Survey Metadata
Surface water, Lake sediment
Northwest Territories, Nunavut
1971
Lake sediment and water sampling, Operation Bear-Slave, parts of NTS 76 and 86, Nunavut and Northwest Territories, 1971-1973.
Location map
(requires an Internet connection)
Survey Description
In 1971, 176 samples of inorganic lake sediments were collected from eight areas within the Bear and Slave geological provinces in Nunavut and Northwest Territories as part of a pilot study to test geochemical methods for large scale reconnaissance surveys of the Canadian Shield. To relate the chemistry of the lake sediments to surrounding bedrock, 447 rock samples of various types were also collected from five of the eight areas.
The main field operation (Operation Bear-Slave) was carried out from June 25th to August 2nd, 1972 in an area between Great Slave and Great Bear lakes, a region covering approximately 36,000 square miles of the Canadian Shield. Near-shore lake sediment and surface lake water samples were collected at a density of 1 sample every 10 square miles. A total of 4,104 sites were sampled.
In 1973, follow-up studies were carried out in the eastern part of the Slave province. The first stage of the follow-up involved resampling lake sediments from a 1500 square mile area. The lakes were different from those sampled in 1972. The second stage involved detailed studies of certain anomalies from the 1972 sampling. Within these detailed areas (Agricola, Sanctuary, Ferric and Casey lakes – provisional names) rock and soil samples were collected in addition to lake sediments.
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 |
Following the discovery of diamonds at Lac de Gras, samples from 217 sites from NTS sheets 76B (NW quadrant) and 76D (NE quadrant) were re-analysed by INAA. The results are published in Geological Survey of Canada Open File 2578.
A more detailed summary of the sampling and analytical history is available as a separate PDF document, along with an MS Excel file listing all of the samples collected in 1972.
Sampling Procedure
The lake sediment samples came from near the shore, near islands or above reefs at water depths of 3 to 8 feet. Samples were taken using a 6-foot-long post-hole soil auger. Two water samples were collected from beneath the lake surface at each sediment site by leaning out of the helicopter while it was being held steady on the lake surface.
Publication History
| Index | Publication |
|---|---|
| 1 | Allan, R.J., Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1972). Lake geochemistry - A low sample density technique for reconnaissance geochemical exploration and mapping of the Canadian Shield. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 89. ( more) |
| 2 | Allan, R.J., Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1973). Bear-Slave Operation. In Report of Activities, Part A: April to October 1972, R.G. Blackadar (ed.). Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 73-01A, p.50-52. ( more) |
| 3 | Allan, R.J., Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1973). Lake geochemistry – a low sample density technique for reconnaissance geochemical exploration and mapping of the Canadian Shield. In Geochemical Exploration 1972, Proceedings of the Fourth International Geochemical Exploration Symposium, London, M.J. Jones (ed.), Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London, p. 131-160. ( more) |
| 4 | Allan, R.J., Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1973). Reconnaissance geochemistry using lake sediments of a 36,000-square-mile area of the northwestern Canadian Shield. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 72-50, 70 p. ( more) |
| 5 | Cameron, E.M., Allan, R.J. (1973). Distribution of uranium in the crust of the northwestern Canadian Shield as shown by lake-sediment analysis. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, v. 2, p. 237-250. ( more) |
| 6 | Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1973). Follow-up investigations on the Bear-Slave geochemical operation. In Short Papers Containing Results of Economic Interest Derived from 1973 Field Work in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 175, p. 53-65. ( more) |
| 7 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Copper content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 13-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 8 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Lake sediments samples locations, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 16-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 9 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Lead content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 11-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 10 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Manganese, iron and organic content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 12-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 11 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Nickel content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 14-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 12 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Potassium content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 15-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 13 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Uranium content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 9-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 14 | Geological Survey of Canada (1973). Zinc content of lake sediments, Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 10-1972, 3 sheets. ( more) |
| 15 | Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1974). Follow-up investigations on the Bear-Slave Geochemical Operation. In Report of Activities, Part A: April to October, 1973, R.G. Blackadar (ed.). Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 74-1A, p. 53-60. ( more) |
| 16 | Cameron, E.M., Durham, C.C. (1974). Geochemical studies in the eastern part of the Slave Structural Province, 1973. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 74-27, 22p. ( more) |
| 17 | Spirito, W.A., Durham, C.C., Cameron, E.M. (1990). Release of digital file of regional lake sediment geochemical data for the Bear-Slave Operation, District of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 2239. ( more) |
| 18 | Kjarsgaard, B., Friske, P.W.B., McCurdy, M.W., Lynch, J.J., Day, S.J., Durham, C.C. (1992). Reanalysis of selected lake sediment samples from the Bear-Slave Operation, Northwest Territories, NTS 76B (northwest) and 76D (northeast). Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 2578. ( more) |
Project History
Downloadable Files
| Index | Description | Size (bytes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
GSC Open File 2578 digital data (
FileID=1263 download
)
The data are packaged as a single zip file, compatible with modern operating systems.
|
37073 |
| 2 |
Introductory text for GSC Open File 2578 (
FileID=656 download
)
The PDF contains the introductory text (no data) for GSC Open File 2578.
|
275357 |
| 3 |
Diskette to accompany GSC Open File 2239 (
FileID=205 download
)
This ZIP file contains a copy of the data diskette originally released with GSC Open
File 2239.
|
552002 |
| 4 |
Explanatory notes for Operation Bear-Slave field and laboratory sample lists (
FileID=1917 download
)
…
|
635630 |
| 5 |
MS Excel spreadsheet of Operation Bear-Slave sample sites (
FileID=1918 download
)
…
|
133636 |
| 6 |
GAS file archive (
FileID=648 download
)
This file is an archive of geochemical data stored in the Geochemical Analysis System
(GAS) format. The ZIP file contains a readme file, the data and a user manual.
|
6574145 |
| 7 |
GAS file archive list of contents (
FileID=649 download
)
A PDF file listing the files contained in “gasfiles.zip”. The file also lists related
publications and if a survey for the data has been created in The Canadian Database
of Geochemical Surveys.
|
57064 |
| 8 |
Notes about Operation Bear-Slave data (PDF) (
FileID=904 download
)
Summary (PDF) of issues affecting the Operation Bear-Slave dataset.
|
134854 |
| 9 |
GAS File 27: introductory text, in PDF format (
FileID=1778 download
)
GAS File 27 contains the raw data for Operation Bear-Slave. The GAS File was created
in the 1970s, shortly after the samples were collected. In 1993, the file was reformatted
into a more user-friendly format, and released as GSC Open File 2239. The original
introductory text for the GAS file is presented here in PDF format, to facilitate
comparison with OF 2239.
|
21707 |
| 10 |
Map of sample locations for Operation Bear-Slave (
FileID=1779 download
)
The sample locations for Operation Bear-Slave were taken from the 1:250K maps that
were available at the time of the survey. Later maps utilised an improved geodetic
network, such that the 1973 UTM coordinates no longer plot in the correct place on
modern topographic maps. The coordinates were corrected by Louis Robertson at the
GSC. This map shows both the old and the new coordinates.
|
494803 |
| 11 |
NTS map sheet 76B (1964) (
FileID=1459 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
2872272 |
| 12 |
NTS map sheet 76C (1964) (
FileID=1460 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
2999412 |
| 13 |
NTS map sheet 76D (1964) (
FileID=1461 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
2894493 |
| 14 |
NTS map sheet 76E (1964) (
FileID=1462 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
2902076 |
| 15 |
NTS map sheet 76F (1964) (
FileID=1463 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
2573352 |
| 16 |
NTS map sheet 76G (1964) (
FileID=1464 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3018240 |
| 17 |
NTS map sheet 86A (1964) (
FileID=1465 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3961455 |
| 18 |
NTS map sheet 86B (1964) (
FileID=1466 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3232516 |
| 19 |
NTS map sheet 86C (1964) (
FileID=1467 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3296043 |
| 20 |
Diskette to accompany GSC Open File 2578 (
FileID=229 download
)
WARNING: the data on the diskette may have been packaged as a 16 bit self-extracting
executable file, which is incompatible with 64 bit Windows computers.
|
42507 |
| 21 |
NTS map sheet 86F (1964) (
FileID=1468 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3714940 |
| 22 |
NTS map sheet 86G (1964) (
FileID=1469 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3661941 |
| 23 |
NTS map sheet 86H (1964) (
FileID=1470 download
)
This map sheet was used as the base map for the 1972 Bear-Slave Operation.
|
3079125 |
Geographic Extent
| Minimum Latitude | Maximum Latitude | Minimum Longitude | Maximum Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64.5° | 66° | -118° | -106° |
The geographic extent of the survey is defined by the following polygons:
-
Covers all of NTS 76E, F, G, 86F, G, H and parts of NTS 76B, C, D, 86A, B, C in central Nunavut and Northwest Territories. It is bounded by latitudes 66° to the north and 64°30’ to the south; and by longitudes -118° to the west and -106° to the east.
Keywords
- Date modified: