly initially exploited small karstic fluid conduits (Arne andKissin, 1989; Arne et al., 1991). Ore banding and orebodygeometry was then reinterpreted as the result of mineral pre-cipitation at the interface between a gas cap (H2S and CH4)trapped in an antiform that was capped by Victor BayFormation shale, and oxidized metalliferous brine, within

progressively dissolving host dolostone (Arne et al., 1991;Sutherland and Dumka, 1995). Anomalous metal ratios andunusually high ore-precipitation temperatures (>200º,

McNaughton and Smith, 1986; Arne et al., 1991) suggestthat the Nanisivik orebody might be more closely related toSEDEX-type rather than MVT deposits. Fluid-inclusion dataindicate that ore emplacement took place at ≥1600 m burialdepth (McNaughton and Smith, 1986), yielding an oldest

possible depositional time coeval with deposition of the mid-dle and upper Nunatsiaq Group.

Nanisivik: Age of Mineralization

Sphalerite Rb-Sr dating of Nanisivik ore yielded an age of ca. 1.1 Ga (Christensen et al., 1993). Paleomagnetic data

from hydrothermally altered dolostone around the Nanisivik orebody suggest a mineralization age of ca. 1095 Ma(Symons et al., 2000), although there is some dispute as tothe meaning of the paleomagnetic data in light of the gas-cap

mineralization model of Arne et al. (1991) and Sutherlandand Dumka (1995). A Mesoproterozoic mineralization age isconsistent with the timing of subtle compressive tectonismthat began after deposition of the Victor Bay Formation andcontinued through deposition of the >1500 m thick

Nunatsiaq Group This event reversed the basin’s formerlywest-deepening polarity (Sherman et al., 2002) and filled itwith southwesterly derived, texturally immature sediment(Knight and Jackson, 1994).

In contrast, feldspathic (adularia) alteration along the mar-gins of a gabbro dyke that exhibits complex crosscuttingrelations with the orebody, host strata, and a normal fault,has been dated at ca. 461 Ma (Middle Ordovician), which is

presumed by Sherlock et al. (2004) to be the age of mineral-

ization. The validity of this conclusion is challenged byfluid-inclusion data (McNaughton and Smith, 1986) show-ing strikingly elevated fluid-inclusion homogenization tem-

peratures in the immediate vicinity of the mine dyke. Theseobservations are consistent with dyke emplacement into astructure that crosscut the orebody and concomitant orerecrystallization in the vicinity of the dyke, rather than 500m.y. later ore emplacement around a pre-existing dyke.

There is only limited evidence for any tectonic or fluidactivity in the Arctic during the Middle Ordovician. Thethick, monotonous, shallow-water Ordovician carbonatesuccession was interrupted by evaporite-filled intraplatfor-mal basins in the Early Ordovician, a widespread mid-Ordovician disconformity over the southern part of the

Arctic Islands, and evidence of folding and faulting of thesuccession below the mid-Ordovician unconformity onPrince of Wales Island (section A-A’, Figure 9 of Mayr et al.,2004). This means that there may have been driving forcesor heat for Ordovician mineralizing fluids as proposed bySherlock et al. (2004). Although poorly known, Ordovician,subduction-related volcanism occurs in the ClementsMarkham fold belt on northern Ellesmere Island (Trettin,1987; Trettin et al., 1987). The onset of a subduction beneath

North America may have had some tectonic effects such asthe creation of a subtle back-arc setting and peripheral bulge.

MineralizingFluid Flow

Keystone Fault~3m post-mineralization movement

>100m total movement

100-170° C

200-210° C

Main Lens

Lower Lens

Keel Zone

Victor BayFormation

upper Society Cliff s

Formation

middle Society Cliff sFormation

lower Society Cliff sFormation

Massive Zn-Pb±AgMineralization

Approximate Scale

N S

Th

Zinc-Lead M assive Sulphide Mineralization

(pro jected f rom sub-sur f ace)

Massive Pyrite

(at sur f ace and pro jected f rom sub-sur f ace)

Geologic Contact

Normal Fault (tics on down-thrown side)

Dyke (720 Ma Franklin intr usions)

Strike-slip Fault (may also havenormal movement)

10 Average strike and d ip o f

bedding

Adams Sound Formation

Ar ctic Bay Formation

Galler y Formation

Strathcona Sound Formation

upper Victor Bay Formation

middle Victor Bay Formation

lower Victor Bay Formation

lower Society Cliff Formation

middle Society Cliff Formation

upper Society Cliff Formation

NVBm

NVBl

NSCu

NSCm

NSCl

NAB

NAS

NVBu

0 25 50 m

NSSs

G

H o m o g e n i z a t i o n T e m p e r a t u r e s f r o m

s p h a l e r i t e a n d s p a r y d o l o m i t e

( a f t e r M c N a u g

h t o n a n d S m i t h ,

1 9 8 6 )

FIGURE 6 CONTINUED. Schematic cross-section through the Nanisivik Main Lens and Keel Zone. Note association of Keystone Fault and Keel Zone miner-alization. Homogenization temperatures are from fluid inclusions trapped within sphalerite and sparry dolomite (data from McNaughton and Smith, 1986).



Base metal showings have not yet been found in Paleozoicrocks on Baffin Island.

Milne Inlet Graben – Base Metal Mineralization on Northern Baffin Island

Regional studies of mineralization throughout the MilneInlet Graben indicate that although mineralization is stronglyfault-related, stratigraphic and lithofacies controls com-monly constrain the location and geometry of ore bodies(Turner, 2003b, 2004c). Although there are mineralogicaldifferences among the showings (specifically, the amount of sphalerite, presence/absence of both Cu minerals and fluo-

rite, and amount of Fe minerals), work on regional trends inmetal ratios, trace elements, temperature, and fluid composi-tion has hitherto been minimal, and thus regional patterns influid flow and sulphur/metal source remain unrecognized.Economic mineralization potential in the area has been sum-marized by Sangster (1998; 1999), who catalogued the min-eral occurrences as well as discussed the potential for SEDEX, MVT, and sandstone-hosted Cu-Pb-(Zn) on north-ern Baffin Island.

Little is publicly known about the controls on mineraliza-tion throughout the Milne Inlet Graben outside of assessmentfiles submitted by PetroCanada in the 1980s and Cominco in


742

FIGURE 7. Zn-Pb showings, northeast Ellesmere Island. (A) Sphalerite indolostone from Great Plains Ltd. Zn-Pb prospect on Judge DalyPromontory, northeast Ellesmere Island (sample GSC C-412161b).(B) Dolomitized Scoresby Bay Formation near Carl Ritter Bay, northeastEllesmere Island (sample GSC C-412151). (C) Galena and sphalerite fromGreat Plains Ltd. Zn-Pb prospect on Judge Daly Promontory, northeastEllesmere Island (sample GSC C-412161a). (D) Crackle breccia with spha-lerite from Great Plains Ltd. Zn-Pb prospect on Judge Daly Promontory,northeast Ellesmere Island.

A B

D

C




74

the late 1990s (e.g. Harrison, 1984). New exploration strate-gies could take advantage of 1) the recognition that stratig-raphy and lithofacies are important to geographic location,stratigraphic position, and geometry of sulphide bodies inthe Milne Inlet Graben; 2) enormous advances in the under-standing of Precambrian carbonate rocks, such that the hostrocks to mineralization in the Milne Inlet Graben and their contribution to mineralization are now much better under-

stood; and 3) the possibility that more detailed explorationcould locate SEDEX-type mineralization in the Milne InletGraben that was missed by industry reconnaissance explo-ration.

Hunting-Aston Basin – Somerset and Prince of Wales Islands

The Hunting-Aston Basin is 300 km northwest of thewesternmost exposures of the Borden Basin (Fig. 2). TheHunting and Aston formations are exposed as a small wedge(12 km x 45 km) on northwestern Somerset Island and inoutliers on eastern Prince of Wales Island and nearby smallislands. Strata are northeast-dipping, and are overlain to thenortheast by Paleozoic rocks. The ~1400 m thick AstonFormation lies unconformably on basement rocks and con-sists of conglomerate, quartz arenite to arkose, with minor siltstone and dolostone (Tuke et al., 1966; Dixon et al., 1971;Reinson et al., 1976; Mayr et al., 2004). The AstonFormation is intruded by diabase sills on Prince of WalesIsland that yield a U-Pb date of 1268 Ma (Mayr et al., 2004).The preserved portion of the overlying Hunting Formation is

probably about 1100 m thick, although a complete sectionhas never been measured owing to complications presented

by normal faults. Estimates of thickness from seismic sec-tions on Prince of Wales indicate up to 6200 m (Mayr et al.,2004). The Hunting Formation consists of three members(Dixon, 1974): 1) a lower <100 m thick member of mixedterrigenous mudstone and dolomudstone; 2) a middle mem-

ber at least 300 m thick consisting of peritidal dolostone,including silicified seafloor dendrites and other abiogenic

precipitates; and 3) an unnamed upper member, approxi-mately 700 m thick and dominated by pink-weathering dolo-stones in part consisting of supratidal tepee cycles, which, inthe upper 200 m, become quartz-sandy and exhibit thick,isopachous, fibrous cements that fill fracture systems that are

both bedding-parallel and at high angles to bedding (Turner,unpublished data). The formation is overlain by lower Paleozoic strata.

Hunting Formation member 2 lithofacies are strikinglysimilar to peritidal dolostones of the upper member of theSociety Cliffs Formation in the southeast Milne Inlet

Graben. This, together with the approximate colinearity andnorthwest structural trend of the Borden Basin grabens andAston-Hunting basin, and the known distribution of cratonic

basement, lends support to the idea that they are part of a for-merly contiguous, approximately northeast-trending, locallyrifted continental margin (Jackson and Iannelli, 1981).Paleocurrent directions in the Aston Formation, extendingnorth and west from the southern part of the Boothia Uplift,suggest that the uplift was an active high in theMesoproterozoic.

If the Hunting-Aston Basin is contemporaneous and col-inear with the Borden Basin, then potential for Nanisivik-

style deposits exists in the Hunting Formation as well as below Paleozoic cover on Somerset and Prince of Walesislands and the Brodeur Peninsula of northern Baffin Island.The lack of carbonate mounds, the small areal extent, and thelack of mineral showings, however, reduces the attractive-ness of the Huntington Formation for Nanisivik-styledeposits.

Fury and Hecla Basin – Baffin Island The Fury and Hecla basin is exposed in an area 85 km x

15 km on northwestern Baffin Island, on nearby smallislands to the south in Fury and Hecla Strait, and as smalloutliers on the northern margin of Melville Peninsula(Chandler, 1988). Approximately 6000 m of gently south-dipping strata lie unconformably on granitic basement, andcomprise sandstones and basalts of the Nyeboe, Sikosak, andHansen formations (approximately 650 m total), sandstone,shale, and minor dolostone of the Agu Bay Formation(approximately. 600 m), Whyte Inlet Formation quartz aren-ite (to ~3000 m), and sandstone, siltstone, and shale of theAutridge Formation (~2000 m). The succession is looselycorrelated lithostratigraphically with the lower part of theBylot Supergroup, 200 km to the north.

Uraniferous granites occur in the basement that liesunconformably below the Fury and Hecla Basin (Ciesielskiand Maley, 1980; Maurice, 1982). Five occurrences of ura-nium mineralization are adjacent to faults that separate gran-ites and pegmatites from redbeds of the Nyeboe Formation(Ciesielski and Maley, 1980). Maurice (1982) demonstratedthat uranium mineralization post-dates deposition of theProterozoic strata and may be unconformity related.

Strata in the Fury and Hecla Basin, which are inferred to be correlative to the mineralized Society Cliffs Formation inthe Borden Basin, are mainly clastic with only a small car-

bonate component (Chandler, 1988), limiting the potential

for Nanisivik-style Zn-Pb mineralization.Thule Basin – Northeast Ellesmere Island

The Thule Basin is exposed on northwest Greenland, andas small remnants (10-20 km maximum diameter) on south-eastern Ellesmere Island (Fig. 1) (Frisch and Christie, 1982;Jackson, 1986; Dawes, 1997). There, basement rocks areoverlain by volcanic and terrigenous rocks of theWolstenholme Formation (approximately 1100 m). On theGreenland side of Nares strait, terrigenous strata of theDundas Formation and overlying dolostones of the

Narssârssuk Formation are also present. The succession has been lithostratigraphically correlated with the Nauyat toVictor Bay formations in the Borden Basin, 350 km to the

south (Jackson, 1986). Only small parts of the Thule Basinare exposed on the Canadian side of Nares Strait and DavisStrait and no mineral occurrences have been noted.

Shaler Supergroup – Victoria Island

The Neoproterozoic Shaler Group on Victoria Island isexposed in a structurally simple uplift called the Minto Arch(Fig. 2). The Shaler Supergroup consists of up to 4 km of shallow water clastic, carbonate, shale, and evaporitic rocks(Rainbird et al., 1994). These are divided, in ascendingorder, into the Rae Group, Reynold’s Point Group, Minto



Inlet, Wynniatt, and Killian formations, and were depositedon an epicontinental shallow-marine basin in an arid envi-ronment.

The units with the greatest exploration potential are theRae and Reynold’s Point groups. The Rae Group (previouslythe Glenelg Formation) has been divided into four members,

but these were given formational status by Rainbird et al.(1994). In ascending order, these are (i) a lower, deep-water clastic unit (Escape Rapids Formation, 600+ m), (ii) a shal-low-water, cherty carbonate unit (Mikkelsen IslandFormation, 500+ m), (iii) an upper fluvial clastic unit(Nelson Head Formation, 150-350 m), and (iv) an orange-weathering stromatolitic dolostone unit (Aok Formation, 35-50 m).

The Shaler Supergroup is unconformably overlain by the Natkusiak Formation, a thick sequence of subaerial, plateau-type basalts. These lavas are assumed to be synchronouswith gabbroic sills and dykes that intrude the underlyingunits. These sills are up to 50 m thick and extend for tens of kilometres. The Natkusiak Formation is part of the 725 MaFranklin Dyke Swarm (Dupuy et al., 1995).

Three styles of copper mineralization occur in the RaeGroup (Darch et al., 1991): 1) widespread stratabound dis-seminated sulphides (chalcopyrite and pyrite with associatedmalachite) within the quartzite-dominated Nelson HeadFormation; 2) contact metamorphic mineralization (massivechalcopyrite) that occurs along the base of diabase sills near the Nelson Head – Aok formational boundary; and 3) zonesof massive sulphide replacement associated with karsting of the Aok Formation. There is also potential for disseminatedcopper sulphides at the base of the Shaler succession as arefound in the Coppermine Homocline on the mainland(Roscoe, 1984).

Mineralization appears related to a regional-scale linea-ment that runs from northeast Banks Island, across northern

Victoria Island, and southeast towards King William Island(Darch et al., 1991). This structure appears to have affected paleocurrent directions at the time of deposition of the RaeGroup, as well as the orientation of diabase dykes and eventhe glacial history and shoreline trends. This 310° trendingstructure is also parallel to the trend of kimberlite bodies oncentral Victoria Island (Galaxy and King Eider trends,Diamonds North Ltd web page.).

Large sheets of native copper occur in the Natkusiak basalts (Jefferson et al., 1985), especially near the bound-aries of red-weathering sediments and pyrite-rich tuffs andflows, and disseminated within amygdaloidal flows. Thereare 138 documented mineral occurrences and anomalies of this type in the NORMIN database. These targets were

explored in the 1980s by Panarctic Oils (Nelson, 1984) and by Noranda in the 1990s (Darch et al., 1991).

Jefferson et al. (1988) also suggested potential for uncon-formity and sandstone-hosted uranium at or near the base of the Rae Group. These deposit types have yet to be foundwithin the Shaler Supergroup.

Potential for Noril’sk-style Ni-PGE targets related to the Natkusiak volcanics has been suggested by Jefferson et al.(1994) and Hulbert (2005). Exploration in the late 1990s byAber Resources, however, failed to locate any nickel-PGEmineralization on Victoria Island (Hopkins et al., 1997).

Potential for mineral deposits in the basement below thethin Paleozoic cover must be similar to that described byRoscoe (1984) for the Bathurst Inlet region to the south, andinclude volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) base metals andvein- and iron formation-hosted Au.

Mid-Neoproterozoic to Late Silurian Passive toConvergent Margin

Arctic Islands

Up to 6000 m of Neoproterozoic to Silurian, clastic, carbonate and evaporite sediments were deposited on the Arcticcontinental margin following mid-Neoproterozoic rifting atabout 723 Ma (Heaman et al., 1992). Five episodes of depo-sition are known.

The oldest stratal package that developed on the riftedmargin is only known from reflection seismic profiles onMelville Island (Harrison, 1995). It consists of up to 630 mof probable clastic rocks that sit with an angular unconfor-mity on deformed, presumably Proterozoic, strata.

Neoproterozoic strata of the second depositional cycle areknown from northern Ellesmere and Melville islands

(Harrison, 1995; Dewing et al., 2004). These consist of over 1000 m of clastic shelf and slope sediments overlain by carbonate platform strata. These strata extend farther south thanMelville Island, but no Neoproterozoic sediments exist onsouthern or central Ellesmere Island, Devon, Baffin, Princeof Wales, Somerset, or Victoria islands.

Neoproterozoic strata are unconformably overlain byLower Cambrian clastic strata of the third depositional cycle(Trettin, 1969; Thorsteinsson and Mayr, 1987; Packard andMayr, 1994; Trettin, 1994; Harrison, 1995; Dewing et al.,2004). About 2500 m of sandstone and shale occur near theshelf edge on northeast Ellesmere Island, but Lower Cambrian clastic rocks thin rapidly towards the continentand the shale portions of the sequence are lost due to facies

change in most areas of the southern and central ArcticIslands. These strata were deposited in a fluvial-deltaic-shoreface setting. Local changes in thickness, as describedon north Baffin (Trettin, 1969) and the subsurface of Princeof Wales Island (Mayr et al., 2004) indicate that there wassome localized tectonic activity.

The fourth depositional cycle was initiated with a trans-gression of late Early Cambrian age. A distinct, carbonateramp became differentiated from the condensed, deep-water

basinal shales to the (present day) north. The platform main-tained a ramp configuration during most of the Cambrian.

The fifth depositional cycle started after the hiatus thatmarks the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary. Up to 2300 m of

carbonate and gypsum were deposited on the platform dur-ing the Ordovician. During the same time period, only 350 mof basinal strata accumulated. The shelf-margin escarpmentis marked by an abrupt lateral change from shallow-water sediments to deep-water shales; there are no slope depositsthat may have indicated the existence of a carbonate ramp(Trettin, 1994). A distinctive, shallow-water to peritidal car-

bonate shoal developed on the edge of the escarpment for most of Ordovician time (de Freitas and Mayr, 1995).Behind the shelf-margin shoal was an intraplatformal basinthat was the locus of deposition for the Ordovician strata.These strata are dominantly shallow subtidal to peritidal in


744




74

origin and comprise the Cape Clay, Christian Elv, BaumannFiord, Eleanor River, Bay Fiord, Thumb Mountain, and IreneBay formations. The change from ramp to rimmed platformis thought to be related to the change from a passive marginsetting in the Cambrian to a convergent margin in theOrdovician and the onset of upwelling currents onto the plat-form.

During latest Ordovician, the shelf margin retreated sub-stantially towards the south and southeast, forming anembayment that received mostly graptolitic shale and car-

bonates. Isolated coral-microbial banks within the embay-ment kept up with sea level rise at least until Early Siluriantime. The shelf-to-basin transition was a ramp immediatelyfollowing shelf retreat, but developed a steeper rimmed pro-file by Early Silurian time.

Neoproterozoic to Late Silurian Mineral Potential

Although the Late Devonian Zn-Pb mineralization at thePolaris deposit is hosted in Middle Ordovician strata, nomineral deposits are known to have formed in the ArcticIslands during the Middle Ordovician. SEDEX Zn-Pbdeposits occur in latest Ordovician to Early Silurian shales innortheastern Greenland, and in Early Silurian shales in theSelwyn Mountains, Yukon, and Northwest Territories. Thedeposit at Citronen Fiord on northern Greenland (van der Stijl and Mosher, 1998) occurs as a stratiform massive sul-

phide deposit at least 3 km long and 500 m wide with aresource of about 20 million tonnes of 7% Zn in theAmundsen Land Group (correlative with the Cape PhillipsFormation in the Arctic Islands). The Howard’s Pass depositin the Selwyn Mountains contains a drill-indicated resourceof 59 million tonnes grading 2.1% Pb and 5.4% Zn (seeGoodfellow and Jonasson, 1983).

Basinal strata of Silurian age on northeast EllesmereIsland have small pyrite-rich zones (Harrison et al., 1999a)

and on Melville Island have elevated zinc and phosphate val-ues (showing 4 of Harrison, 1995). Limited exploration onMelville Island (Noakes, 1998), Bathurst Island (Anglin andHarrison, 1999), and central Ellesmere (Gibbins, 1985)failed to find significant showings.

Ordovician-Silurian Intracratonic Basins

Large intracratonic basins in Hudson Bay and Foxe Basinformed at the same time as the passive to convergent marginin the Arctic Islands. The stratigraphic section of the HudsonBay Basin consists of about 2500 m of Ordovician, Silurian,and Devonian rocks, with some probable Cretaceous rocksin the centre of Hudson Bay. The basin is roughly circular,with a diameter of 500 km. Strata are exposed on surface in

northeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, and onSouthampton Island at the north end of Hudson Bay(Sanford et al., 1993). The potential for MVT deposits isvery low because the stratigraphic section is very thin, it hasvery low thermal maturity, and there are no reportedhydrothermal dolomite occurrences or Zn showings.

The Foxe Basin, located between Melville Peninsula andBaffin Island, extends onshore in southeastern Baffin Island.The Bell Arch separates it from the Hudson Bay Basin to thesouth. Paleozoic strata are also preserved in two parallelnorthwest-oriented rift systems. The northern rift is less

developed and extends across Baffin Island (Amajuak Lake)into Cumberland Sound. The southern rift system, north of Southampton Island and beneath Hudson Strait and FoxeChannel, also contains Mesozoic clastic strata. This basinhas limited potential for mineral deposits as there are noidentified mechanisms for moving and focusing largeamounts of fluid.

PearyaPearya is a composite exotic terrane that was emplaced on

the northwest margin of northern Ellesmere Island and thenorthern tip of neighbouring Axel Heiberg Island, probablyduring the Late Silurian (Trettin, 1987). Pearya is divisibleinto five successions (see Fig. 3). The first is a lateMesoproterozoic - early Neoproterozoic crystalline base-ment consisting of granitoid gneiss with minor amounts of schist, amphibolite and metasedimentary rocks. The secondsuccession is metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanicrocks. The third succession consists of rift-related and pas-sive margin sediments and minor mafic and siliceous vol-canics ranging in age from late Proterozoic to latestCambrian or early Ordovician. These units are followed bycarbonate and shale, mafic volcanics, and ultramafic-maficcomplexes, of probable Early to Middle Ordovician age,which appear to have been thrust over parts of the third suc-cession during the mid-Ordovician M’Clintock Orogeny.The fifth succession comprises upper Middle Ordovician toUpper Silurian sedimentary and volcanic strata that uncon-formably overlap the fourth succession and parts of the thirdsuccession.

Pearya has the potential for a variety of mineral deposits, but the area has been of little interest to industry because itis accessible only by aircraft or icebreaker, and because a

National Park was established over most of its extent in1988. An assessment of metallic mineral potential by

Sangster (1981) identified potential for Zn, Cu, and Audeposits within the area of the park.

Late Silurian to Middle Devonian Boothia Uplift

Vertical movement along a 450 km long and 130 km wide,north-south oriented intracratonic uplift running fromBoothia Peninsula to Grinnell Peninsula is termed theBoothia Uplift. The Boothia Uplift was active from the LateSilurian to Middle Devonian (Givetian) and affected both thePrecambrian basement and the lower Paleozoic sequence.The southern segment (Boothia Peninsula, eastern Prince of Wales, and Somerset Island) contains the lower structurallevel, which is characterized by faulted basement rocks. Thenorthern segment of the uplift (Cornwallis Island, Grinnell

Peninsula, eastern Bathurst Island) contains the upper struc-tural level, which is characterized by broad synclines andnarrow, evaporite-cored anticlines (Kerr, 1977;Thorsteinsson, 1986; Okulitch et al., 1991; de Freitas andMayr, 1993; Mayr et al., 1998, 2004). Although noPrecambrian rocks are exposed north of Barrow Strait, air-

borne magnetic and gravity geophysics surveys show thatthe north-south basement trend continues north of BarrowStrait as far as Cornwallis Island (Miles et al., 2000a,b).

Mapping and gravity surveys indicate westerly directedthrust faults in both Precambrian and Paleozoic strata(Berkhout, 1973; Mortensen and Jones, 1986). Miall (1986)



and Okulich et al. (1986; 1991) suggested a link to LateSilurian to Middle Devonian Caledonian contraction onGreenland, with which the Boothia Uplift is roughly syn-chronous. Several Upper Silurian – Lower Devonian con-glomerate units record the beginning of the Boothia Uplift(Miall and Gibling, 1978; Thorsteinsson and Uyeno, 1980;Muir and Rust, 1982; de Freitas and Mayr, 1993; Mayr et al.,1998).

No mineral showings are known from strata related to theBoothia Uplift, although structures created during this eventappear to have acted as channels for fluids during the LateDevonian mineralizing event in the Polaris District (Dewinget al., 2006).

Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous EllesmerianOrogeny

By early Middle Devonian time, the effects of plate con-vergence were widespread over most of the Arctic Islands.Shallow-marine and nonmarine syntectonic clastic rockswere deposited in a foreland basin adjacent to a southeast-ward- and southward-advancing deformation front. Theforeland basin was subsequently folded and faulted by theadvancing orogenic front. In the Arctic Islands, the youngest

preserved strata are of Famennian age. This MiddleDevonian to earliest Carboniferous continent-continent col-lision is known as the Ellesmerian Orogeny (Thorsteinssonand Tozer, 1970).

East-west-trending folds that resulted from theEllesmerian Orogeny characterize Melville and Bathurstislands (Parry Islands Fold Belt) and southern EllesmereIsland (central Ellesmere Fold Belt). Harrison (1995)demonstrated, using mapping and stratigraphic studies aswell as drilling and reflection seismic surveys, that thick units of evaporites and shale profoundly influenced the styleof contractional tectonics within the thin-skinned Parry

Islands Fold Belt on Melville Island. He documented twomain phases of the Ellesmerian Orogeny on Melville Island;a first phase of long-wavelength folding above the evaporitedécollement layer, and a second phase of sinistral transpres-sive compression that created deep-seated folds oblique tothe trend of the surface folding.

The easternmost portion of the Parry Islands Fold Belt,located on eastern Bathurst Island, intersects and overlapsthe north-trending Boothia Uplift. Boothia structures werereactivated during Ellesmerian deformation and this area ischaracterized by dramatic interference structures (Harrisonet al., 1993; Harrison and de Freitas, 1999), and by a pro-nounced, structurally disharmonic relationship betweenfolds above and below the detachments of the Bay Fiord

Formation evaporite (Fox, 1985). Structures in the higher levels belong to the east-striking Parry Islands Fold Belt,whereas structures present below the detachment belong tothe north-striking Boothia Uplift (Fox, 1985). The main partof the Boothia Uplift was interpreted to act as a buttress dur-ing south-directed Ellesmerian deformation, although Jober (2005), and Henrichsen (2003) demonstrated localized inter-ference folding within lower Paleozoic rocks on CornwallisIsland. Ellesmerian structures do not occur south of BarrowStrait (Okulitch et al., 1991).

Late Devonian Sandstone Uranium Potential

Gregory et al. (1961) reported on aerial radiometric pro-files on Bathurst and Melville islands, including a Devoniansandstone sample yielding 30 ppm uranium. Embry andKlovan (1976) discuss the potential for sandstone-hosteduranium within the clastic wedge that formed in front of theEllesmerian Orogen and noted anomalously high gamma rayvalues in the Weatherall Formation around the 550 m depth(1775-1826 ft) in the Winter Harbour No. 1 well. Uranium(as well as gold) paleo-placer potential was noted by Anglinand Harrison (1999) on western Bathurst Island and adjacentsmaller islands, particularly in areas underlain by the upper

part of the Hecla Bay Formation.

Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous Zn-Pb MississippiValley-Type Potential

The Polaris deposit and other showings in the Polaris dis-trict formed during the waning stages of the EllesmerianOrogeny or first stages of the opening of the Sverdrup Basin(Dewing et al., 2006). Because Zn-Pb showings are commonin the Polaris District, there should be potential for similar

carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb elsewhere in the Arctic Islands. Zn-Pb showings occur in Silurian carbonates on centralEllesmere Island (Harrison, 1984; Gibbins, 1985; de Freitaset al., 1995) and in Ordovician carbonates on Melville Island(Harrison, 1995), but neither area has been subject to inten-sive industry exploration. The young age for mineralization(post-Ellesmerian folding and related to transpression and/or orogenic collapse at the terminal stages of the EllesmerianOrogeny) in the Polaris District (Dewing et al., 2006) indi-cates that the bounding faults of grabens and half grabenswith Carboniferous fill on Melville and Bathurst islands, aswell as on the Grinnell Peninsula are prospective, but havereceived limited prospecting. Other areas of interest are 1)the large lineament that underlies northern and central

Victoria Island (see section on Cu mineralization in theShaler Supergroup, above); 2) a lineament that follows thetrend of the Bathurst Fault Zone has never been prospectedwhere it intersects lower Paleozoic strata, although fluorite(Gibbins et al., 1986) and anomalous till chemistry (Nixon,1988; Sharpe, 1992) have been reported; 3) the earliestOrdovician Cape Clay Formation on northeast EllesmereIsland has Zn-Pb showings (Harrison et al., 1999a) but theunit has not been widely prospected on Ellesmere Island or elsewhere (e.g. Devon Island or the correlative Turner CliffsFormation on northern Baffin Island). Copper mineralizationon Somerset Island and the Grinnell Peninsula within thePolaris District are described by Dewing et al. (2006).

Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous Zn-Pb-Ag-Au Vein Potential

There are three types of Zn-Pb showings on NE EllesmereIsland (Harrison et al., 1999a). From basin to platform theseare 1) carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag-Au-Cu (Sb-As) quartzveins; 2) Zn-Pb-Fe showings close to the shelf margin; and3) carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb showings in platformal strata.The three types are mineralogically, stratigraphically, andspatially distinct but they show enough geochemical similar-ities that a common event can be postulated for their origin.


746





Sverdrup Basin intersect the north-easterly trending rifted margin of the Canada Basin.

Subsequent to the Aptian (EarlyCretaceous), deposition on thenewly formed continental marginoutstripped that in the SverdrupBasin.

Sverdrup Mineral Potential

Redbeds of the CarboniferousCanyon Fiord Formation onMelville Island have stratabound

pyrite and copper sulphide occur-rences reminiscent of continentalredbed copper occurrences else-where (Harrison, 1995). Industryexploration failed to find any com-mercially significant mineralization(Rees, 1999).

Low-grade, sediment-hosted ura-

nium has been reported byJonasson and Dunsmore (1979) inCarboniferous limestone brecciasadjacent to evaporite diapirs onEllef Rignes Island. Anecdotal reports, by GeologicalSurvey of Canada field officers, of iron sulphide occurrencesadjacent to evaporite-cored domes on Ellef Rignes and AxelHeiberg islands (Fig. 8) have also been recorded.

Flood basalts of Early Cretaceous age likely had a mantle plume origin (Fig. 9, Harrison et al., 1999b). This, alongwith the presence of evaporites and black shale in theSverdrup Basin has led Williamson (2000) to speculate onthe high potential for Noril’sk-style Ni-Cu-PGE in the east-ern Sverdrup Basin. No exploration for this target type has

been undertaken.Jurassic to Tertiary Arctic Continental Margin

Four cratonic basins developed southwest of the SverdrupBasin starting in the mid-Jurassic in response to rifting in theArctic Ocean. These basins are roughly elliptical in mapview and have gently inwardly dipping strata. These basinscontinued to develop until the Early Cretaceous when theywere covered by the sedimentary prism of the continentalmargin (Harrison and Brent, 2005). The largest of these

basins forms a north-south trending belt of rocks through thecentral portions of Banks Island and small extensions to boththe north and south of the island.

The Arctic Continental Margin is represented onshore by

a narrow strip of sediments that extends from Banks Islandto Meighen Island. Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene sedi-ments unconformably overly strata of the Sverdrup Basin.The wedge continues for about 175 km northwest across thecontinental shelf and seismic refraction studies north of AxelHeiberg Island reveal a 10 km thick sedimentary successionon the outer shelf.

Deposition of Kanguk Formation shale in the LateCretaceous reflects the flooding of continental margins dur-ing a worldwide sea-level rise. The Eureka Sound Group,consisting of poorly consolidated, fine- to coarse-grained

sandstones having abundant coal, was deposited in alluvial,deltaic, and estuarine settings. These range in age fromCampanian or Maastrichtian to mid-Eocene (Harrison et al.,1999b).

Ruzicka (1977) and Jefferson et al. (1988) identified the potential for roll-front, sandstone-hosted uranium in theIsachesen, Christopher, and bentonite-bearing Kanguk for-mations. No systematic exploration has yet been undertakenfor this deposit type.

Tertiary Eurekan OrogenyThe final stage of the development of the geology of the

Arctic Islands resulted from Early Paleogene widening of thenorth Atlantic and the rotation and translation of Greenlandaway from North America. Rotation of Greenland initiallycaused widespread extension across the Arctic Islands includ-ing the development of a failed rift arm underlying Lancaster Sound and grabens containing Tertiary strata on Somerset,Cornwallis, Devon, and Bylot islands (Stewart, 1987;Thorsteinsson and Mayr, 1987; Okulitch and Trettin, 1991).

Extension was followed in the Eocene by translation andcompression as Greenland moved north and west relative to

North America. This compressive event is termed theEurekan Orogeny (Okulitch and Trettin, 1991; Harrison et

al., 1999b). Deformation generated long wavelength foldsand reactivated salt diapirs. Folding extended as far west asPrince Patrick Island (Harrison and Brent, 2005). Folds andthrusts related to the Eurekan Orogeny also occur onBathurst and Melville islands as well as the GrinnellPeninsula of Devon Island.

Northeast-trending, Cretaceous tholeiitic dykes and sills(Osadetz and Moore, 1988) and Lower Cretaceous tholeiiticvolcanic flows (Embry and Osadetz, 1988) occur on AxelHeiberg Island and western and northwestern EllesmereIsland. Igneous rocks of Eocene age crop out on southeast-


748

Oceanic crust

Mafic volcanicsca.125-95 Maoffshore, onshore

Jurassic-Cretaceousrift basins

WABS area

Lomonosov Ridge

NA-Greenland Plate

Surprise swarm

Queen Elizabethswarm

Dyke swarms: ca 125-95 Ma

Alpha Ridgeca.125-95 Ma

Canada Basinsea floor:135-118 Ma

N e o g e

n e s h

e l f

w e d g

e

N e o g e

n e s l o p e

a n d r i s e

Baffin Basin62-34 Ma

Baff in shelf

basins <105 Ma

Banks, Eglintonbasins

175-50 Ma

Selected Cretaceous and younger features, Canadian Arctic

200 km

92°W

92°W116 ° W

7 5 ° N

7 5 ° N

116 ° W

FIGURE 9. Sverdrup Basin showing the distribution of volcanic rocks. Dyke swarms after Buchan and Ernst(2004); Baffin Bay: Chalmers and Pulvertaft (2001).




74

N W T

N U

N A V U T

NWT

NUNAVUT

400 KM

70o

70o

100

110120130

80

80

60o

ooo

o

o

75o

75o

75o

75o

o

70o

70o

SVERDRUP BASIN

ARCHEAN-PALEOPROTEROZOIC

RIFT-RELATED BASINS

FRANKLINIAN MOBILE BELT ARCTIC PLATFORM

Thrust-fold belts inforeland and platform strata

Undeformed craton cover

CRETACEOUS, TERTIARY Igneous rocks

JURASSIC - EOCENE

PEARYA TERRANE MID-PROTEROZOIC - SILURIAN

CARBONIFEROUS - EOCENE

CAMBRIAN - DEVONIAN NEOPROTEROZOIC - DEVONIAN

ARCTIC CONTINENTAL TERRACE WEDGE MOSTLY NEOGENE sands and gravels at surface

Folded belts in volcanic,deep water strata

Folded belts indeep water strata

Crystalline “basement” (3.3-1.7 Ga)

Onshore, offshore Onshore, offshore

MID-PROTEROZOIC

CANADA-GREENLAND SHIELD

Basins and craton cover (~1.6-0.9 Ga)

Onshore, offshore

Onshore, offshore

Onshore, offshore

Onshore, offshore

Onshore, offshoreOnshore,offshore

Onshore,offshore

Onshore, offshore

Diapir U

CuNi-PGE

S a n d s

t o n e

US a n d s t o n e U

MVT Zn-Pb

Cu

SEDEX Zn-Pb

M V T & S E D E X Z n - P b

U n c o n f o r m i t y U

S E D E X Z

n - P b

Z n - P b - A g - A u

v e i n

s

Ni-PGE

Diapir U

Z n - P b

Z n - P b ?

FIGURE 10. Prospective areas for mineral exploration in the Arctic Islands.



ern Bathurst Island and Grinnell Peninsula, indicating thatstructures related to Eurekan Orogeny rifting locally extendto the mantle (Mitchell and Platt, 1984). The small size andareal extent of these volcanics limits the potential for

Noril’sk-type Ni-PGE.

Knowledge Gaps

The Arctic Islands have been under represented by min-

eral exploration due in large part to the remoteness, high costof transportation and drilling, short exploration season, andlack of infrastructure. The feasibility of developing a depositis also lessened by the high costs of fuel, drilling, aircraft,and labour, along with the short shipping season and envi-ronmental sensitivities. These factors likely outweigh thegaps in geoscience knowledge in continuing to limit mineralexploration. The Arctic Islands do, however, present someopportunities: 1) the Arctic Islands are poorly explored, sothe chance of a new, near-surface discovery is probablyhigher than in southern regions; 2) the lack of vegetationallows rapid assessment of areas using hyperspectral sur-veys; 3) base and precious metal exploration can likely

piggy-back on exploration for high-value commodities, suchas diamonds, oil, and gas. There are several key geosciencegaps that could encourage future exploration:• Airborne potential field geophysics.• Geological mapping of poorly known areas such as

Victoria Island and southern-central Ellesmere.• Prospecting, geochemical and alteration studies and

detailed mapping of specific targets such as theSverdrup basin volcanics, Somerset-Brodeur-northBaffin copper trend, Victoria Island copper, and sand-stone-hosted uranium.

• Continuing digital compilation of information to enabletopography, bedrock, and surficial mapping, as well ascomprehensive assessment files.

Conclusion

The Arctic Islands present a challenging explorationarea, but one with a potentially large pay-off. Sediment-hosted Zn-Pb and sediment-hosted Cu have proven potentialand lower geological risk, but these targets have received atleast one round of exploration. Ni-PGE targets have higher geological risk, but are generally poorly explored, especiallywithin the Sverdrup Basin. Sandstone-hosted and diapir-related uranium have received next to no exploration in theArctic Islands and thus have unknown potential (see Fig. 10for summary).

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Robert Sharp, Michael Gunning, andVictoria Yehl, for the many discussions about Arctic geol-ogy. Comments and suggestions by Wayne Goodfellow andreviewers Cameron Allen and Hamish Sandeman greatlyimproved the paper.

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Documents

Geological History, Mineral Occurrences and Mineral Potential of the Sedimentary Rocks of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago