Preliminary geophysical interpretation of the McKeand River area, southern Baffin Island, Nunavut: insights from gravity, magnetic and geological data

• Main Authors: Tschirhart, V, St-Onge, Marc R., Weller, O. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office 2015
• Subjects: 05 - Petrology - Igneous; Metamorphic and Volcanic Studies; Amittok Lake; Baffin Island; McKeand River; Nunavut; Tive; Baffin
• Online Access: http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/3846/; http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/3846/1/Summary-of-Activities-2015-P05-Tschirhart.pdf; http://cngo.ca/summary-of-activities/2015/

The recently completed McKeand River and Amittok Lake aeromagnetic surveys on southern Baffin Island, Nunavut pro- vide a new high-resolution magnetic dataset over an area with no previous coverage. Complemented by regional gravity data, newly acquired rock-property information and geological-mapping products, the aeromagnetic dataset yields qualita- tive and quantitative information on the structure and geology of the underlying bedrock. This paper presents a preliminary interpretation of these datasets that delineates three gravimetric and five magnetic domains. The gravity data outline a broad negative anomaly associated with a plutonic-intrusive suite, as well as several isolated gravity highs associated with metasedimentary strata. Magnetic domains are defined on the basis of anomaly amplitude, wavelength and texture, and are correlated to the mapped geology and magnetic properties. Associations between potential-field anomalies, physical prop- erties and mineral occurrences help define the regional distribution of economically significant horizons.