Project Metadata

Operation Bear-Slave is a regional, helicopter-supported, geochemical survey of some 36,000 square miles of the central parts of the Bear and Slave structural provinces of the Canadian Shield.  In 1971, a pilot study was carried out in 8 areas to first test geochemical methods.  The main field operation was carried out in 1972 when near-shore, inorganic, silty lake sediment and surface lake water sample media were collected at a site density of one per ten square miles.

In 1973, follow-up studies were conducted in the eastern part of the Slave Province.  This follow-up work identified base metal anomalies in the drainage systems of the Agricola Lake area, so in 1974 detailed geological, geophysical and geochemical studies were carried out there.

As a follow up to Operation Bear-Slave, lake water samples were collected in the High Lake District and the Takijuq Lake (formerly Takiyauk) area in 1975.  Seasonal lake water sampling was carried out in the Agricola Lake area in the same year.

The following Geological Survey of Canada reports have been published:

 

Year of Field Work	Description	GSC Publication
1971	summary of pilot studies; some small element distribution maps	Open File 89
1972	content in lake sediments of selected elements	Preliminary Maps 9-1972 to 15-1972
1972	sample locations	Preliminary Map 16-1972
1972	summary of the work	Paper 72-50
1972	digital release of entire data set	Open File 2239
1973	follow-up studies	Paper 74-27 Open File 175 Paper 74-1A
1974	Agricola Lake: lake water, soil, rocks	Paper 75-1A, p. 189-192 + p. 199 -207
1975	High Lake Agricola Lake (seasonal) Takijuq Lake	GAS File 033 GAS File 034 GAS File 035

 

 

Geological Survey of Canada