Spring geochemistry: a tool for mineral exploration in the South Nahanni River Basin, NWT

• Main Author: Caron, Marie-Eve
• Other Authors: Ryan, M. Cathryn, Grasby, Stephen E.
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Calgary 2007
• Subjects: Northwest Territories; South Nahanni River; Mackenzie mountains
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/101835; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/834

Bibliography: p. 136-152 Some pages are in colour. Geochemical data from over 200 springs within the remote 37,000 kms South Nahanni River Basin of the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, were used to evaluate the economic mineral potential of the region which is proposed for a national park designation. Trace element analyses were evaluated using three different approaches (the sum of trace element concentrations as a percentage of total dissolved solids, identifying individual elevated trace elements, and the inverse use of the Ficklin Diagram). Two out of the three approaches detected the two known deposits of the area, Prairie Creek and Tungsten, but not with the same method in each case, indicating that a multi-pronged approach is best. The springs are elevated in trace elements in comparison to mineral deposit related waters around the world. Silica geothermometry determined the average depth of circulation of the springs to be 2.1 km in the warm or hot springs and ranging from 4. 7 km to less than 200 m for the entire dataset, indicative of the accessibility of the predicted mineralized zones. These simple statistical and graphing methods can identify mineralized zones quickly and efficiently in a largely under-explored area.