Project Description

A multi-year geoscience program focusing on the Boothia Mainland area, and including parts of NTS map sheets 57A, 57B and 57C, was launched in 2005. Field work in the 2005 field season included 1:250 000-scale bedrock mapping in addition to local, detailed surficial mapping and ice-flow studies. The mapping follows acquisition of an aeromagnetic survey completed in March 2005 (released April 2005). In advance of the field work, a comprehensive Remote Predictive Map for the region was produced, which assisted in developing a more strategic approach to bedrock mapping. The region has significant exploration potential for diamond and precious-metal deposits.

The study area includes part of the north-central Rae domain of the Northwest Churchill Province. The bedrock geology can be broadly divided into three main lithologic associations including: 1) supracrustal rocks of presumed Archean age and possibly equivalent to the Prince Albert Group, 2) variably deformed and metamorphosed metaplutonic rocks that intrude the aforementioned supracrustal rocks and dominate the bedrock geology of the region, and 3) rare occurrences of a marble - quartzite dominated succession provisionally interpreted to be Paleoproterozoic and tentatively correlated with the Chantrey Group. The Archean supracrustal rocks form narrow, northeast striking and highly dismembered belts consisting mainly of psammite, semi-pelite, metabasite, local ultramafic horizons, and sulphide-bearing (lean) iron formation. The metaplutonic rocks, inferred to be late Archean, are dominated by biotite +/- hornblende monzogranite, but are polyphase and range in composition from diorite to syenogranite. The state of strain varies regionally; rocks are mainly massive in the southwestern part of the study area, and are strongly gneissic and highly strained in the east and north.

Metamorphic grade varies from middle to upper amphibolite facies in the southwest, to granulite facies in the north and northeast. The granulite-facies rocks are characterized by opx-cpx-grt in metaplutonic rocks, and bio-grt-sil-crd-ksp in metasedimentary rocks. In the central and southern portions of the study area, there is local prevervation of granulite assemblages, suggesting that granulate facies rocks may have been more widespread than their present distribution.

Contacts
Dr. Jim Ryan GSC (Vancouver)
Dr. Léopold Nadeau GSC (Québec)
Dr. Alana Hinchey GSC ( Ottawa ), C-NGO Post-doctoral Fellow
Dr. Donald James C-NGO
Dr. Bill Davis GSC ( Ottawa )
Dr. Rob Berman GSC ( Ottawa )

Natural Resources Canada, Boothia Peninsula Integrated Geoscience Project page.

GSC, C-NGO and BHP geologists discuss new discovery of kimberlite float by Boothia Project geologists, July 2005