Survey Metadata

Soil, Till, Vegetation, Bedrock, Indicator minerals, Selective extraction

Manitoba

1997

Multimedia survey, Operation Superior, NTS 53K, east central Manitoba, 1997.





Location map

(requires an Internet connection)



Primary Publications (see below for full list)

Index Publication
1 Fedikow, M.A.F., Nielsen, E., Conley, G.G., Matile, G.L.D. (1998). Operation Superior: multimedia geochemical survey results from the Edmund Lake and Sharpe Lake greenstone belts, northern Superior Province, Manitoba (NTS 53K). Manitoba Energy and Mines, Geological Services, Open File Report OF 98-5, 403 p. and 1 CD-ROM. ( more)

Survey Description


In 1997, humus, soil, till, vegetation and rocks were collected from the Edmund Lake and Sharpe Lake greenstone belts in east central Manitoba as part of Operation Superior.  Samples were collected on approximately 1 km centres or as dictated by access to landing sites using a float equipped helicopter.  A till pit was hand augered at each site and all other samples were collected in and around the immediate area of the till pit.

Approximately 280 humus samples were collected from beneath the moss mat that was normally removed prior to digging the till sample pit.  If the humus layer was too thin, the sample site was moved 5-10 m away from the till pit.  Care was taken to avoid any inorganic material.  Duplicate samples were collected at approximately every tenth site.

Approximately 266 B-horizon soil samples were collected from the pit dug for the till samples.  The B-horizon was isolated on a clean face of one or more walls of the pit and then scooped into a sample bag.  Care was taken not to include any organic material.  Duplicate samples were collected at every tenth site.

Till samples were collected at 152 sites from hand-dug pits to bedrock, to maximum depth of about 1 m or until the first unoxidized C-horizon till was intersected.  At each site, 0.5 kg of till was collected for geochemical analyses and an 11 L pail of till was collected for diamond indicator mineral processing.

Between June and August 1997, black spruce crown twigs were collected from each sampling site.  At most sites, the vegetation was collected within 20 m of the till pit.  The twigs were collected from the upper 45 cm of the tree.

Outcrop rock chip samples were collected after moss mats and soil were removed from the outcrop.  A total of 77 samples were collected from the Edmund Lake belt and 49 from the Sharpe Lake belt.  A representative sample consisted of 3-4 fist-sized chips.

The data are published in Manitoba Energy and Mines Open File Report OF98-5.

Kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) data are also available in Manitoba Geological Survey Open File Report OF2002-1.

The data are also part of two compilations in Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development open files OF2020-2 and OF2020-5.

Data Description:

Paper and digital.

Quantities Analysed:

<0.177 mm fraction of humus was analyzed by ICP-AES after a four-acid total digestion and by INAA.

<0.063 mm fraction of B-horizon samples was treated with a leach selective extraction and analyzed using ICP-MS.

Ashed vegetation samples were analysed by ICP-AES after an aqua regia dissolution and by INAA.

Geochem Maps Available:

Proportional dot maps showing distribution of elements in various sample media.

Other Analyses:

pH and conductivity; kimberlite indicator minerals.

Publication History

Index Publication
1 Fedikow, M.A.F., Nielsen, E., Conley, G.G., Matile, G.L.D. (1998). Operation Superior: multimedia geochemical survey results from the Edmund Lake and Sharpe Lake greenstone belts, northern Superior Province, Manitoba (NTS 53K). Manitoba Energy and Mines, Geological Services, Open File Report OF 98-5, 403 p. and 1 CD-ROM. ( more)
2 Fedikow, M.A.F., Nielsen, E., Conley, G.G., Lenton, P.G. (2002). Operation Superior: compilation of kimberlite indicator mineral survey results (1996-2001). Manitoba Industry, Trade and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File Report 2002-1, 60 p. ( more)
3 Keller, G.R., Bogdan, D.J., Matile, G.L.D. (2004). Manitoba kimberlite indicator mineral database (version 3.0). Manitoba Industry, Economic Development and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File Report 2004-25. ( more)
4 Gauthier, M.S. (2020). Manitoba till-matrix geochemistry compilation 1: silt plus clay (<63 μm) size-fraction by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File OF2020-2, 6 p. ( more)
5 Gauthier, M.S. (2020).  Manitoba till-matrix geochemistry compilation 3: clay (<2 μm) size-fraction by atomic absorption spectrometry or inductively coupled plasma–emission spectrometry after aqua-regia digestion. Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File OF2020-5, 5 p. ( more)

Project History

Index Year Project
1 1996-2001 Operation Superior, east central Manitoba, 1996-2001 ( more)
2 1996-2001 Manitoba Enzyme Leach Project, 1996-2001. ( more)
3 2020 Manitoba Till Geochemistry Compilation Project, 2020. ( more)

Geographic Extent

Minimum Latitude Maximum Latitude Minimum Longitude Maximum Longitude
54.3295° 54.8001° -94° -92.4001°

The geographic extent of the survey is defined by the following polygons:

  • Covers part of NTS 53K (Stull Lake) in the area of the Edmund Lake and Sharpe Lake greenstone belts, east central Manitoba.  It is bounded to the east by the Manitoba-Ontario border.

Keywords


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