The Northwest Territories Geological Survey, in association with the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, hopes you are enjoying the 2020 NWT & Nunavut Geoscience Symposium and welcomes you to view presentations until
Monday May 31, 2021.
Continuing Collaborative Geoscience Research in Northern Canada
Presenter: Michel Plouffe
GEM-GeoNorth is the next version of the Geo-Mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM). The new program will continue to enhance geological understanding of Canada’s North, focusing on areas with high potential for critical minerals and other mined commodities.
Geochemical Considerations in Mine Waste Management Processes for Sustainable Mine Operation and Closure
Presenter: Valérie Bertrand
Successful mine site closure is rooted in early planning. This is crucial in the design and implementation of a robust mine waste and water management plan
Northwest Territories Mining Incentive Program: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Apply as an Individual
Presenter: Landen Powell
The Northwest Territories (NWT) Mining Incentive Program (MIP) provides funding to prospectors and mineral exploration companies to carry out mineral exploration projects in the NWT.
Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations (OROGO) Regulatory Update
Presenter: Pauline de Jong
OROGO holds regulatory responsibility for oil and gas operations in the onshore Northwest Territories outside of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and federal areas.
The NWT Royalty Regime: An Introduction and Evaluation of Its Competitiveness
Presenter: Hendrik Falck
The transfer of responsibility for the management of land and resources to the GNWT in 2014 included the administration of the NWT royalty regime.
Wildlife Management and Monitoring Plans: What Do Developers Need to Know?
Presenter: Andrea Patenaude
A Wildlife Management and Monitoring Plan, or WMMP, is an important tool for the protection and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat.
The Growing Importance of TK and IQ in Environmental Approvals for Mining Projects in the North
Presenter: Joanna Vince & Raeya Jackiw
Northern land claims and legislation require traditional knowledge
Pingo Distribution, Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula Region, Western Canadian Arctic
Presenter: Stephen Wolfe
Pingos are an integral part of the permafrost landscape of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula region.
Hydrothermal Regime of Riparian Systems in Continuous Permafrost, Western Canadian Arctic
Presenter: Timothy Ensom
In permafrost regions the movement of water in riparian systems during winter has important implications for hydrology, land use, and infrastructure.
Long-Term Monitoring of Permafrost Temperature, Active Layer Thickness and Surface Settlement in the Mackenzie Valley, NWT
Presenter: Caroline Duchesne
A permafrost and active layer monitoring network, established in the Mackenzie Valley and Delta (NWT) by the Geological Survey of Canada, has been maintained since the 1980s.
Community Hazard Mapping: One Step Short of What Is Actually Needed
Presenter: Robin McKillop
Many communities in northern Canada do not have hazard maps to inform planning-level decisions regarding existing and proposed land use and infrastructure.
Resiliency Assessments of Adfreeze Pile Foundations Supporting Government of the Northwest Territories’ Buildings
Presenter: Ed Hoeve
An office-based assessment of the anticipated future integrity of adfreeze steel pipe pile foundations of selected Government of the Northwest Territories buildings was conducted.
Estimation of Maximum Lake Depth from the Surrounding Topography; towards a Regional Assessment of the Occurrence of Taliks below Arctic Lakes
Presenter: Anne-Marie LeBlanc
Open taliks, areas of unfrozen ground, are mainly found beneath large and deep lakes that do not freeze to their bottom.
Modeling Contaminant and Nutrient Transport in Permafrost-Affected Groundwater Systems
Presenter: Aaron Mohammed
Understanding the impacts of permafrost freeze-thaw dynamics on groundwater flow and solute transport is imperative to quantify terrestrial feedbacks to climate change
Ground Ice Map of Canada
Presenter: Brendan O’Neill
We present new national-scale mapping of ground ice conditions in Canada, a product of Natural Resource Canada’s Climate Change Geoscience Program.
The Thermokarst Environments of Northwestern Canada
Presenter: Steven Kokelj
Thermokarst is the geomorphic manifestation of permafrost thaw. The first systematic aerial inventory and characterization of thaw-sensitive permafrost terrain was initiated for Northwest Territories
Infrastructure Implications from Intensified Permafrost Thaw-Driven Mass Wasting
Presenter: Ashley Rudy
The Dempster Highway connects the communities of the Beaufort Delta region, Northwest Territories (NWT) to southern Canada.
Permafrost Information Network (PIN) – Increasing the Accessibility of Permafrost Data
Presenter: Sharon Smith
Knowledge of thermal and geotechnical properties of subsurface materials is critical for planning infrastructure development and adaptation to climate change in permafrost regions.
Relict Basal Ice from the Laurentide Ice Sheet Near Lac de Gras, Slave Geological Province, N.W.T., Canada
Presenter: Stephan Gruber
A 2015 drilling campaign of the Slave Province Surficial Materials and Permafrost Study near Lac de Gras has recovered permafrost core interpreted to contain preserved basal ice of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.
Geomorphic Feature Mapping along the Dempster Highway and Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Corridor, Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada
Presenter: Wendy Sladen
Thaw of ice-rich permafrost can reduce ground stability, modify terrain, and alter drainage patterns, affecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
The Effect of Deglacial Meltwater Processes on Kimberlite Indicator Mineral Concentrations in Glacial Sediments
Presenter: Patrick DesRosiers
The purpose of this project is to quantify the effects of deglacial meltwater on kimberlite indicator mineral concentrations in meltwater corridor sediments.
Orphaned Indicator Mineral Dispersals; Solving Old Problems with a New Perspective
Presenter: Bob Janzen
The number of kimberlite discoveries in the Slave Geological Province has decreased over the last decade.
The Application of Multivariate Statistical Analysis in Biogeochemical Exploration at the Yellowknife City Gold Project, NWT, CA
Presenter: Zohreh Ghorbani
The Yellowknife City Gold (YCG) Property located in the Northwest Territories, occurs within the Yellowknife Greenstone Belt, which contains significant gold deposits.
Surficial Geology, Glacial History and Bedrock Investigation in the Dessert Lake Drumlin Field, Northwest Territories
Presenter: Philippe Normandeau
Surficial geology mapping and glacial history reconstruction are essential to drift prospecting, and also support infrastructure development
NWT Mineral Exploration and Mining Overview
Presenter: Barrett Elliott
Despite the challenges associated with working during a global pandemic, mining and mineral exploration continued in the Northwest Territories (NWT).
Diamonds and Gold in Mesoarchean Pebble Conglomerates from the Northern Slave Craton and Their Implications for Craton Evolution
Presenter: Suzette Timmerman
When, and to what extent, Earth’s cratons became underpinned by thick lithospheric mantle roots capable of hosting diamonds is one of the most controversial aspects of Archean geology and geodynamics.
Nunavut 2020 Exploration and Mining Overview – Navigating a New Normal
Presenter: Matthew Senkow
2020 has been a challenging year for exploration and mining proponents in Nunavut. A modest decrease in exploration spending was forecast.
Kinematics and Timing of Shear Zones in the Nonacho Lake Area: Preliminary Results
Presenter: Rebecca Canam
The Nonacho Lake area located along the western margin of the Rae craton in the southeastern Northwest Territories consists of the ca. 1.91-1.82 Ga siliciclastic Nonacho Group interpreted to have been deposited
An Examination of the Geomorphology and Sediment Texture of the Exeter Lake Esker
Presenter: Grayson Bilak
The Exeter Lake Esker (ELE) extends across the Northwest Territories from Dubawnt Lake to Exmouth Lake and, sampling led to the discovery of the Lac de Gras kimberlite field.
Fluid Characterization of Ore Bearing Fluids at the Giant Mine and Quyta-Bell Gold System in the Yellowknife Greenstone Belt, Northwest Territories, Canada
Presenter: Baykan Aksu
The Yellowknife greenstone belt (YGB), located in the Northwest Territories, is an Archean tectonic province that hosts numerous gold occurrences including the world-class Con and Giant deposits near Yellowknife Bay.
Controls on Tungsten Fertility at Cantung: Does Tungsten Mineralization Require a Specific Melt Protolith and/or Mantle Input?
Presenter: Vanessa Elongo
The Tombstone-Tungsten Belt (TTB) in the Canadian Cordillera is host to large tungsten deposits. The Cantung skarn deposit is one of the highest grade tungsten deposits in the TTB and is hosted in carbonate units surrounded by argillites.
Cu Isotopes in the Canadian Sub-Cratonic Lithospheric Mantle – a First Look
Presenter: Janina Czas
Copper isotope ratios are an important tool in tracing the sources and pathways of base metal forming fluids in the crust.
Preliminary Classification and Origin of the Salkeld Lake Cu-Ag Occurrence, Nonacho Basin, NWT
Presenter: Anna Terekhova
At the Salkeld Lake (Nonacho Basin, NWT) showing, stockwork- and shear-style Cu-Ag±Mo-Pb-Zn mineralization cross-cuts quartz-rich granitic gneiss, quartzite and alkali feldspar granite.
Paragenesis and Ore-Forming Fluids at Pine Point
Presenter: Matthew Steele-MacInnis
Pine Point is a major carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposit, but key questions remain regarding its formation.
Geophysical Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Survey, Itchen Lake and Point Lake Area, Northwest Territories
Presenter: Asif Mirza
During the winter of 2019, an airborne high-resolution magnetic survey in the Itchen Lake and Point Lake area was flown for the Northwest Territories Geological Survey (NTGS) by EON Geoscience Inc.
Nonacho Bedrock Mapping Project: Overview of the 2019-2020 Thematic Research in Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Provenance Analysis
Presenter: Jade H. Lockie
The Paleoproterozoic Nonacho Basin remains an enigmatic sedimentary unit in the south-western portion of the Rae craton
Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Focused Mapping Initiative, Slave Craton, Northwest Territories
Presenter: Bernadette Knox
The Northwest Territories Geological Survey (NTGS) volcanogenic massive sulfide initiative continues to map greenstone belts of the Slave craton in areas of elevated resource potential.
High-Resolution Mapping of Glacial Landscapes in Central Mainland Nunavut Using ArcticDEM Data and Landsat 8 Imagery
Presenter: Isabelle McMartin
A new glacial geomorphology map covers 415 000 km2 in a core region of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in Nunavut.
Bedrock Mapping, U-Pb Geochronology, Metallogeny, Sedimentology and Structural Evolution Studies of the Western Margin of the Rae Craton, Nonacho Lake Area (NTS 75F), Northwest Territories
Presenter: Edith Martel
The Northwest Territories Geological Survey completed the third field season of a multidisciplinary geoscience project in the Nonacho Lake area, 300 km southeast of Yellowknife.
Characterizing Uranium Mineralization in the Nonacho Basin, NWT
Presenter: Kerstin Landry
Two styles of U mineralization are associated with the Nonacho Basin: early U of the Hope Occurrence (northern basin) is disseminated in quartz-biotite-albite basement breccia, whereas later vein-hosted
Indicators of Gold Mineralization in the Yellowknife Greenstone Belt: A Lithogeochemistry and Mineralogy Study
Presenter: Laurén Langlois
In this study we aim to identify elements that can act as geochemical indicators within the Yellowknife greenstone belt that allow the discrimination of mineralized structures.
Bedrock Mapping and Lithogeochemistry of Mafic Volcanic Rocks, Winter Lake Greenstone Belt, Slave Craton
Presenter: Dawson Stone
The Archean Winter Lake greenstone belt (WLB) is located in the western part of the Slave craton ~250 km north-northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Rates and Mechanisms of Bastnaesite Dissolution in Near-Surface Conditions at the Nechalacho Deposit, NWT
Presenter: Adriana Taylor
Canada does not currently produce rare earth elements (REE) but does contain resources.
Stability of Cantung Mine Tailings under Simulated Dry Stack Conditions
Presenter: Allison Surrette
Dry stack or filtered tailings is a relatively new method of tailings storage that is gaining popularity because it eliminates the need for conventional tailings dams.
Remobilization of Legacy Arsenic Contamination in Yellowknife Bay Sediments: Field and Laboratory Measurements of Arsenic Fluxes
Presenter: John Chételat
Yellowknife Bay, on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, received loadings of arsenic from gold mining during the 20th century.
Why Did the Caribou Cross the Road? Preliminary Results on the Relationship between Barren-Ground Caribou and Winter Roads
Presenter: Angus Smith
A number of populations of barren-ground caribou in Northern Canada are declining at alarming rates. Circumpolar declines in Rangifer have been attributed in part to increasing levels of human development.
Characterization of Arsenic and Antimony Minerals in Yellowknife Bay Sediments
Presenter: Katrina Paudyn
A sediment sampling program was conducted in Yellowknife Bay with the objective of characterizing arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) mineralogy
Changes in Water Quality as an Indicator of Permafrost Degradation Near Communities in Nunavut
Presenter: Michelle Blade
Permafrost warming is projected to continue throughout this century, with active layer depths anticipated to increase up to one metre in parts of Nunavut.
Sustainable Yield Exploration for a Commercially & Recreationally Important Northern Fish Species, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), Through Data-Limited Modeling
Presenter: Hailey Chymy
Identification of stock reference points, which are valuable to management, is frequently complicated by a lack of adequate data.
Estimating Geochemical Background Concentrations of Arsenic in Soil in the Yellowknife Area
Presenter: Heather Jamieson
The estimation of geochemical background can be complex in areas impacted by point sources of atmospheric emissions due to unknowns about pollutant dispersion
Will Warmer Water Temperatures Associated with Climate Change Affect the Mobility of Arsenic from Mining-Contaminated Sediments in the Yellowknife Area, Northwest Territories?
Presenter: Brittany Astles
Lakes in the Yellowknife area (NWT) were exposed to atmospheric deposition of arsenic emissions from ore roasting at local gold mines.
Thermal Evolution of the Phanerozoic Sediments of the Southwestern Northwest Territories
Presenter: Eva Enkelmann
The Northwest Territories Geological Survey started a new project in collaboration with the University of Calgary.
Geothermal Potential of Closed Underground Mines: Con Mine Study, Northwest Territories, Canada
Presenter: Dan Ngoyo Mandemvo
Since its closure, the abandoned and flooded Con Mine has been considered as a geothermal resource.
2020-21 Activity Update – Energy Geosciences Group
Presenter: Viktor Terlaky
The Energy Geosciences group advanced work on five projects during FY 2019-20 and early FY 2020-21.
The Devonian Black Shales of Mackenzie Valley are a Valuable Repository of Information on Greenhouse-Epoch Ocean, Not Only the Shale Hydrocarbon Prospect
Presenter: Dr. Pavel Kabanov
The Phanerozoic sedimentary archives of the greenhouse condition of our planet provide valuable information on the warmer atmosphere-ocean systems unexperienced by Homo sapiens, but considered a potential for near future if the drawdown of GHG (green house gases) will fail to follow optimistic projections.
Shale Basin Analysis Project: Creating and Using Simulations to Explore the Geologic Past and Present of the Central Mackenzie Valley, NWT
Presenter: Jonathan Rocheleau
The Central Mackenzie Valley of NWT is one of the most prospective for areas for hydrocarbon resources in the territory.
Porosity Characterization, Evolution, and Controls in the Devonian Horn River Group, Central Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories
Presenter: Maya LaGrange
Despite being a valuable step in the evaluation of resource potential in prospective unconventional reservoirs, porosity in the mudstone intervals of the Horn River Group of the Central Mackenzie Valley has not yet been studied in detail.
Permafrost-related landform-sediment assemblages, Grays Bay Road corridor region, NU, and implications for climate-resilient infrastructure.
Presenter: Peter Morse
Knowledge of permafrost conditions is needed to develop climate-resilient northern infrastructure. Where present, permafrost constitutes a landscape foundation and geohazards can develop if it thaws.