MRR 20112

Natural Resources Lands, Minerals and Petroleum

Mineral Resource Report

GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW BRUNSWICK FOR 2010

Gwen L. Martin, editor 2011

Campbellton

Mineral Resource Report 2011-2

RESTIGOUCHE MADAWASKA

Bathurst
GLOUCESTER

GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW BRUNSWICK FOR 2010

New Brunswick

Edmundston

1
VICTORIA

NO

RT

M HU

BE

RL

AN

Miramichi City

Print Edition ISBN 978-1-55471-042-3 ISSN 0548-4014 Online Edition ISBN 978-1-55471-043-0 ISSN 1717-1237 CD-ROM Edition ISBN 978-1-55471-044-7 ISSN 1911-7582

RL ET ON

KENT

CA

4
QU EE NS

Moncton

Fredericton
UR Y
YORK

WESTMORLAND

Sussex
KINGS

3
CHARLOTTE

SU

NB

AL

BE

RT

SA

INT

JO

HN

Saint John

Numbers on this location map refer to papers listed in the Table of Contents on the facing page .

Cover illustration

Red conglomerate and sandstone of the Hopewell Cape Formation (Mabou Group) at Castle Cove, Hopewell Cape, in the Sackville Subbasin, southeastern New Brunswick. Photograph by Gwen L. Martin.

Figures Editing, design, layout Translation

Terry Leonard, Gwen L. Martin Gwen L. Martin Le Bureau de traduction, Ministre de lApprovisionnement et des Services du Nouveau-Brunswick (Translation Bureau, New Brunswick Department of Supply and Services) Martin, G.L. (editor). 2011. Geological investigations in New Brunswick for 2010. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Mineral Resource Report 2011-2, 146 p. Geological Surveys Branch Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources

Recommended citation

Report prepared by

Hon. Bruce Northrup Minister of Natural Resources October 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages

1 A Chemostratigraphic Assessment of Core from the

Discovery Hole of the Halfmile Lake Deep VMS Zone, Bathurst Mining Camp, Northeastern New Brunswick James A. Walker and Steven R. McCutcheon
1 1 2

149

Geological Surveys Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources MGC GeoConsulting, Bathurst, New Brunswick

Stratigraphy and Structural Relationships in the Western Sackville Subbasin of the Maritimes Basin, Southeastern New Brunswick: A Petrographic, Petrophysical, and Seismic Analysis Holly J. Stewart
Geological Surveys Branch New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources

5074

Surficial Geology Mapping in New Brunswick: Past, Present, and Future Serge Allard
Geological Surveys Branch New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources

75126

Trace-Element Values in Bedrock from the Burtts Corner Formation in the Vicinity of the Fredericksburg Basal Till Sb Anomaly, and from Adjacent Formations in the Napadogan Map Area, West-Central New Brunswick Allen A. Seaman
Geological Surveys Branch New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources

127146

ii

Frontispiece. Glacially polished Precambrian granitic bedrock, showing striae and grooves in a pit near Prince of Wales, just west of Saint John in southern New Brunswick. Photograph courtesy of Serge Allard.

A Chemostratigraphic Assessment of Core from the Discovery Hole of the Halfmile Lake Deep VMS Zone, Bathurst Mining Camp, Northeastern New Brunswick
JAMES A. WALKER 1 AND STEVEN R. MCCUTCHEON 2
Geological Surveys Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 50, Bathurst, New Brunswick, CANADA E2A 7C3 (Jim.Walker@gnb.ca) 2 MGC GeoConsulting, 1935 Palmer Dr., Bathurst, New Brunswick, CANADA E2A 4X7 (steve.mccutch@gmail.com) Walker, J.A., and McCutcheon, S.R. 2011. A chemostratigraphic assessment of core from the discovery hole of the Halfmile Lake Deep VMS Zone, Bathurst Mining Camp, northeastern New Brunswick. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2010. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Mineral Resource Report 2011-2, p. 149. ______________________________________________________________________________
1

The Halfmile Lake Deep Zone is the most recently discovered part of the Halfmile Lake volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit in the Bathurst Mining Camp, northeastern New Brunswick. It was identified in 1999 during follow-up drilling of a 3-D seismic survey by Noranda Exploration Ltd. The Deep Zone was intersected at a vertical depth of about 1100 m and is interpreted to be a downdip extension of the Halfmile Lake Upper and Lower zones. Trevali Mining Corporation presently controls the property and has published an NI 43-101-compliant inferred resource estimate of 4.83 Mt grading 6.37% Zn, 1.6% Pb, 0.15% Cu, and 17.04 g/t Ag for the Deep Zone. The Deep Zone discovery drillhole, HN99-119, was collared in rhyolite (90 m) of the Ordovician Flat Landing Brook Formation (Tetagouche Group), about 1.5 km northnorthwest of the surface exposure of the Upper Zone. The drillhole passes through the core of the Halfmile Lake Anticline, a southerly overturned, eastwest-striking F1 structure. The hole penetrates a complete stratigraphic section (540 m) of conformably underlying crystal tuffs and volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Tetagouche Group) and about 550 m of sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group). Earlier authors included these sedimentary rocks in the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. The Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the upward-facing, northern limb can be divided into five eruptive units that range in thickness from 26 m to 218 m. The present study confirms that, as with the other zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit, the Deep Zone occurs at or near the base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. However, the Deep Zone differs from the others in several respects. Oxide-facies iron formation was intersected in two drill cores at the Deep Zone in spatial association with massive sulphides but is unknown at other zones of the Halfmile Lake system. As well, the massive sulphide lens of the Deep Zone lacks breccia-matrix sulphides and stringer mineralization, indicating that this zone was deposited in a vent-distal setting; in contrast, the other zones clearly represent vent-proximal autochthonous mineralization. _________________________________________________

2
La zone profonde du lac Halfmile est la partie la plus rcemment dcouverte du gisement de sulfures massifs volcanognes du lac Halfmile, situ dans le camp minier de Bathurst, dans le Nord-Est du Nouveau-Brunswick. Elle a t dfinie en 1999 au cours dun forage de suivi dun lev sismique tridimensionnel ralis par Noranda Exploration. La zone profonde a t intercepte une profondeur verticale denviron 1 100 m et elle serait une extension en aval-pendage des zones suprieure et infrieure du gisement du lac Halfmile. Trevali Mining Corporation dtient actuellement les droits miniers de cette proprit et a dpos une estimation de la ressource minrale prsume du gisement conforme la Norme canadienne 43-101 de 4,83 Mt, dune teneur de 6,37 % de Zn, de 1,6 % de Pb, de 0,15 % de Cu et de 17,04 g/t dAg pour la zone profonde. Le trou de forage HN99-119 effectu dans la zone profonde et qui a donn lieu la dcouverte a t creus dans de la rhyolite (90 m) de la Formation de Flat Landing Brook de lOrdovicien (groupe de Tetagouche), environ 1 500 m au nord de laffleurement en surface de la zone suprieure du gisement. Le trou de forage HN99-119 traverse laxe de lanticlinal du lac Halfmile, une structure F1 dverse vers le sud et qui prsente une orientation du est vers louest. Le trou de forage a pntr une section stratigraphique complte (540 m) de tufs cristallins et de roches volcanoclastiques sous-jacents et en concordance de la Formation de Nepisiguit Falls (groupe de Tetagouche), et environ 550 m de roches sdimentaires de la Formation de Patrick Brook (groupe de Miramichi). Ces roches sdimentaires faisaient auparavant partie de la Formation de Nepisiguit Falls. La face oriente vers le haut du flanc nord de la Formation de Nepisiguit Falls peut tre rpartie en cinq units ruptives, dont lpaisseur varie entre 26 m et 218 m. Cette tude confirme qu linstar des autres zones du gisement du lac Halfmile, la zone profonde est observe la base de la Formation de Nepisiguit Falls, ou proximit. Par ailleurs, la zone profonde diffre des autres zones de plusieurs faons. Deux forages de sondage dans la zone profonde ont permis dintercepter une formation de fer facis oxyd en association spatiale avec des sulfures massifs, mais cette formation ferrugineuse est absente des autres zones du systme du lac Halfmile. En outre, les lentilles massives de la zone profonde ne contiennent pas de minralisation filonienne et de sulfures de gangue brchique, ce qui porterait croire que la sdimentation de la zone a eu lieu en prsence de chemines distales, alors que par contraste, les autres zones prsentent clairement une minralisation autochtone de chemine proximale. _________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
The Halfmile Lake volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit is located in the western part of the Bathurst Mining Camp (BMC), northeastern New Brunswick (Fig. 1), and was discovered during the Bathurst staking rush of the 1950s (McCutcheon et al. 2003). Three fairly shallow sulphide zones were identified at the Halfmile Lake deposit in that era (Table 1). They are currently referred to as the Halfmile Lake Upper, Halfmile Lake Lower, and Halfmile Lake North zones (Kempster 2001; Bellefleur et al. 2004; Trevali Mining Corporation 2011a).

6600

4745

6630

Nepisiguit Bay

Canoe Landing Lake deposit

Bathurst

SILURIAN to CARBONIFEROUS Undivided sedimentary and volcanic rocks DEVONIAN Felsic intrusions ORDOVICIAN Felsic intrusions
Bathurst Supergroup

Nine Mile Syn Brook form

4730

e ch u o m ag or et ntif T BBsA

Brunswick No.12

Fournier Group California Lake Group Tetagouche Group Sheephouse Brook Group CAMBROORDOVICIAN

Mount Fronsac North

N e pi

OSLfv

sig

uit

Ri

ve

Brunswick No. 6

Halfmile Lake

4715

Area of Figure 2

Heath Steele

Miramichi Group

Sulphide deposit deposit Massive sulphide

Area of Figure 1 Maine, USA

BMC

Bathurst

OFLB
0
4700

15 km

Miramichi Highlands BMC Bathurst Mining Camp

New Brunswick

Figure 1. Simplified geological map of the Bathurst Mining Camp, northeastern New Brunswick, showing the location of the Halfmile Lake report area (Fig. 2) and selected massive sulphide deposits. Modified from van Staal et al. (2003).

Various circumstances, including split ownership and the relatively small size of the deposit as delineated at the time, precluded mine development for many decades. However, in 1999 Noranda Exploration sought to increase the deposit resource through a deep drilling program designed to test targets identified in a 3-D seismic survey (Bellefleur et al. 2004). The discovery hole, diamond drillhole HN99-119 (Fig. 2, 3), intersected about 40 m of massive to semi-massive sulphides with additional minor stringer mineralization at a vertical depth of about 1100 m (Kempster 2001; Bellefleur et al. 2004). This fourth zonesubsequently called the Halfmile Lake Deep Zone, and the subject of the present reportcontains an NI 43-101compliant inferred resource of 4.83 Mt grading 6.37% Zn, 1.6% Pb, 0.15% Cu, and 17.04 g/t Ag (Table 2; Trevali Mining Corporation 2011a). Mireku (2001) and Mireku and Stanley (2007) have previously described the lithogeochemistry and hydrothermal alteration of the Deep Zone. The current study uses core from drillhole HN99-119 to interpret the zone's stratigraphic position in the context of present stratigraphic nomenclature for the BMC. This study also proposes a genetic model to reconcile differences in characteristics between the Deep Zone and shallower parts of the Halfmile Lake VMS system.

4
Table 1. Sulphide zones of the Halfmile Lake VMS deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp. Current Zone Name Upper Previous Zone Name A Upper AB B Lower AB Current Property Name Halfmile Lake South Halfmile Lake Central Halfmile Lake Central Halfmile Lake North Claim Group Number 1900 Old Mining License 998

Original Owner Middle River Mining (Texas Gulf Sulphur) Bay Copper Mines (Conwest Exploration) Noranda Exploration

Lower

1681

1010

Deep

1681

1010

North

Main

1850

1281

Great Sweet Grass Oils

Table 2. Resource estimates for the Halfmile Lake VMS deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp, based on a 5.0% Zn-equivalent cut-off (data from Trevali Mining Corporation 2011a). Indicated Zone Upper Lower North Total Tonnes 1,192,700 4,472,200 597,200 6,262,100 ZnEq 7.96 9.65 7.56 9.13 Inferred Zone Upper Lower Deep North Total Tonnes 156,100 1,071,000 4,825,700 25,400 6,078,200 ZnEq 8.08 9.01 6.86 7.46 7.27 % Zn 7.2 8.06 6.37 6.19 6.69 % Pb 2.64 2.76 1.6 1.55 1.83 % Cu 0.17 0.08 0.15 0.73 0.14 Ag (g/t) 6.19 38.55 17.04 6.19 20.51 % Zn 6.72 8.68 6.78 8.13 % Pb 2.31 2.81 1.4 2.58 % Cu 0.43 0.12 0.49 0.22 Ag (g/t) 16.95 37.94 4.84 30.78

PREVIOUS EXPLORATION
Because the numerous assessment reports about the Halfmile Lake area contain large volumes of data that are too extensive to present here, the following account summarizes only the more important information. For a complete list of assessment work, please refer to New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR) (2011a).

1950s to 1970s
Initial mineral exploration in the vicinity of Halfmile Lake (Fig. 1, 2) was conducted in the 1950s by Middle River Mining Company, a subsidiary of Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. At the Halfmile Lake South property, sulphide mineralization of the Upper Zone (Fig. 2, 3; Table 1) was intersected during a drilling program designed to follow up on airborne electromagnetic and soil geochemical anomalies. Middle River Mining drilled 93 holes on the property in 1955 and 1956 (Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. 1957). Lowrie (1962) reported logs and locations for five additional holes drilled on the same property by Texas Gulf Sulphur (Table 1). In 1955 Bay Copper discovered sulphide mineralization of the Lower Zone (Fig. 2, 3; Table 1) at the Halfmile Lake Central property, downdip (Fig. 3) from the Middle River Mining discovery (Conwest Exploration Co. Ltd. 1955). Conwest reported logs for 26 holes drilled on the property by Bay Copper (Conwest Exploration Co. Ltd. 1955); locations of these holes are shown on a map filed by Noranda Exploration Ltd. (Adair 1988). Texasgulf Inc. drilled nine holes on the Halfmile Lake South property in 1966 (Clayton 1967). In the mid-1970s, Texas Gulf Sulphur drilled an additional 18 holes on that property (Vukovich 1975a) and nine holes on the Halfmile Lake Central property (Vukovich 1975b; Adair 1987), having optioned the latter property from Conwest. Between 1979 and 1982, Billiton optioned the Halfmile Lake South and Halfmile Lake Central properties from Texasgulf Canada Ltd. and Conwest, drilling 38 holes between the two properties. The logs and hole locations from this drill program do not appear in the Billiton assessment reports, but the drillhole collar locations are shown on a later map filed by Noranda Exploration Ltd. (Adair 1988). In 1955 Great Sweet Grass Oils drilled 48 holes outlining a sulphide deposit (the North Zone; Fig. 2, 3) at the Halfmile Lake North property. The ground was allowed to lapse and in 1975 was acquired by Mattagami Lake Mines Ltd. (Sutherland 1975).

1980s to Present
Brunswick Mining and Smelting Corp. Ltd., a subsidiary of Noranda Exploration, acquired the Halfmile Lake North property from Mattagami Lake Mines in 1984 and optioned the Halfmile Lake Central property from Conwest Exploration in 1985. In 1987 Noranda Exploration took over management of the Halfmile Lake Central property from Brunswick Mining and Smelting (Adair 1987, 1988). In 1985 Kidd Creek Mines Ltd. (formerly Texasgulf Canada Ltd.) assessed the gold potential of gossan at Halfmile Lake South (Hassard and Gardiner 1986). In 1986 Falconbridge Ltd. acquired Kidd Creek Mines, and in 1989 it restaked the Halfmile Lake South property as Claim Group Number 1900 (Table 1; Jerome 1989). Adair reported the results of a drillhole

6 compilation for all three properties and provided logs for 31 holes drilled on the Halfmile Lake Central property (Adair 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994a). In 1992 Brunswick Mining and Smelting acquired the Halfmile Lake South property from Falconbridge. Noranda Exploration drilled 12 holes on the property that year and an additional 14 holes in 1993 (Adair 1992a, 1994b). In 1999 Noranda Exploration (which in 2006 became Xstrata Zinc Canada) discovered another, deeper sulphide body during follow-up drilling of a 3-D seismic anomaly at the Halfmile Lake Central property (Bellefleur et al. 2004). The subsequently named Halfmile Lake Deep Zone (Table 1) was intersected at a vertical depth of about 1100 m below surface and was tested by the drilling of nine new holes (including the discovery hole, HN99-119) as well as by the deepening of two previously drilled holes (Kempster 2001). In 2008 Xstrata Zinc Canada entered into a property-sharing agreement with Kria Resources Ltd. involving the entire Halfmile Lake deposit, and in April 2011 Kria became a wholly owned subsidiary of Trevali Mining Corporation. The deposit is presently controlled and being developed by Trevali Mining. Resource estimates published in February 2009 report an NI 43-101-compliant indicated resource for the three shallower zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit (i.e., excluding the Deep Zone) of 6.26 Mt grading 8.13% Zn, 2.58% Pb, 0.22% Cu, and 30.78 g/t Ag using a 5.0% Znequivalent cut-off grade (Table 2). They also report an inferred resource for the entire deposit, including the Deep Zone, of 6.08 Mt grading 6.69% Zn, 1.83% Pb, 0.14% Cu, and 20.51 g/t Ag using a 5.0% Zn-equivalent cut-off grade. Trevali Mining is presently (July 2011) constructing a production adit at the Halfmile Lake deposit and is on track to production in the third quarter of 2011. (Trevali Mining Corporation 2011b). Regularly updated information about ongoing mine development at this deposit is available on the Trevali Mining Corporation website (Trevali Mining Corporation 2011a).

REGIONAL GEOLOGY
Bathurst Supergroup
Massive sulphide deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp are hosted by submarine bimodal volcanic and intercalated sedimentary rocks of the Bathurst Supergroup, which underlies the northern Miramichi Highlands (Fig. 1). The rocks were deposited in the TetagoucheExploits back-arc basin during the Ordovician (van Staal et al. 2003). They stratigraphically overlie CambroOrdovician siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi Group that were deposited on the stable Gondwanan continental margin (van Staal and Fyffe 1991). Subsequent closure of the TetagoucheExploits basin in the Late Ordovician to Early Silurian resulted in rocks of the BMC being incorporated into an accretionary prism (the Brunswick Subduction Complex), in which polyphase deformation produced the complex tectonostratigraphic relationships recognized in the BMC today (de Roo and van Staal 1993; van Staal 1994).

7 The major tectonostratigraphic divisions of the Ordovician Bathurst Supergroup (Fig. 1) are the Sheephouse Brook, Tetagouche, California Lake, and Fournier groups (see McCutcheon et al. 1993, van Staal et al. 2003, and references therein for detailed descriptions). The Fournier Group is dominated by ocean-floor mafic volcanic rocks, whereas the more or less coeval Sheephouse Brook, Tetagouche, and California Lake groups are dominated by early felsic and later mafic volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Massive sulphide mineralization is genetically and spatially associated with the felsic volcanic rocks in all three groups. The Bathurst Supergroup contains 46 massive sulphide deposits that collectively account for a pre-mining resource of approximately 0.5 Bt of massive sulphides (Goodfellow and McCutcheon 2003). Most of these deposits are hosted by the Tetagouche Group, which in ascending stratigraphic order comprises the Nepisiguit Falls, Flat Landing Brook, Little River, and Tomogonops formations. Most deposits hosted by the Tetagouche Group, including the giant (>300 Mt) Brunswick No. 12 mine and the four sulphide zones at Halfmile Lake, are associated with the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Fig. 2, 3).

Nepisiguit Falls Formation

The Nepisiguit Falls Formation represents the first-erupted felsic volcanic rocks in the Tetagouche Group (Goodfellow and McCutcheon 2003). Two facies of this formation have been recognized in the type section at Grand Falls on the Nepisiguit River and together constitute the Grand Falls Member (Langton and McCutcheon 1993). The lower facies includes massive, medium- to coarse-grained (0.22.0 cm) quartzfeldspar crystal tuff and cryptodomes. The overlying facies contains fine- to coarse-grained, granular, reworked volcanic debris (volcaniclastic rocks and ash) sourced from the lower, massive facies. Elsewhere, rocks assigned to the Grand Falls Member have consistently yielded UPb (zircon) ages of 469 Ma to 471 Ma (Sullivan and van Staal 1996). In areas where the Grand Falls Member is absent, very fine- to fine-grained volcaniclastic rocks devoid of quartz or feldspar phenoclasts occur at approximately the same stratigraphic position as the Grand Falls Member and have a similar chemistry. These latter rocks are assigned to the Little Falls Member (Langton and McCutcheon 1993; Downey et al. 2006). MacDonald (2001) and Downey (2005) showed that the internal stratigraphy of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation is more complex than was previously described by Langton and McCutcheon (1993) and may consist of up to seven eruptive units sourced from at least two volcanic centres in the eastern part of the BMC (Downey 2005). As well, up to five eruptive units were recognized in outcrop near the nose of the Tetagouche Antiform (Fig. 1; MacDonald 2001); and between five and seven eruptive units were identified in drill cores from the western part of the BMC (McCutcheon and Walker 2007). Much of the massive sulphide tonnage in the Tetagouche Group is situated in the eastern BMC, at or near the top of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, within the Austin Brook Member. This member hosts the Brunswick No. 12 and former No. 6 mines (Fig. 1), among others, and

Mo

od

B
HN99-119 Halfmile Lake Deep Zone: projected to surface Halfmile Lake North Zone: surface trace
Halfmile Lake

HN99-123
Ch

66o1735
47o1900

Bro

ok

ief

s Pla tea u

Halfmile Lake Lower Zone: projected to surface ORDOVICIAN Tetagouche Group

Ro

ad

mile Half line Antic

Lake
Halfmile Lake Upper Zone: surface trace

Flat Landing Brook Formation Basaltic flows, andesite, and minor rhyolite breccia Massive aphyric rhyolite and crystallithic tuff Nepisiguit Falls Formation Exhalite: massive sulphides and minor oxide-facies iron formation

A
Approximate limit of massive sulphide mineralization projected vertically to surface Overturned fold (anticline; syncline) Drillhole collar (discussed in text; other) Fault (normal; high-angle reverse or thrust) B A Line of cross-section on Figure 3
0

Fine- to coarse-grained volcaniclastic rocks and ash Medium- to coarse-grained quartzfeldspar crystal tuff
CAMBROORDOVICIAN Miramichi Group

Patrick Brook Formation Greyish green, fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, and minor shale
1 km

Figure 2. Geological map of the Halfmile Lake deposit, showing the distribution of all drillhole collars, excluding those from recent drilling by Trevali Mining Corporation. Geology is complied and modified from Adair (1992b) and Wilson (1993a). Drillhole database is provided by Dayle Rusk, Trevali Mining Corporation. See Figure 3 (facing page) for geological cross-section AB.

HN99-123

HN99-119
Halfmile Lake Anticline

Upper Zone

Lower Zone

Deep Zone

300 m

ORDOVICIAN Tetagouche Group Flat Landing Brook Formation Basaltic flows, andesite, and minor rhyolite breccia Massive aphyric rhyolite and crystallithic tuff Nepisiguit Falls Formation Exhalite: massive sulphides and minor oxide-facies iron formation Fine- to coarse-grained volcaniclastic rocks and ash Medium- to coarse-grained quartzfeldspar crystal tuff

CAMBROORDOVICIAN Miramichi Group

Patrick Brook Formation Greyish green, fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, and minor shale Drillhole HN99-119 (end of hole: 1409 m) Other drillholes Stratigraphic contact Axial trace of anticline Axial trace of syncline Thrust or reverse fault Stringer mineralization

Figure 3. Geological cross-section AB (looking westward) through the Halfmile Lake deposit of the Bathurst Mining Camp, showing the Upper, Lower, and Deep zones. See Figure 2 for the line of section.

10 consists of massive sulphides that are gradational with laterally continuous, chemically precipitated sedimentary rocks (exhalite) comprising silicate-, carbonate-, and oxide-facies iron formations (Peter and Goodfellow 1996). The New Brunswick Bedrock Lexicon (NBDNR 2011b) provides additional information about the Austin Brook Member under Nepisiguit Falls Formation. In contrast, the massive sulphide horizon and associated iron formation at the former Heath Steele mine in the central BMC (Fig. 1) occur near the base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Lentz and Wilson 1997). Evidence presented below, interpreted from a relogging of drillhole HN99-119, suggests that the Halfmile Lake deposit also lies near the base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in a stratigraphic position similar to that at Heath Steele rather than higher in the sequence as proposed by Adair (1992a, 1992b) and Mireku and Stanley (2007).

Flat Landing Brook Formation

The Austin Brook Member is overlain by massive rhyolite flows, domes, and related felsic and mafic volcanic rocks of the Flat Landing Brook Formation (Fig. 2, 3), which hosts the remainder of the massive sulphide deposits in the Tetagouche Group (McCutcheon et al. 2001). This formation has returned UPb zircon ages of 465 2 Ma (van Staal et al. 2003 and references therein) and is younger than the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. The Flat Landing Brook Formation thus marks the end of a three- to five-million-year period of quiescence, during which massive sulphides of the Austin Brook Member were deposited.

DEPOSIT GEOLOGY
Earlier Investigations
The mineralization, stratigraphy, and structural geology of the shallower parts of the Halfmile Lake deposit (Upper, Lower, and North zones) were the subject of an M.Sc. thesis and report by Harley (1977, 1979) and a report by Adair (1992b). The lithogeochemistry of the Lower Zone was documented by Lentz (1996). The lithogeochemistry and hydrothermal alteration of rocks hosting the Deep Zone were described in an M.Sc. thesis by Mireku (2001) and subsequent paper by Mireku and Stanley (2007). Regional geological mapping by Wilson (1993ac) was integrated with regional data to produce a 1:100 000 scale geological map (van Staal et al. 2002).

Structure
The geology in the vicinity of the Halfmile Lake deposit is structurally complex (Fig. 2, 3), as throughout other parts of the BMC. All of the earlier authors considered the entire stratigraphic section in the Halfmile Lake area to lie within the Tetagouche Group and to represent a consistently downward-facing homoclinal sequence, notwithstanding the fact that the section apparently is transected by a number of thrust faults. Wilson (1993ac) demonstrated that the Halfmile Lake deposit occurs stratigraphically well down in the Nepisiguit Falls Formation and

11 is stratigraphically overlain by a relatively thick accumulation of quartzfeldspar crystal tuff (occupying the structural footwall), such as occurs at the Heath Steele deposit (Fig. 1; Lentz and Wilson 1997). The homoclinal sequence in the Halfmile Lake area was interpreted by these same authors to lie on the southern limb of a southerly overturned anticlinal structure, the axial trace of which was assumed to be situated within felsic volcanic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation about 1 km to the northwest of the Halfmile Lake deposit. Base metal zoning in the massive sulphides and rare younging indicators in the sedimentary rocks are both consistent with such an interpretation, as is the occurrence of stringer mineralization and associated hydrothermal alteration in the immediate structural hanging wall (i.e., lower in the stratigraphy) of the deposit. The presence of this stringer zone is strong evidence for a vent-proximal depositional setting for shallower zones of the deposit (Jambor 1979). As detailed below under Exhalite Characteristics, the massive sulphides in the Upper Zone of the Halfmile Lake deposit (Fig. 3) are hosted by chloritic volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, whereas in the Lower Zone, they are hosted by crystal tuff of the same formation (Adair 1992b). In some drill cores, mafic to andesitic volcanic and locally felsic volcanic rocks of the younger Flat Landing Brook Formation have been interpreted to be in either normal stratigraphic (Adair 1992b; Wilson 1993c) or tectonic (Wilson 1993a) contact with the massive sulphide horizon. Locally, younger intrusions are interpreted to suture the contact between the massive sulphide lens and the Flat Landing Brook Formation in the structural footwall (Adair 1992b). Mapping by de Roo and van Staal (1991) delineated a major southerly overturned, eastweststriking, tight F1 fold with an axial trace situated immediately north-northwest of the surface exposure of the Halfmile Lake Upper Zone (Fig. 2). This structure, referred to by de Roo and van Staal (1991) as the Halfmile Lake Fold, had been recognized earlier (on the basis of regional stratigraphy) as an anticline that exposes sedimentary rocks in its core (Helmstaedt 1973; Fyffe 1982). These sedimentary rocks have been correlated with the Patrick Brook Formation (Fig. 2, 3) by de Roo and van Staal (1991) and, if the correlation is correct, belong to the upper part of the Miramichi Group (Fyffe et al. 1997). According to such an interpretation, volcanic rocks of the Tetagouche Group are repeated on the flanks of the overturned Halfmile Lake Fold, which means that the stratigraphic sequence at the Halfmile Lake deposit cannot represent a homocline as proposed by Harley (1977, 1979) and Adair (1992b). It is noteworthy that sedimentary rocks exposed about 3 km along strike to the southwest of the fold were assigned to the Patrick Brook Formation by Wilson (1993b, 1993c). To date, all mapping and core-logging projects have defined the structural hanging wall of the Halfmile Lake deposit as comprising a 1 km to 2 km thick sequence of quartzfeldspar crystal tuff and related volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. The sequence has been interpreted to be structurally thickened by three or more south-verging thrust faults that approximately parallel the massive sulphide horizon (Adair 1992b; Wilson 1993ac).

12 However, if sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation are, in fact, exposed in the core of the Halfmile Lake Fold as discussed above, then rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the structural hanging wall are actually in a normal stratigraphic position, facing upward on the upright, northern limb of a tight anticlinal fold (Fig. 2, 3). Evidence presented below supports this alternative interpretation: namely, that the stratigraphic sequence at Halfmile Lake is repeated by folding rather than representing a continuous downward-facing homocline.

Relogged Core from Drillhole HN99-119

Drillhole HN99-119 (Kempster 2001) is located at the Halfmile Lake Central property about 1.5 km north-northwest of the surface exposure of the Upper Zone (Fig. 2). The hole was drilled toward the south-southeast (165) with an initial dip of approximately 85 that flattens to 69 at the end of the hole at 1409 m (Fig. 3, 4). The rocks cored by drillhole HN99-119 display tectonostratigraphic relationships that are inconsistent with the homoclinal model previously interpreted for shallower parts of the Halfmile Lake deposit (i.e., those cited in Adair 1992b and Wilson 1993ac). About 90 m of Flat Landing Brook Formation was intersected at the top of the hole, followed by a complete section (540 m) through the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, and approximately 550 m of Patrick Brook Formation (Fig. 3, 4; Table 3). This stratigraphic order is consistent with most of the sequence occupying the northern, upward-facing limb of the Halfmile Lake Fold (de Roo and van Staal 1993), which is herein named the Halfmile Lake Anticline. The drill core showed no observable evidence of an anticlinal closure within the Nepisiguit Falls Formation high in the structural hanging wall, as would be required by the homoclinal model for the downwardfacing Halfmile Lake deposit. Moreover, no thrust-related repetition of stratigraphy was apparent at depth, in contrast with previously interpreted tectonic imbrication by thrusting in the near-surface parts of the Halfmile Lake deposit (Adair 1992b; Wilson 1993b, 1993c; Mireku and Stanley 2007). At the stratigraphic base of the sequence, in the core of the anticline, drillhole HN99-119 intersected about 550 m of interbedded greyish green, fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, and minor shale assigned to the Patrick Brook Formation (Fig. 35a). The estimated true stratigraphic thickness of these rocks in the drillhole is about 250 m. In the Lower Zone, the Patrick Brook Formation is approximately 125 m thick, whereas in the Upper Zone, two intervals (separated by Nepisiguit Falls rocks) account for a combined stratigraphic thickness of about 100 m (Fig. 3). The Patrick Brook Formation stratigraphically immediately underlies the Upper and Lower zones and reaches to within 10 m of the Deep Zone massive sulphide lens (Fig. 4). Hence, the Halfmile Lake deposit lies at or very close to the base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in a stratigraphic position similar to that of the Heath Steele deposit (Lentz and Wilson 1997). The sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation show abundant evidence of sub-metre-scale faults and folds in addition to abundant quartz minor carbonate veins. However, no obvious evidence exists of any major tectonic break within the Patrick Brook

13 Formation. Furthermore, most of these rocks are chemically similar to sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi Group at Heath Steele (see Lithogeochemistry, below). Moving uphole in drillhole HN99-119, in the upward-facing limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline, the sedimentary sequence of Patrick Brook Formation is conformably overlain by about 540 m (true stratigraphic thickness) of quartzfeldspar crystal tuff and related volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Fig. 5b). The latter formation is divided into five eruptive units referred to in ascending stratigraphic order as NF1 through NF5 (Fig. 4; Table 3). Unit boundaries are generally delineated by an interval of ash or fine-grained volcaniclastic rock, and some units are further divided into subunits. Unit descriptions are as follows.
The basal unit, NF1, is about 80 m thick and divided into three subunits. At the base, 11.5 m

of quartzfeldspar crystal tuff is overlain by 7.1 m of ash and fine-grained volcaniclastic rock (represented by NF1 (vc) in Table 3) that is overlain in turn by 61.5 m of quartz feldspar crystal tuff (Fig. 4, 6a).
Unit NF2 is separated from Unit NF1 by a thin bed of fine-grained volcaniclastic rock

(represented by NF2 (vc) in Table 3; Fig. 6a). The unit is approximately 218 m thick and is divided into two subunits. The lower subunit is a quartzfeldspar, crystal-rich pumiceous tuff with pumice clasts that increase in abundance downhole, whereas the upper subunit consists of 43 m of ash and coarse-grained volcaniclastic rock without obvious phenoclasts.
Unit NF3 is thin (approximately 26 m thick) and consists of medium-grained quartzfeldspar

crystal tuff.
Unit NF4 consists of 91 m of fine- to medium-grained quartzfeldspar crystal tuff and minor

interlayered ash (Fig. 6b). Quartz phenocrysts are up to 3 mm in diameter and rounded, whereas feldspars are anhedral to subhedral.
Unit NF5 in the uppermost part of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation is divided into five

subunits. At the base, 91.5 m of medium-grained quartzfeldspar crystal tuff containing some pumice clasts is capped by a 5.5 m thick ash bed (Fig. 4, 6c). Overlying the ash bed is approximately 9 m of quartzfeldspar, phenoclast-rich and subordinate fine-grained, phenoclast-poor volcaniclastic rocks. The volcaniclastic unit is gradational upsection into approximately 7 m of mixed crystal-rich pumice and ash. The uppermost subunit consists of 11.4 m of ash and very minor thin lenses of volcaniclastic rock rich in quartz and feldspar phenoclasts. Unit NF5 is conformably overlain by felsic volcanic rocks of the Flat Landing Brook Formation, of which approximately 90 m were intersected in drillhole HN99-119. The base of this formation consists of 40 m of massive to locally spherulitic, aphyric to sparsely feldspar-phyric rhyolite (Fig. 4, 7a), which is overlain by about 50 m of crystallapilli tuff (Fig. 7b).

14
Table 3. Samples from drillhole HN99-119 in the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp, listed in order of increasing drillhole depth (see Fig. 4). Appendix 1 (p. 4149) presents the lithogeochemical analyses of these samples. Upward-Facing Limb of Halfmile Lake Anticline Sample No. HN-119-0050.3 HN-119-0082.8 HN-119-0138.7 HN-119-0175.6 HN-119-0202.2 HN-119-0221 HN-119-0243.6 HN-119-0256.8 HN-119-0285 HN-119-0304.7 HN-119-0307.3 HN-119-0308.8 HN-119-0339.5 HN-119-0376 HN-119-0385.6 HN-119-0445 HN-119-0482 HN-119-0517.6 HN-119-0541 HN-119-0554.6 HN-119-0580.6 HN-119-0617 HN-119-0629.5 HN-119-0640 Unit FLB FLB NF5 NF5 NF5 NF4 NF4 NF4 NF4 NF4 Basalt dyke NF3 NF2 (vc) NF2 (vc) NF2 NF2 NF2 NF2 NF2 (vc) NF1 NF1 NF1 (vc) NF1 OM Data Source This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study This study Downward-Facing Limb of Halfmile Lake Anticline Sample No. HN-119-0946.4 HN-119-0981 HN-119-1033 HN-119-1066.4 HN-119-1117.6 HN-119-1141 HN-119-1165.8 HN-119-1191.3 HN-119-1195 HN-119-1196.6 OM OM OM OM OM OM OM OM NF1 NF1 NF1 (vc) NF1 NF1 (vc) NF1 OM OM OM OM NF1 NF1 NF1 Unit Data Source This study Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) This study Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) This study Mireku (2001)

Massive sulphide zone HN-119-1263.6 HN-119-1270 HN-119-1271.1 HN-119-1286.3 HN-119-1296.5 HN-119-1319.5 HN-119-1332.04 HN-119-1341.5 HN-119-1386.8 HN-119-1403 HN-119-1407.16 Mireku (2001) This study Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) This study Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) Mireku (2001) This study Mireku (2001)

Notes: OM = Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group), NF = Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Tetagouche Group), FLB = Flat Landing Brook Formation (Tetagouche Group), (vc) = volcaniclastic rocks

Downhole, in the downward-facing limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline (Table 3), sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation are followed by a narrow interval (11921295 m) of rocks assigned to the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. This interval includes 60 m of crystal tuff and volcaniclastic rocks rich in quartz phenoclasts, and 40 m of massive to semi-massive sulphides that constitute the Deep Zone (Fig. 8).

15

0
50.3 82.8

x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x

Crystallithic tuff Massive aphyric rhyolite

Flat Landing Brook Formation

100

138.7 175.6

TETAGOUCHE GROUP
Unit NF5

Flat Landing Brook Formation Felsic volcanic rocks Nepisiguit Falls Formation
Nepisiguit Falls Formation

200

202.2 221 243.6 256.6 285 304.7 307.3 308.8 339.5 376 385.6
445 482

Unit NF4
Basalt dyke

300

Unit NF3

Upward-facing limb

Massive sulphides Quartzfeldspar crystal tuff and volcaniclastic rocks

MIRAMICHI GROUP

400

Unit NF2
Pumicerich base

500

517.6 541 554.6 580.6

Patrick Brook Formation Clastic sedimentary rocks

629.5

Depth (metres)

600

Unit NF1

617 629.5 640

700

Lithogeochemical sample number (see Table 3 and Appendix 1) Stringer mineralization

800

Patrick Brook Formation

Approximate axis of

Axis of minor syncline Axis of minor anticline EOH End of hole

900
946.4

Halfmile Lake Anticline

981

1000

Downward-facing limb

1033 1066.4

1100
1141

1117.6 1165.8 1191.3

1200

1195

1196.6

1270

1263.6 1271.1 1286.3 1319.5 1332.04 1341.5 1386.8

Nepisiguit Falls Formation Patrick Brook Formation Nepisiguit Falls Formation

1300

1296.5

1400

1403

1407.16

EOH 1409 m

Figure 4. Simplified graphic log of drillhole HN99-119, intersecting the Deep Zone at the Halfmile Lake deposit (collar location on Fig. 2). Log shows the position of lithogeochemical samples and stratigraphic units. Samples plotted on the left are from this study; those on the right are from Mireku (2001).

16

Figure 5. Rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group) and Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Tetagouche Group) intersected in drillhole HN99-119 at the Halfmile Lake deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp. a) Greyish green, fine-grained sandstone and siltstone of the Patrick Brook Formation; photograph shows part of the interval between about 638 m and 650 m. b) Transitional contact between the Patrick Brook Formation (four lower cores) and Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Unit NF1) (two upper cores); photograph shows part of the interval between 629.4 m and 632.5 m. Core diameters are 4.7 cm.

17

Figure 6. Rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation intersected in drillhole HN99-119 at the Halfmile Lake deposit. a) Contact between quartz feldspar crystal tuff of Unit NF1 (right) and quartzfeldspar crystal-rich pumiceous tuff at the base of Unit NF2 (left) at 553.2 m. A thin bed of finegrained volcaniclastic rock separates the two eruptive units. Core diameter is 4.7 cm.

Pumiceous tuff Volcaniclastic rock

Crystal tuff

b
b) Fine- to medium-grained quartzfeldspar crystal tuff and minor interlayered ash beds of Unit NF4 at about 250 m. Core diameter is 6.3 cm.

c
c) Tuff and interbedded quartz feldspar crystal-rich pumice clasts in Unit NF5 at about 105 m. Core diameter is 6.3 cm.

18

Figure 7. Rocks of the Flat Landing Brook Formation (Tetagouche Group) intersected in drillhole HN99-119, Halfmile Lake deposit. a) Grey, massive to locally spherulitic, aphyric to sparsely feldsparphyric rhyolite at about 85 m. b) Crystallapilli tuff at about 45 m. Core diameters are 6.3 cm.

19

Figure 8. Basal contact of the massive sulphide lens from the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit. Core is from drillhole HN99-119 at 1202.4 m. Core diameter is 4.7 cm.

Another interval of sedimentary rocks (12961341 m) is tentatively assigned to the Patrick Brook Formation (Table 3) and likely represents a parasitic anticline on the southern limb of the larger Halfmile Lake Anticline (Fig. 3, 4). The mixed sequence of volcaniclastic rock and fine-grained felsic tuff, from 1341 m to the end of the hole at 1409 m, is tentatively assigned to the Nepisiguit Falls Formation.

LITHOGEOCHEMISTRY
As part of this study, 30 core samples were collected for lithogeochemical analysis from drillhole HN99-119, mainly from the upward-facing limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline (Fig. 4; Table 3). All samples were prepared and analyzed at Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ancaster, Ontario. Appendix 1 presents the lithogeochemical data, along with the analytical methods and detection limits used. Analyses for an additional 15 samples from the downward-facing limb were compiled from Mireku (2001) and incorporated into the data set. However, the usefulness of the Mireku (2001) data is somewhat restricted by the higher detection limits for some of the elements, as well as by the absence of data for other elements such as the rare earths.

20

Patrick Brook Formation

Three samples were collected from the large interval of clastic sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group) in the core of the Halfmile Lake Anticline. The formation there begins at approximately 630 m and continues downhole to about 1191 m, in the structural hanging wall of the Deep Zone (Fig. 4; Table 3). An additional sample was collected from the narrow interval of probable Patrick Brook Formation between 1296 m and 1341 m, in the structural footwall of the Deep Zone (Fig. 4; Table 3). Analyses for these four samples were augmented with data from Mireku (2001) for the structural hanging wall (n = 6) and structural footwall (n = 3). Data from these 13 Patrick Brook samples were assessed using lithogeochemical diagrams developed for the discrimination of sedimentary rocks in the BMC by Rogers et al. (2003) and McCutcheon (unpublished). On a V/Nb versus Zr/Cr diagram (Fig. 9a) and a VZr/2Ni ternary diagram (Fig. 9b), all samples assigned to the Patrick Brook Formation fall within the field of older sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi Group. On a MnO versus Al2O3/SiO2 diagram (Fig. 9c), most samples fall in the field of the Knights Brook Formation, and two plot in the field of the Chain of Rocks Formation. (Note: The two last-named formations are from the Miramichi Group. Figure 9c does not include a field delineating rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation.) On a Ni/Nb versus Cr/Nb diagram (Fig. 9d), most samples fall in the field of sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi Group. Lithogeochemical diagrams developed to distinguish sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi Group from those intercalated with the lower part of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation at Heath Steele (Fig. 9e, 9f; Lentz and Wilson 1997) indicate that most sedimentary rocks in the structural hanging wall of the Deep Zone fall in the older sedimentary rocks field and so should be assigned to the Miramichi Group. The downhole geochemical profiles (Fig. 10a, 10b) show that the sedimentary rock samples are quite varied in terms of their major element contents. For example, SiO2 (Fig. 10a) varies from 50 wt % to 80 wt %, whereas Al2O3 (Fig. 10b) ranges from <10 wt % to >18 wt %. Throughout the sedimentary section, Fe2O3 (Fig. 10a) is consistently <10 wt % but increases slightly with proximity to the massive sulphide zone from both the uphole and downhole sides. In contrast, MnO (Fig. 10a), which rarely exceeds 0.2 wt %, reaches its highest concentration within approximately 100 m of the massive sulphide lens but decreases in concentration immediately adjacent to the lens. The MgO content (Fig. 10a) in the sedimentary rocks is generally low but tends to be slightly higher in the structural footwall (downhole side) of the Deep Zone massive sulphide lens. The CaO content (Fig. 10a) also tends to be low but is elevated in the structural footwall of the massive sulphides. Likewise, the Sr content (Fig. 10a) is elevated in the structural footwall. (The apparent covariance of Sr with Ca is likely attributable to Sr substituting for Ca in carbonate minerals.) The Na2O content (Fig. 10a) of these rocks is low (<0.5 wt %) in samples from structurally above the sulphide lens but is elevated (1 wt % and 6 wt %) in the structural footwall, a trend similar to that for Ca.

21

30
42 77

1000

a)
100 Field of sedimentary rocks of the Fournier, Tetagouche, and California Lake groups

d)
Cr/Nb

20

Zr/Cr

10

10

rocks dimentary Older se ry rocks sedimenta r e g n u o Y

0 10 20

1 Field of sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi Group 0.1 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

V/Nb Zr/2

Ni/Nb

b)
Ni ppm

50 40

e)

r ry Oldeimenta sed ks roc r n g e ry Y o u imenta d se ks roc

30 Older sedimentary rocks 20 10 0 0 Younger sedimentary rocks

V
0.5 Knights Brook Formation

Ni

10

20

30

Al2O3 wt %
2

c)
TiO2 wt %
Chain of Rocks Formation

f)

0.4

Al2O3/SiO2

0.3

1 Older sedimentary rocks Younger sedimentary rocks

0.2

0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

0 0 10 20 30

MnO wt %
Sedimentary Rocks Patrick Brook Formation (this study) Patrick Brook Formation (Mireku 2001) Volcaniclastic Rocks Nepisiguit Falls Formation (this study) Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Mireku 2001)

Al2O3 wt %
Sedimentary sample from former Heath Steele mine (Fig. 1) (Lentz and Wilson 1997)

Figure 9. Lithogeochemical discrimination diagrams for sedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks intersected in drillhole HN99-119 at the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit. a) V/Nb versus Zr/Cr diagram. b) VZr/2Ni diagram. c) MnO versus Al 2O 3/SiO 2 diagram. d) Ni/Nb versus Cr/Nb diagram. e) Al2O3 versus Ni diagram. f) Al2O3 versus TiO2 diagram. Field boundaries in a) and b) are from McCutcheon (unpublished), those in c) and d) are from Rogers et al. (2003), and those in e) and f) are from Lentz and Wilson (1997).

Fe2O3 wt %
0 0 10 20 30 0.0

MnO wt %
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0 1

Na20 wt %
2 3 4 5 6 0 20

Sr ppm
40 60 80 100 0

TiO2 wt %
0.5 1.0 1.5 0

Cs ppm
2 4 6

a)

NF5 NF4 NF3 NF2

500 8

1000

Depth
1500

NF1

NF1 NF1 NF1

SiO2 wt %
0 40
50

MgO wt %
80 0

CaO wt %
10 0 1 2 8

Al2O3 wt %
15 18 0 100

Zn ppm
200 300 400 0

Th ppm
10 20 30

22

60

70

NF5 NF4 NF3 NF2

500 10.5

NF1

1000

Depth
NF1 NF1 NF1
1500

Flat Landing Brook Formation

Nepisiguit Falls Formation

Massive sulphides

Patrick Brook Formation

Figure 10a. Figure caption and symbol legend are on page 23.

As ppm
0 0 50 100 150 0

Co ppm
50 0 100

Pb ppm
200 300 400 500 0

Cu ppm
50 100 150 0

Zn ppm
100 200 300 400 500 600 2 4

Sn ppm
6 8 10 12

b)

NF5 NF4 NF3 NF2

500

1000

Depth

NF1

NF1 NF1 NF1

1500

23

W ppm
0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0

Ni ppm
50

Cr ppm
0 100 200 0

Bi ppm
2 4 6

10

Sc ppm
20

30

NF5 NF4 NF3 NF2

500 146 360

Flat Landing Brook Formation

40

Nepisiguit Falls Formation NF5 NF4 NF3 NF2 NF1 Basalt dyke

1000

Depth

NF1

NF1 NF1 NF1

1500

Patrick Brook Formation Mireku (2001) This study

Figure 10b. Major- and trace-element lithogeochemical profiles from drillhole HN99-119 at the Halfmile Lake deposit. A more detailed version of the stratigraphic column legend appears on Figure 2. See Appendix 1 for geochemical data, analytical methods, and detection limits.

24 Mireku and Stanley (2007) recognized generally low Na content in sedimentary rocks of the structural hanging wall and generally high Na content in rocks of the structural footwall. They also noted an increase in Na2O in the structural hanging wall with proximity to the sulphide lens. The higher Na2O adjacent to the sulphide lens is attributed to an increase in the amount of intercalated felsic volcanic material. Mireku and Stanley (2007) suggested two possible explanations for low Na in the sedimentary rocks: 1) the source sediment for these rocks had low primary sodic plagioclase, or 2) the original sodic plagioclase was destroyed by subsequent hydrothermal alteration. The P2O5 content (not shown on Fig. 10) varies from 0.06 to >0.2 wt % and is higher in the structural footwall than in the structural hanging wall. The K2O content also varies (0.26 wt %), but no discernable trend is recognized. The considerable spread in the Zr and TiO2 contents and in the Zr/TiO2 value of the sedimentary rocks (Fig. 10a) is probably attributable to winnowing of zircon and FeTi oxide phases in the marine environment. The concentrations of As, Co, Cu, W, and Zn are generally higher in the sedimentary rocks than in the felsic volcanic rocks, and a weak but noticeable trend of increasing Co, Cu, and Sn contents in the sedimentary rocks with proximity to the massive sulphide lens is interpreted to reflect hydrothermal input. The contents of rare earth elements (REEs) in sedimentary rocks from the Patrick Brook Formation are quite consistent. Typically, these samples have very flat REE profiles when normalized to the North American Shale Composite (Fig. 11a) and display no evidence of either a positive Ce or a positive Eu anomaly. The presence or absence of Ce and Eu anomalies can indicate the ambient conditions when the sediment was deposited. In the case of Ce, normally oxygenated (neutral to high pH) seawater readily oxidizes typical trivalent Ce+3 to Ce+4, which is highly insoluble (Toyada and Masuda 1991). Once oxidized, the Ce+4 readily fills octahedral sites in precipitated FeMn oxides, thereby imparting a positive Ce anomaly to the seafloor sediment. Consequently, the absence of a positive Ce anomaly (Fig. 11a) indicates that the original sediments were likely deposited in poorly oxygenated (disoxic to anoxic) seawater. Normal seawater has a relatively low concentration of Eu, in line with the concentrations of other REEs (i.e., it is not anomalously high or low). However, Eu+3 is readily reduced to Eu+2 in high-temperature, low-pH hydrothermal fluids such as those associated with the formation of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. As a result, Eu+2 may reach relatively high concentrations in such fluids (see Gale et al. 1997 and Humphris 1984 for discussions about the calculation of Eu anomaly and Eu mobility). Consequently, marine sediment deposited coevally with seafloor-venting hydrothermal fluids may have strongly positive Eu anomalies, because Eu+2 in the hydrothermal fluids oxidizes and becomes insoluble Eu+3 and precipitates upon mixing with seawater. The absence of a positive Eu anomaly in samples of the Patrick Brook Formation suggests that the hydrothermal component in these rocks is negligible (Fig. 11a). Likewise, the absence of a strongly negative Eu anomaly in the samples indicates they did not interact with high-temperature, low-pH hydrothermal fluids.

25

a)
10 10000

b)
Hydrothermal fluid from East Pacific Rise

Sample / NASC

1000

Fe/Ti

100

0.1 10

Increasing terrigenous component

0.01 La Ce Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Er Yb Lu

1 0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Al/(Al+Fe+Mn)
Sedimentary rock (this study) Sedimentary rock (Mireku 2001)

Figure 11. Lithogeochemical discrimination diagrams for sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation intersected in drillhole HN99-119 at the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit. a) North American Shale Composite (NASC)-normalized REE profiles. Normalization factors are from Gromet et al. (1984). b) Al/(Al+Fe+Mn) versus Fe/Ti diagram for the determination of hydrothermal input in terrigenous sediments. Diagram is from Bostrm (1973).

The Al/(Al+Fe+Mn) versus Fe/Ti diagram (Fig. 11b) was devised by Bostrm (1973) to gauge the degree of hydrothermal input in terrigenous sediments. On this diagram, sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation have Al/(Al+Fe+Mn) values that range between 0.45 and 0.7 and Fe/Ti values that are close to 10, clearly reflecting a sediment dominated by terrigenous components. Furthermore, TiO2, Cr, Ni and, to some degree, V concentrations in these rocks are higher than would be expected for sedimentary rocks codeposited with, and in part sourced from, felsic volcanic rocks near the base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Fig. 10a, 10b), as was suggested by Mireku and Stanley (2007). In terms of elements related to magmatic fluid input into the hydrothermal system (Bi, Sb, Sn, W), a few anomalous but sporadic values are present in samples immediately adjacent to the massive sulphide lens. Note that data for some of these elements compiled from Mireku and Stanley (2007) have higher detection limits than for the remainder of the data set and account for the linear trends of these elements in some diagrams (Fig. 10a, 10b). Nepisiguit Falls Formation A total of 23 samples were collected from the five eruptive units of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in drillhole HN99-119 (Table 3). Samples of massive quartzfeldspar crystal tuff from the more massive facies of the five eruptive units were collected as follows: NF1 (n = 6), NF2 (n = 4), NF3 (n = 1), NF4 (n = 5), and NF5 (n = 3). Inter-eruptive volcaniclastic rocks were sampled from Unit NF1 (n = 1) and Unit NF2 (n = 3). As well, data from Mireku (2001) were compiled for four samples of crystal tuff and two samples of volcaniclastic rocks from unit NF1 immediately adjacent to (structurally above and below) the Deep Zone massive sulphide lens.

26 In terms of their alkali element contents, most of the volcanic rocks fall outside the field of normal volcanic rocks on a 100*K2O/(Na2O+K2O) versus Na2O+K2O diagram (Fig. 12a), implying the addition of K2O and Na2O. However, all but two of the Nepisiguit Falls samples fall in the rhyolite field on a SiO2 versus Na2O+K2O diagram (Fig. 12b). It is unknown whether the alkali mobility is attributable to hydrothermal alteration or to normal interaction between hot volcanic rocks and ambient seawater at the time of deposition (see Hughes 1972). On a Zr versus TiO2 diagram (Fig. 12c), most of the massive crystal tuff samples fall in a very tight cluster along a line of Zr/Ti = 0.167. Conversely, the volcaniclastic rocks form a more scattered plot and have a generally higher TiO2 content, indicative of a detrital component associated with intercalation/contamination by sedimentary material. All of the felsic volcanic samples fall in or near the rhyodacitedacite field on a Nb/Y versus Zr/TiO2 discrimination diagram (Fig. 12d). The REE contents of the massive tuff samples are remarkably consistent, in that all samples are enriched in light REE (LREE), have moderately negative Eu anomalies, and show gently sloping heavy REE profiles (Fig. 12e). The average Lan/Smn decreases from 7.29 (Unit NF1) to 7.04 (Unit NF5), suggesting a slight LREE depletion with ascending stratigraphic level in the Nepisiguit Falls Formation; additional sampling is required to confirm this trend. The overall REE slope also flattens with ascending stratigraphic level as Lan/Lun values decrease from 7.35 (Unit NF1) to 7.09 (Unit NF5). The Eun/Eu* for the Nepisiguit Falls data set averages 0.24; however, there is no obvious trend, as the average Eun/Eu* values for all units range from 0.22 to 0.27 regardless of stratigraphic level. Likewise, the average REE content for each of the eruptive units is similar, with values ranging from 174 ppm to 191 ppm. The consistency of REE and Eun/Eu* among the five units of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation suggests they all formed from a single magma that did not have time to fractionate between eruptions. Other interesting trace-element patterns were also recognized. Specifically, Sn and W both increase upsection through the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, whereas Cs decreases (Fig. 10a). Such systematic variation with respect to stratigraphic level in volcanic successions may be interpreted to reflect fractional crystallization processes in an evolving magma chamber. Several samples of volcaniclastic rocks that were interbedded with crystal tuff can be distinguished on the basis of their chemistry. In particular, samples collected at 339.5 m, 376 m, 541 m, and 617 m all have higher MgO, Sc, Zr, TiO2, and Co contents, similar to values in samples from the Miramichi Group (Fig. 9f, 10a, 10b). Higher MgO in these samples is explained by the relative abundance of chlorite. Elevated Sc is attributed to Sc substituting in the muscovite (phengite) structure, whereas elevated Zr and TiO2 may be related to crystal winnowing processes.

27

14 12

a)
Spillite

d)
Comendite/ pantellerite Rhyolite

Na2O + K2O wt %

10 8 6 4 2 0 0 20 40

Keratophyre
60 80 100

0.003

Andesite
Subalkaline basalt

0.01 0.1

Basanite / Alkaline nephelinite basalt

Trac

hyan

Rhyodacite/ dacite

desit

0.1

Ig

Zr/TiO2

u eo

ss

c pe

tru

100*K2O/Na2O+K2O)
16 14
Phonolite Tephriphonolite Phonotephrite Trachyte Rhyolite

Nb/Y
1000

b)
Sample / chondrite
100

e)

Na2O + K2O wt %

12 10 8 6 4
Foidite

TrachyTrachy- dacite andesite

Tephrite Basaltic basanite trachyTrachybasalt

andesite

Andesite

Basalt

2 0 35 40

Picrobasalt

Basaltic andesite

Dacite

10

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85 90

1
La

Ce

SiO2 wt %

Pr

Nd

Pm

Sm

Eu

Gd

Tb

Dy

Ho

Er

Tm

Yb

Lu

r = correlation coefficient

c)
Flat Landing Brook Formation Nepisiguit Falls Formation

TiO2 wt %

Nepisiguit Falls Formation: flows and tuffs

r = 0

.797

Flat Landing Brook Formation

0 0 100 200 300 400

NF5 NF4 NF3 NF2 NF1

Basalt dyke

Zr ppm Figure 12. Lithogeochemical discrimination diagrams for felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls and Flat Landing Brook formations intersected in drillhole HN99-119 at the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit. a) 100*K2O/(Na2O+K2O) versus Na2O+K2O diagram for the determination of altered volcanic rocks; field boundaries are from Hughes (1972). b) SiO2 versus Na2O+K2O diagram; field boundaries are from Le Bas et al. (1986). c) Zr versus TiO2 diagram; field boundaries are from Winchester and Floyd (1977). d) Nb/Y versus Zr/TiO2 diagram; field boundaries are from Winchester and Floyd (1977). e) Chondrite-normalized REE profiles; normalization factors are from Nakamura (1974).

28

Flat Landing Brook Formation

Two samples of felsic volcanic rock collected from the Flat Landing Brook Formation fall in the field of K-altered rocks on a 100*K2O/(Na2O+K2O) versus Na2O+K2O diagram (Fig. 12a). The two samples plot in the rhyolite field on a SiO2 versus Na2O+K2O diagram (Fig. 12b). On a Zr versus TiO2 diagram (Fig. 12c), the samples plot slightly below the line defining the Nepisiguit Falls trend (Zr/Ti = 0.167), because the Zr content is higher (by ~80100 ppm) and the TiO2 content is slightly lower (by ~0.05 wt %) in the Flat Landing Brook samples. Together, the higher Zr and lower TiO2 contents of these samples account for a 0.01 to 0.02 increase in the Zr/Ti value in the Flat Landing Brook relative to that in the Nepisiguit Falls samples. The higher Zr/Ti value explains why the former rocks plot near the top of the rhyodacitedacite field on a Nb/Y versus Zr/TiO2 diagram (Fig. 12d). The total REE content is higher in the Flat Landing Brook Formation than in the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, with an average REE of 240 ppm. The REE profiles have steeper slopes in the Flat Landing Brook, with average Lan/Smn and Lan/Lun values of 7.9 and 8.0, respectively. The average Eun/Eu* is 0.22 for the Flat Landing Brook samples, identical to that of the uppermost stratigraphic unit in the Nepisiguit Falls Formation.

Basalt Dyke
The chemistry of sample HN-119-0307.3 m, collected from near the base of Unit NF4, is unlike that of other rocks from the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. It is depleted in LREE, has much higher Cr, Ni, and V, and has lower Zr. On a Nb/Y versus Zr/Ti diagram, the sample falls in the subalkaline basalt field (Fig. 12d). The sample is from a sill or dyke that likely fed mafic rocks higher in the Flat Landing Brook Formation or possibly is from the Little River Formation (Tetagouche Group), which stratigraphically overlies the Flat Landing Brook Formation.

EXHALITE CHARACTERISTICS
Upper, Lower, and North Zones
Breccia-matrix sulphides and chalcopyrite-rich stringer mineralization stratigraphically underlie the Upper, Lower, and North zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit (Fig. 3). The breccia-matrix sulphides typically occur at the base of the massive sulphide lens, stratigraphically immediately above the stringer mineralization; they are laterally persistent and account for the bulk of sulphide mineralization. Sulphide minerals represent between 50% and 90% of the rock volume in the breccia zones and are dominated by pyrrhotite with subordinate chalcopyrite, pyrite, and minor sphalerite and galena. Breccia-matrix sulphides are generally of low grade (410 wt % Zn+Pb), with a Zn/Pb value of approximately 4 (Adair 1992b). The pyrrhotite content decreases stratigraphically upward as breccia-matrix sulphides grade into pyrite-dominated massive sulphides (Adair 1992b). The massive sulphides initially may

29 have been bedded, but any evidence of such a stratiform origin would have been removed by their ductile response to intense penetrative deformation in the region. The development of pyrrhotite-rich breccia-matrix sulphides (Fig. 13a), coupled with the presence of chalcopyritepyrrhotite stringer mineralization (Fig. 13b), is interpreted to reflect replacement of volcaniclastic host rocks immediately above the stringer zone in a ventproximal environment. Such an interpretation supports the proximal autochthonous classification proposed for the Upper, Lower, and North zones by Jambor (1979).

Deep Zone
The Deep Zone massive sulphide lens lies about 500 m north-northwest of, and 300 m below, the Lower Zone at a vertical depth of approximately 1100 m below surface (Fig. 2, 3). It is a relatively flat-lying body of massive sulphides and minor, poorly developed, spatially associated stringer and disseminated sulphides. The massive sulphide lens at the Deep Zone is dominated by pyrite and contains only very minor fragments of chlorite-altered host rock (Fig. 14a, 14b). This is in contrast with the three other zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit, in which pyrrhotite is the dominant sulphide phase, and chloritic fragments may constitute >50% of some intervals (Fig. 13a; Adair 1992b). The presence of minor stringer sulphide mineralization and coincident chlorite and sericite hydrothermal alteration in the structural hanging wall is consistent with relationships reported from the Upper, Lower, and North zones, and reflects the overturned attitude of the deposit (Adair 1992b). But unlike the three other sulphide zones, the Deep Zone contains Algomatype, oxide-facies iron formation, as evidenced by core from drillholes HN99-123A (Fig. 2, 3) and HN99-124B, which intersect the zone. The Algoma-type iron formation in both drillholes occurs near the centre of the sulphide zones and is in sharp contact with the massive sulphides (Fig. 15). This relationship is interpreted to reflect an isoclinal, parasitic syncline of a massive sulphide sheet and its infolded, capping oxide-facies iron formation. As stated earlier, the Deep Zone contains an NI 43-101-compliant inferred resource of 4.83 Mt grading 6.37% Zn, 1.6% Pb, 0.15% Cu, and 17.04 g/t Ag (Table 2; Trevali Mining Corporation 2011a). The PbCuZn ratios of this zone are similar to those in other zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit. As well, the Ag content is comparable with that of the other zones, with grades of 10 g/t to 25 g/t Ag. The average Ag grade for larger deposits in the BMC is about 90 g/t to 100 g/t (McCutcheon et al. 2003). No detailed geochemicalpetrographic examination has yet been published of massive sulphides from the Halfmile Lake Deep Zone. Nonetheless, work is currently underway (by J. Zulu of Trevali Mining Corporation) to examine microscale relationships among the various sulphide mineral phases, as well as their trace-element contents. Such work on the Deep Zone lies beyond the scope of the present study.

30

Figure 13. Sulphide mineralization intersected in Kria Resources Ltd. drillhole HK-10-04 at the Upper Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit. a) Pyrrhotite-rich breccia-matrix sulphides (brown) with abundant chloritic fragments (green) at about 74 m. b) Chalcopyritepyrrhotite stringer mineralization cutting bleached sedimentary rocks at about 44 m. Core diameters are 4.7 cm.

31

Figure 14. Sulphide mineralization intersected in drillhole HN99-123 at the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit (Fig. 2, 3). a) Massive sulphide lens with minor chloritic fragments at about 1170 m. Fragments are interpreted to represent altered enclaves of stratigraphically underlying volcaniclastic material resulting from subsurface replacement. b) Pyritic massive sulphide and chloritic volcaniclastic material at about 1178 m. Core diameters are 4.7 cm.

32

Figure 15. Overview of exhalite intersected in drillhole HN99-123 at the Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake deposit (Fig. 2, 3); photograph shows the interval between about 1173 m and 1189 m. Massive sulphides are yellow, oxide-facies iron formation is black, and minor chloritic sedimentary rock is green. Note the absence of breccia-matrix sulphide textures. Core diameter is 4.7 cm.

HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION
An examination of hydrothermal alteration associated with the Deep Zone using Pearce element ratio analysis was the subject of a thesis by Mireku (2001) and a subsequent paper by Mireku and Stanley (2007). Presented below is a brief discussion and reinterpretation of their results in light of the revised tectonostratigraphic relationships and new major-element data presented herein. Mireku and Stanley (2007) suggest that most rocks in the structural hanging wall within 300 m to 400 m of the Deep Zone (i.e., the Patrick Brook Formation, according to the present study) are more altered. The rocks show lower values for the (2Ca+Na+KCO2)/Al alteration index and therefore reflect a loss of Ca, Na, and K and a gain of CO 2 relative to Al (Mireku and Stanley 2007, thei r Fig. 12a). In contrast, rocks higher in the structural hanging wall (i.e., the Nepisiguit Falls Formatio n in the upward-facing limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline, according to the present study) and immediate structural footwall (Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the downward-facing limb of the anticline) are less altered. Similar results were realized for the Na/Al alteration index, according to Mireku and Stanley (2007, their Fig. 12b). However, as discussed earlier under Lithogeochemistry , the low Na, Sr, and Ca contents in rocks of the Miramichi Group could be a primary feature rather than the result of hydrothermal alteration.

33 Values for the K/Al alteration index are marginally higher in the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in both the upward- and downward-facing limbs than they are in the Patrick Brook Formation (see Mireku and Stanley 2007, their Fig. 12c). This is probably because volcanic rocks that erupt in a marine setting commonly undergo mass addition of potassium as a result of interaction with seawater (Hughes 1972). It is likely that the K/Al value in the host sequence reflects detrital K-mica content in the Patrick Brook Formation and slightly higher, seawaterinduced K-metasomatism of the volcanic rocks rather than hydrothermal, deposit-related Kmetasomatism of the host sequence. The (Fe+MgS/2)/Al alteration index is useful in recognizing chloritization. When applied to lithogeochemical analyses of the Halfmile Lake deposit, the index suggests that most rocks in the sequence are weakly chloritized, except for felsic rocks immediately adjacent to the Deep Zone and a few samples situated adjacent to the sulphide veins in the structural hanging wall (Mireku and Stanley 2007, their Fig. 12d). These data also show that felsic volcanic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the upward-facing limb are unaffected by hydrothermal alteration, excluding a few samples at the base of the formation. Similarly, a plot of (FeS/2)/Mg, which is used to distinguish Fe-rich chlorite (hydrothermal) from Mg-rich chlorite (seawater-related), indicates that most samples within 400 m of the stratigraphic base of the sulphide lens are dominated by Fe-rich chlorite and therefore are interpreted as hydrothermally altered rocks (Mireku and Stanley 2007, their Fig. 13b). However, these data from Mireku and Stanley (2007) and the data collected during the present study (Appendix 1) show that the Miramichi Group here has a marginally higher Fe2O3tot content (510 wt % range) than the 4 wt % to 8 wt % Fe2O3tot range reported by Rogers et al. (2003) from elsewhere in the BMC. Therefore, although some of the high iron in the structural hanging wall may be attributable to hydrothermal alteration, it is more likely that the bulk of the iron reflects the primary composition of sedimentary rocks in the Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group). The increase in CaO (Fig. 10a) in the structural footwall (Mireku and Stanley 2007) is probably a result of calcite precipitation from deformation-generated metamorphic fluids migrating along the thrust in the structural footwall, and is unrelated to genesis of the Deep Zone.

DISCUSSION
Previous work by Adair (1992b) and others assigned the entire sequence of sedimentary rocks and felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks in the Halfmile Lake deposit to the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Tetagouche Group), considering them to represent a continuous, downwardfacing homoclinal sequence. However, the relogging of drillhole HN99-119 during the present study indicates that most of the sedimentary rocks previously interpreted as Nepisiguit Falls Formation are actually Patrick Brook Formation. This means that a major anticlinal fold closurethat is, the Halfmile Lake Anticlineexists in the immediate structural hanging wall of the deposit.

34

Northern Limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline

In the upward-facing, northern limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline, the Nepisiguit Falls Formation has a conformable upper contact with felsic volcanic rocks of the Flat Landing Brook Formation and a conformable lower contact with clastic sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation (Fig. 2, 3). The Nepisiguit Falls Formation has a maximum true stratigraphic thickness of about 540 m and is divided into five eruptive units of dominantly quartzfeldspar crystal tuff. Pumice clasts are recognized locally, as are interlayered volcaniclastic rocks (Fig. 6a, 6c). The relatively minor volume of fine-grained volcaniclastic rock contrasts with the fairly thick accumulation of coarse-grained volcaniclastic material. The abundance of coarse-grained volcaniclastic material, combined with the absence of massive felsic lava flows and related hypabyssal intrusions, suggests that the deposit was formed in a transitional setting between vent-proximal and vent-medial. Such a depositional setting would correspond with the primary pyroclastic and resedimented syn-eruptive lithofacies (upper part of Grand Falls Member) in the eastern BMC, as interpreted by Downey (2005). Previous workers (Adair 1992b; Wilson 1993c; Kempster 2001) proposed bedding-parallel thrust faults in the structural hanging wall but offered no estimate of the actual pre-faulting thickness of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. Results of the present study are fairly consistent with those of de Roo and van Staal (1991), who interpreted the structural hanging wall to be a conformable, upward-facing sequence of sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation overlain by mainly volcanic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls and Flat Landing Brook formations to the north (Fig. 2, 3). Adair (1992b) shows the contact between the Nepisiguit Falls and Flat Landing Brook formations in the downward-facing, structural footwall as a D1 thrust fault. However, the relatively low apparent strain in the footwall (in mafic volcanic rocks of the Flat Landing Brook Formation to the south) indicates that this contact may be a younger reverse fault related to D2 or D3 folding.

Southern Limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline

In the downward-facing, southern limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline, felsic volcanic rocks that stratigraphically overlie the Deep Zone massive sulphide lens are chemically similar in Cs, Sn, Zr/Th, TiO2, Zr, and Zr/TiO2 (Fig. 10a, 10b) to Unit NF1 of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the anticlines northern limb but not to Units NF2 to NF5 (Fig. 4). However, the variation in most geochemical markers is minor, and mass change due to hydrothermal alteration has undoubtedly affected the felsic volcanic rocks adjacent to the Deep Zone. Given these considerations, any unequivocal correlation across the anticlinal hinge is not possible, which then begs the question: where did Units NF2 to NF5 in the structural footwall go? The massive sulphide zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit are likely part of a single, large sulphide-generating system with all four zones lying on one horizon (Fig. 2, 3). Presently, massive sulphide mineralization is almost continuous between the zones. Yet it is unclear whether such geometry is the result of mineralization originating as a continuous sulphide sheet or is the function of deformation-induced coalescence involving two or more discrete sulphide bodies.

35

Depositional Settings of the Halfmile Lake Deposit

Several factors suggest that the depositional setting of the Deep Zone differed from that of the three other zones at the Halfmile Lake deposit.
The Deep Zone contains almost no breccia-matrix sulphides and stringer mineralization.

Both features are abundant at the other zones. The Deep Zone sulphide lens is dominated by pyrite, whereas sulphides at the other zones are dominated by pyrrhotite. The Deep Zone contains Algoma-type, oxide-facies iron formation infolded within some of the thicker sulphide intersections. Algoma-type iron formation is absent at the other zones. It is uncertain whether these differences reflect a deposit-scale or a regional-scale variation. The extent of iron formation is generally limited across the western BMC. For instance, Algoma-type iron formation is well developed east of Halfmile Lake at the Heath Steele deposit (Fig. 1) but is absent west of and along strike from Halfmile Lake at the Mount Fronsac North deposit (Fig. 1; Walker and Graves 2006). Variations in the thickness and type of iron formation may reflect differences in water depth within a stratified basin (Goodfellow and Peter 1996). As well, iron formation could have existed in shallower parts of the Halfmile Lake deposit but have been tectonically cut out along the thrust or reverse fault in the structural footwall (Fig. 3). The Upper, Lower, and North zones may have formed mainly via replacement of volcaniclastic horizons in a setting proximal to an eruptive centre. In this scenario, ascending hydrothermal fluids alter and then replace volcaniclastic rocks below the rockwater interface, accounting for the abundance of sulphide stringers below the stratigraphic base of the sulphide lenses, as well as for the large component of intensely chloritized lithic fragments throughout the sulphide lenses (Lydon 1989). Subseafloor emplacement of sulphides implies a thermal insulation at the deposition site, resulting in higher temperatures (>250oC) and thereby favouring chalcopyrite deposition (Lydon 1989). Subseafloor deposition can also lead to decreased interaction with seawater, which is commonly considered to be the dominant source of sulphur in VMS systems. This in turn would imply lower S2 at the site of mineralization and favour the deposition of pyrrhotite over pyrite. Likewise, because subseafloor emplacement of sulphides would preclude direct interaction with the seawater column, a conformable iron-oxide cap such as exists at Brunswick No. 12 and Heath Steele (Fig. 1) would not be generated (Peter and Goodfellow 1996). In contrast, the Deep Zone likely formed by the venting and subsequent downslope ponding of hydrothermal fluids that were generated in topographically higher, more proximal parts of the deposit: that is, the Upper and Lower zones. Subsequent ocean oxygenation would form an oxide-facies cap on stratiform parts of the deposit, whereas those parts of the deposit formed via subseafloor replacement mechanisms would be isolated from seawater and thus would be less likely to have an associated oxide-facies iron formation.

36 Note that the sedimentary rocks immediately below the basal unit of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the upward-facing limb have elevated Pb and Cu, and marginally elevated As and Zn relative to the adjacent Nepisiguit Falls felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. Although no sedimentary exhalative material was recognized at this contact in drillhole HN99-119, the anomalous values could reflect a distal plume fallout associated with formation of the Halfmile Lake deposit.

CONCLUSIONS
The structural footwall of the Halfmile Lake volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit comprises a relatively thin (<200 m thick), downwardfacing sequence of felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Tetagouche Group), lying on the southern limb of the southerly overturned Halfmile Lake Anticline. The sulphide deposit is hosted by the Nepisiguit Falls Formation just above the conformable contact with sedimentary rocks of the Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group). The higher part of the structural hanging wall at the Halfmile Lake deposit consists of an upward-facing volcanic sequence (Nepisiguit Falls and Flat Landing Brook formations) occupying the northern limb of the anticline (Fig. 2, 3). Within the structural hanging wall, there is no apparent evidence at depth for the tectonic imbrication in the near surface, as had been proposed by earlier workers. The downwardfacing southern limb of the Halfmile Lake Anticline may be cut out in the structural footwall by a D2D3 reverse fault rather than by a D1D2 thrust fault. On the upward-facing limb of the anticline, the Nepisiguit Falls Formation reaches a maximum true thickness of approximately 540 m and can be divided into five eruptive units, none of which is considered vent-proximal. Given their close spatial association and very similar stratigraphic setting, the four massive sulphide zones that constitute the Halfmile Lake deposit (Upper, Lower, North, and Deep zones) are interpreted to lie on the same horizon. However, the relatively limited extent of diamond drilling between the Deep and Lower zones makes any assertion of continuity between the zones tentative. The Upper, Lower, and North zones lie at or near the base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, stratigraphically underlain by the Patrick Brook Formation and overlain by the remainder of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation. All three zones have well-developed stringer mineralization in the structural hanging wall and show evidence (in the form of abundant chlorite-altered fragments) of volcanic rocks having been replaced by massive sulphides. These features, coupled with the pyrrhotite-dominant nature of the massive lenses and the lack of Algoma-type iron formation stratigraphically overlying the sulphides in the structural footwall, suggest a ventproximal, subseafloor emplacement for shallower zones of the Halfmile Lake deposit. In contrast, the Deep Zone is stratigraphically underlain by about 10 m of felsic tuff and volcaniclastic rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation, in the structural hanging wall. The zone lacks a well-developed stringer zone, and the massive sulphide lens is dominated by

37 pyrite with only rare pyrrhotite. Algoma-type, oxide-facies iron formation is also associated with the Deep Zone. Collectively, these observations suggest that the zone underwent a lower temperature, vent-distal supraseafloor emplacement process such as described by Lydon (1989). Recognition that the Halfmile Lake deposit sits at or very near the stratigraphic base of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation is significant, as it places the deposit in a stratigraphic setting similar to the one at the former Heath Steele mine (Lentz and Wilson 1997). It also raises the potential for VMS exploration and discovery in areas underlain by the Nepisiguit Falls Formation in the western BMC. Similarly, areas underlain by the Flat Landing Brook Formation to the east and south of the Halfmile Lake deposit may have rocks of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation and associated massive sulphide deposits at depth.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We wish to acknowledge financial support from Xstrata Zinc Canada for some of the analytical costs associated with this project. We acknowledge Reg Wilson of the Geological Surveys Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, for numerous discussions about the geology of the Halfmile Lake area. Digital lithogeochemical data, previously reported in Mireku (2001) and Mireku and Stanley (2007), were kindly provided by Dr. Cliff Stanley of Acadia University, Nova Scotia. We thank Dayle Rusk of Trevali Mining Corporation for providing access to drill core and confidential material, as well as for discussions. This paper has benefitted greatly from critical reviews by Reg Wilson and Les Fyffe of the Geological Surveys Branch.

REFERENCES
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39
Helmstaedt, H. 1973. Structural geology of the BathurstNewcastle district. In Field Guide to Excursions. Edited by N. Rast. New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, Department of Geology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, p. 3443. Humphris, S.E. 1984. The mobility of the rare earth elements in the crust. In Rare Earth Element Geochemistry. Edited by P. Henderson. Developments in Geochemistry, 2, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, New York, p. 317340. Hughes, C.J. 1972. Spilites, keratophyres and the igneous spectrum. Geology Magazine, 109, p. 513527. Jambor, J.L. 1979. Mineralogical evaluation of proximaldistal features in New Brunswick massive-sulfide deposits. Canadian Mineralogist, 17, p. 649664. Jerome, M. 1989. Report of work on the Halfmile Lake property, Claim Block 1900, for Falconbridge Ltd. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals and Energy Division, Mineral Assessment Report No. 473798. Kempster, R. 2001. Report of work on the Halfmile Lake South and Halfmile Lake Central claim groups. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals and Energy Division, Mineral Assessment Report No. 475386. Langton, J.P., and McCutcheon, S.R. 1993. Brunswick Project, NTS 21 P/05 West, 21 P/04 West, Gloucester County, New Brunswick. In Current Research 1992. Edited by S.A.A. Abbott. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources Division, Information Circular 93-1, p. 3151. Le Bas, M.J., Le Maitre, R.W., Streckeisen, A., and Zanettin, B. 1986. A chemical classification of volcanic rocks based on the total alkalisilica diagram. Journal of Petrology, 27, p. 745750. Lentz, D.R. 1996. Recent advances in lithogeochemical exploration for massive-sulphide deposits in volcano-sedimentary environments: petrogenetic, chemostratigraphic, and alteration aspects with examples from the Bathurst Camp, New Brunswick. In Current Research 1995. Edited by B.M.W. Carroll. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals and Energy Division, Mineral Resource Report 96-1, p. 73119. Lentz, D.R., and Wilson, R.A. 1997. Chemostratigraphic analysis of the volcanic and sedimentary rocks in the Heath Steele B-B5 zone area, Bathurst Camp, New Brunswick: stratigraphic and structural implications. In Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 1997-D, p. 2133. Lowrie, D.A. 1962. Report of work on the Halfmile Lake property, Mining License 998, by Texas Gulf Sulphur Company, for Middle River Mining Company. New Brunswick Department of Lands and Mines; Mines Branch, Mineral Assessment Report No. 471620. Lydon, J.W. 1989. Volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, part 2: genetic models. In Ore Deposits Models. Edited by R.G. Roberts and P.A. Sheahan. Geoscience Canada Reprint Series 3, p. 155181. MacDonald, C.A.K. 2001. Stratigraphy, volcanology and environments of the Ordovician Nepisiguit Falls Formation, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, 136 p. McCutcheon, S.R., and Walker, J.A. 2007. The Nepisiguit Falls Formation: spatial distribution, volcanic facies, contact relationships and massive sulphide deposits in the Bathurst Mining Camp, northern New Brunswick. In Abstracts 2007: Exploration and Mining New Brunswick 2007. Edited by S.A.A. Merlini. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Information Circular 2007-1, p. 2324. McCutcheon, S.R., Langton, J.P., van Staal, C.R., and Lentz, D.R. 1993. Stratigraphy, tectonic setting and massive-sulphide deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp, northern New Brunswick. In Guidebook to the Metallogeny of the Bathurst Camp. Edited by S.R. McCutcheon and D.R. Lentz. Trip No. 4 of Bathurst '93, 3rd Annual Field Conference, Geological Society of CIM, p. 159. McCutcheon, S.R., Walker, J.A., and McClenaghan, S.H. 2001. The geological setting of massive sulphide deposits in the Bathurst Mining Camp: a synthesis. In Current Research 2000. Edited by B.M.W. Carroll. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2001-4, p 6395.

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McCutcheon, S.R., Luff, W.M., and Boyle, R.W. 2003. The Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada: history of discovery and evolution of geological models. In Massive Sulfide deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, and Northern Maine. Edited by W.D. Goodfellow, S.R. McCutcheon, and J.M. Peter. Economic Geology, Monograph 11, p. 1736. Mireku, L.K. 2001. Lithogeochemistry and hydrothermal alteration of the Halfmile Lake South Deep Zone: a volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 263 p. Mireku, L.K., and Stanley, C.R. 2007. Lithogeochemistry and hydrothermal alteration of the Halfmile Lake South Deep Zone, a volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick. Exploration and Mining Geology, 15, No. 34 (for July and October 2006), p. 177199. Nakamura, N. 1974. Determination of REE, Ba, Fe, Mg, Na, and K in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 38, p. 757775. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011a. New Brunswick Mineral Occurrence Database. http://dnre-mrne.gnb.ca/MineralOccurrence [accessed July 2011]. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011b. New Brunswick Bedrock Lexicon. http://dnr-mrn.gnb.ca/Lexicon/Lexicon/Lexicon_Search.aspx?lang=e [accessed July 2011]. Peter, J.M., and Goodfellow, W.D. 1996. Mineralogy, bulk and rare earth element geochemistry of massive sulfide-associated hydrothermal sediments of the Brunswick Horizon, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 33, p. 252283. Rogers, N., van Staal, C.R., Winchester, J.A., and Fyffe, L.R. 2003. Provenance and chemical stratigraphy of the sedimentary rocks of the Miramichi, Tetagouche, California Lake and Fournier groups, northern New Brunswick. In Massive Sulfide Deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, and Northern Maine. Edited by W.D. Goodfellow, S.R. McCutcheon, and J.M. Peter. Economic Geology, Monograph 11, p. 111128. Sullivan, R.W., and van Staal, C.R. 1996. Preliminary chronostratigraphy of the Tetagouche and Fournier groups in northern New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Current Research 1995-F, p. 131. Sutherland, D.B. 1975. Report of work on the Half Mile Lake property for McDonough Grubstake Syndicate/Mattagami Lake Mines Ltd. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mines Division, Mineral Assessment Report No. 471608. Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. 1957. Report of work on the Half Mile Lake property. New Brunswick Department of Lands and Mines; Mines Branch, Mineral Assessment Report No. 472118. Toyoda, K., and Masuda, A. 1991. Chemical leaching of pelagic sediments: identification of the carrier of Ce anomaly. Geochemical Journal, 25, p. 95119. Trevali Mining Corporation. 2011a. Halfmile [company website about the Halfmile Lake deposit]. http://www.trevaliresources.com/s/Halfmile.asp [accessed July 2011]. Trevali Mining Corporation. 2011b. Trevali completes first blast on production adit and provides construction update at the Halfmile Mine Project in New Brunswick, Canada. News release, June 16, 2011. http://www.trevaliresources.com/s/NewsReleases.asp?ReportID=462665&_Type=News&_Title =Trevali-completes-first-blast-on-production-adit-and-provides-construction-...[accessed July 2011]. van Staal, C.R. 1994. Brunswick subduction complex in the Canadian Appalachians: record of the Late Ordovician to Late Silurian collision between Laurentia and the Gander margin of Avalon. Tectonics, 13, p. 946962. van Staal, C.R., and Fyffe, L.R. 1991. Dunnage and Gander zones, New Brunswick: Canadian Appalachian region. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Geoscience Report 912, 39 p. van Staal, C.R., Wilson, R.A., Rogers, N., Fyffe, L.R., Gower, S.J., Langton, J.P., McCutcheon, S.R., and Walker, J.A. 2002. Geology, Bathurst Mining Camp and surrounding areas, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 4182. van Staal, C.R., Wilson, R.A., Rogers N., Fyffe, L.R., Langton, J.P., McCutcheon, S.R., McNicoll, V., and Ravenhurst, C.E. 2003. Geology and tectonic history of the Bathurst Supergroup, Bathurst

41
Mining Camp, and its relationships to coeval rocks in southwestern New Brunswick and adjacent Maine: a synthesis. In Massive Sulfide Deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, and Northern Maine. Edited by W.D. Goodfellow, S.R. McCutcheon, and J.M. Peter. Economic Geology, Monograph 11, p. 3760. Vukovich, E. 1975a. Report of work on the Halfmile Lake South property (M.L. 998) for Texasgulf Canada Ltd. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Branch, Mineral Assessment Report No. 471662. Vukovich, E. 1975b. Report of work on the Halfmile Lake Central property (M.L. 1010) for Texasgulf Inc. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Branch, Mineral Assessment Report No. 471666. Walker, J.A., and Graves, G., 2006. The Mount Fronsac North VMS deposit: a recent discovery in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick. Exploration and Mining Geology, 15, No. 34, p 221240. Wilson, R.A. 1993a. Geology of the Halfmile Lake area (NTS 21 O/08c), Northumberland County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Plate 93-307C. Wilson, R.A. 1993c. Geology of Little Bald Mountain area (NTS 21 O/8-202). New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Plate 93-306E (revised). Wilson, R.A. 1993b. Geology of Heath SteeleHalfmile Lakes area, Northumberland County, New Brunswick (part of NTS 21 O/8). New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Report of Investigation 25, 98 p. Winchester, J.A., and Floyd, P.A. 1977. Geochemical discrimination of different magma series and their differentiation products using immobile elements. Chemical Geology, 20, p. 325343.

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Appendix 1: Analytical Data for Samples from Drillhole HN99-119, Halfmile Lake Deep Zone, Halfmile Lake Deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp Notes
1. Analyses for the current study were conducted by Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ancaster, Ontario. Analytical methods and detection limits for the data compiled from Mireku (2001) are described in Mireku (2001) and Mireku and Stanley (2007). 2. All values are in ppm unless otherwise stated. 3. Analytical methods used: FUSICP = Metaborate/tetraborate fusioninductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry, FUSMS = Metaborate/tetraborate fusionmass spectrometry, INAA = Instrumental neutron activation analysis, TDICP = Total digestioninductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry 4. Units analyzed: FLB = Flat Landing Brook Formation (Tetagouche Group), NF15 = eruptive units of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (Tetagouche Group), OM = Patrick Brook Formation (Miramichi Group), (vc) = volcaniclastic rocks

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1190050.3 FLB
71.73 11.42 4.99 0.066 0.73 0.7 0.67 6.82 0.347 0.11 3.23 0.9 77.4 15 815 1.3 0.7 5 12 0.9 10 16 1.1 7.1 4 14.2 4 134 181 2.11 4.9

HN-1190082.8 FLB
69.6 12.76 4.89 0.096 2.03 0.6 1.62 6.18 0.36 0.13 2.6 0.9 24.5 18 862 1.7 <0.5 7 2.5 0.8 6 18 1 7.5 28 14.8 3 91 140 0.834 1.6

HN-1190138.7 NF5
75.31 13.03 2.07 0.051 0.57 0.51 3.52 3.54 0.28 0.12 1.7 0.5 17.3 <2 664 0.5 1.2 2 2.5 1.2 16 15 0.8 5 <2 11.9 5 61 111 0.17 0.5

HN-1190175.6 NF5
74.22 12.98 2.18 0.051 0.72 0.46 2.63 4.88 0.287 0.11 1.78 0.6 11.5 <2 877 0.5 0.9 3 10 0.8 8 16 0.9 5.2 <2 13.7 4 187 137 0.024 0.7

HN-1190202.2 NF5
72.3 13.25 3.64 0.041 0.85 0.47 1.04 5.78 0.287 0.12 2.13 <0.5 13 <2 873 0.7 7 11 0.8 17 1 5.6 2 10.9 28 184 2.2

HN-1190221 NF4
74.39 12.5 2.3 0.046 0.78 0.59 1.87 5.54 0.282 0.13 1.8 <0.5 34.3 <2 898 0.4 <0.5 2 9 0.7 28 16 1 5.2 <2 11.5 4 24 155 0.073 0.9

HN-1190243.6 NF4
77.57 11.68 2.67 0.038 0.76 0.25 3.36 2.82 0.257 0.11 1.18 <0.5 2.6 <2 562 0.2 <0.5 3 9 0.6 9 13 1 4.5 <2 10.6 4 13 86 0.087 0.5

HN-1190256.8 NF4
74.24 12.5 3.03 0.044 1.07 0.21 1.15 5.99 0.277 0.1 1.67 <0.5 5.6 <2 1358 0.2 <0.5 4 14 0.8 4 15 1.1 4.9 <2 11.4 5 15 161 0.031 1.4

HN-1190285 NF4
73.7 13.23 2.15 0.027 0.84 0.26 2.13 5.82 0.281 0.12 1.27 <0.5 3.6 <2 1236 0.3 <0.5 2 11 0.7 4 15 1 5.5 <2 13.1 3 17 147 0.027 0.8

HN-1190304.7 NF4
75.07 12.87 2.22 0.029 0.69 0.22 1.64 6.43 0.271 0.12 1.13 <0.5 6.6 <2 1508 0.3 <0.5 3 10 0.7 4 14 1 4.9 <2 11.7 3 22 143 0.011 1

HN-1190307.3 Basalt Dyke

44.91 19 11.7 0.159 10.55 0.32 2.25 6.8 1.157 0.08 3.87 <0.5 69.8

Rock Unit
Analytical Method SiO2 wt% Al2O3 wt% Fe2O3(Tot) wt% MnO wt% MgO wt% CaO wt% Na2O wt% K2O wt% TiO2 wt% P2O5 wt% LOI wt% Ag As Au ppb Ba Bi Cd Co Cr Cs Cu Ga Ge Hf Mo Nb Ni Pb Rb S wt% Sb FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-MS INAA INAA FUS-ICP FUS-MS TD-ICP INAA INAA FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS Detection Limit 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.5 0.1 2 3 0.1 0.5 1 0.1 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 2 0.1 1 1 1 0.001 0.1

42

<2 413 0.3 <0.5 48 360 8 1 19 1.5 1.5 <2 3.8 146 9 380 0.004 1.1

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1190050.3 FLB
7 <3 4 50 1 19 1.23 5.14 26 3 40.3 71 261 47.8 104 10.6 39.4 8.17 0.872 7.35 1.2 6.91 1.36 3.97 0.6 3.8 0.592

HN-1190082.8 FLB
7 <3 4 66 1.02 20.9 0.88 5.75 25 1.5 44.6 54 273 49.1 107 10.9 40.1 8.65 0.787 7.93 1.32 7.77 1.52 4.47 0.661 4.28 0.667

HN-1190138.7 NF5
5 <3 7 67 0.87 16.1 0.49 5.16 19 1.7 39.1 541 174 38.1 82 8.25 30.9 6.93 0.663 6.37 1.11 6.78 1.34 3.83 0.55 3.49 0.535

HN-1190175.6 NF5
6 <3 8 67 0.93 16.8 0.57 5.14 20 1.6 40.5 320 179 37.5 80.5 8.21 30.7 6.81 0.677 6.47 1.13 6.78 1.37 3.95 0.584 3.71 0.556

HN-1190202.2 NF5
6 <3 7 50 0.9 17 0.73 5.27 20 2.1 41.8 186 38.3 83 8.47 31 7.06 0.755 6.62 1.18 7.21 1.41 3.96 0.594 3.8 0.577

HN-1190221 NF4
6 <3 6 64 0.87 16.3 0.6 5.04 20 2.6 40.1 27 184 35.4 76.1 7.75 28.8 6.59 0.697 6.3 1.15 7.08 1.38 3.86 0.564 3.66 0.551

HN-1190243.6 NF4
4 <3 7 43 0.81 14.6 0.33 4.46 18 1 31.1 30 157 31.1 67.5 6.76 24.9 5.42 0.587 5.09 0.91 5.41 1.04 2.99 0.445 2.88 0.445

HN-1190256.8 NF4
5 <3 7 46 0.8 16 0.6 4.96 18 1.9 39.7 32 176 37.9 81.4 8.19 30 6.54 0.614 6.2 1.08 6.4 1.26 3.63 0.526 3.37 0.533

HN-1190285 NF4
6 <3 6 60 0.93 17.1 0.55 5.05 18 1.1 41 18 194 38.4 82.3 8.23 30.2 6.79 0.728 6.44 1.17 6.92 1.32 3.78 0.554 3.55 0.542

HN-1190304.7 NF4
5 <3 6 67 0.85 15.6 0.52 5.03 18 0.6 41 19 169 36.5 78.5 7.87 28.9 6.54 0.792 6.33 1.13 6.84 1.34 3.83 0.556 3.53 0.526

HN-1190307.3 Basalt Dyke

40 <3 2 33 0.08 0.06 2.19 0.18 265 <0.5 36 90 43 5.16 11.9 1.4 6.46 2.18 0.383 3.44 0.85 6.1 1.33 3.98 0.586 3.69 0.551

Rock Unit
Analytical Method Sc Se Sn Sr Ta Th Tl U V W Y Zn Zr La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu FUS-ICP INAA FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS Detection Limit 1 3 1 2 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 5 0.5 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.002

43

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1190308.8 NF3
74.2 12.92 2.95 0.038 1.2 0.31 0.87 6.46 0.27 0.11 1.67 <0.5 7.6 <2 1581 0.5 <0.5 4 10 1.2 3 13 1.1 5.1 <2 11.9 5 21 164 0.011 1.5

HN-1190339.5 NF2 (vc)

56.17 17.3 10.41 0.121 4.82 0.32 2.13 3.93 0.86 0.21 3.69 1.1 14 <2 1085 0.3 <0.5 19 10 1.3 1 23 1.5 10.5 <2 23.9 5 25 114 0.009 0.8

HN-1190376 NF2 (vc)

59.05 15.13 9.18 0.136 4.91 1.15 2.31 2.99 1.421 0.38 3.87 <0.5 11.6 <2 615 0.5 <0.5 17 2.5 1.1 2 18 1.3 4.8 <2 15.6 5 16 77 0.004 0.7

HN-1190385.6 NF2
74.06 12.8 2.44 0.026 0.85 0.32 2.06 5.98 0.265 0.11 1.21 <0.5 3 <2 1153 0.1 <0.5 3 15 1.2 8 14 1 5 <2 11 5 16 148 0.054 0.7

HN-1190445 NF2
72.3 13.24 2.1 0.027 0.55 0.46 2.29 6.01 0.283 0.13 1.17 <0.5 4.4 <2 865 0.1 <0.5 2 14 1.3 15 15 1.2 5 <2 12.2 3 13 161 0.02 0.5

HN-1190482 NF2
76.73 11.53 1.83 0.027 0.66 0.34 2.99 4.5 0.252 0.11 0.8 <0.5 4.6 <2 1045 0.1 <0.5 2 14 0.9 2 11 1.2 4.5 <2 10.5 4 15 111 0.005 0.7

HN-1190517.6 NF2
75.11 12 2.5 0.032 1.05 0.21 2.99 3.26 0.256 0.07 1.6 <0.5 3.1 <2 707 0.1 <0.5 3 13 1.3 2 14 0.9 4.2 3 12.3 6 7 107 0.22 1.1

HN-1190541 NF2 (vc)

64.99 12.94 4.82 0.089 3.4 2.58 4.01 1.88 0.624 0.08 4.02 0.5 16.2 <2 476 <0.1 <0.5 12 89 0.9 13 16 1.1 5.7 <2 15.7 27 11 49 0.071 0.6

HN-1190554.6 NF1
74.44 12.79 1.94 0.029 1.04 0.36 2.31 5.38 0.274 0.1 1.42 <0.5 4.2 <2 1319 <0.1 <0.5 3 11 1.8 1 15 1.1 4.8 <2 11.7 4 12 141 0.021 0.5

HN-1190580.6 NF1
74.85 12.23 1.89 0.037 0.66 0.74 1.71 6.41 0.254 0.1 1.8 <0.5 1.5 <2 1202 <0.1 <0.5 2 10 2.4 2 13 0.9 4.7 <2 12.5 3 11 175 0.049 0.3

HN-1190617 NF1
61.86 15.38 8.18 0.198 2.95 0.37 0.07 4.87 0.909 0.24 3.57 0.6 10 <2 1132 0.2 <0.5 13 97 5 73 22 1.9 5.6 <2 19.9 35 42 189 0.563 2.4

Rock Unit
Analytical Method SiO2 wt% Al2O3 wt% Fe2O3(Tot) wt% MnO wt% MgO wt% CaO wt% Na2O wt% K2O wt% TiO2 wt% P2O5 wt% LOI wt% Ag As Au ppb Ba Bi Cd Co Cr Cs Cu Ga Ge Hf Mo Nb Ni Pb Rb S wt% Sb FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-MS INAA INAA FUS-ICP FUS-MS TD-ICP INAA INAA FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS Detection Limit 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.5 0.1 2 3 0.1 0.5 1 0.1 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 2 0.1 1 1 1 0.001 0.1

44

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1190308.8 NF3
5 <3 7 64 0.84 15.7 0.62 4.89 18 1 38.3 18 179 36.3 79.9 8.12 29.9 6.57 0.812 6.28 1.11 6.43 1.29 3.55 0.532 3.36 0.517

HN-1190339.5 NF2 (vc)

15 <3 6 48 1.4 21 0.39 5.29 88 3.4 54.7 44 422 67.5 144 14.7 55.4 11.2 1.19 10 1.61 9.36 1.81 5.2 0.755 4.9 0.774

HN-1190376 NF2 (vc)

30 <3 5 68 0.84 7.74 0.29 2.17 279 1.6 31.7 92 196 36.3 74.4 7.64 29.8 6.27 1.65 6.15 0.96 5.38 1.05 3.06 0.461 3.07 0.5

HN-1190385.6 NF2
5 <3 6 62 0.82 15.7 0.57 4.44 18 1.2 42.3 23 177 36.3 78.7 7.91 29 6.45 0.741 6.41 1.14 6.85 1.36 3.89 0.565 3.5 0.532

HN-1190445 NF2
5 <3 6 59 0.85 16 0.59 4.71 19 1 39.9 21 185 36.2 77.9 7.74 28.3 6.24 0.638 6.02 1.08 6.4 1.26 3.59 0.52 3.26 0.499

HN-1190482 NF2
5 <3 5 59 0.77 14.4 0.46 3.65 14 0.7 39.7 27 165 34.1 73.9 7.4 27 6.01 0.643 5.79 1.03 6.16 1.24 3.62 0.524 3.25 0.486

HN-1190517.6 NF2
5 <3 5 35 0.83 14.6 0.47 4.45 17 1 36.8 20 157 33.2 70.9 7.02 25.4 5.7 0.573 5.69 1.02 5.94 1.14 3.25 0.474 3.06 0.475

HN-1190541 NF2 (vc)

18 <3 4 93 0.98 11.1 0.2 3.23 91 <0.5 44.2 54 217 48.3 97.1 9.68 36.4 7.71 1.17 7.39 1.23 7.01 1.38 3.99 0.594 3.91 0.614

HN-1190554.6 NF1
5 <3 4 57 0.85 16.1 0.52 5.08 20 <0.5 39.9 25 181 39.3 83.2 8.22 30.5 6.75 0.744 6.52 1.12 6.56 1.27 3.57 0.514 3.29 0.504

HN-1190580.6 NF1
5 <3 5 52 0.81 14.9 0.79 4.71 20 <0.5 42.2 17 175 33.6 72.7 7.25 26.3 6.19 0.69 6.21 1.12 6.82 1.31 3.65 0.521 3.23 0.491

HN-1190617 NF1
16 <3 5 26 1.11 11.6 0.56 3.07 131 2.1 39.7 100 237 48.2 95.9 9.59 35.5 6.9 1.39 6.21 1 6.01 1.21 3.57 0.53 3.42 0.547

Rock Unit
Analytical Method Sc Se Sn Sr Ta Th Tl U V W Y Zn Zr La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu FUS-ICP INAA FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS Detection Limit 1 3 1 2 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 5 0.5 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.002

45

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1190629.5 NF1
74.5 12.3 3.08 0.035 1.36 0.28 3.66 2.5 0.26 0.11 1.58 <0.5 3.4 <2 985 <0.1 <0.5 4 6 1.7 2 15 1 4.8 <2 12 3 5 73 0.07 0.5

HN-1190640 OM
74.68 10.46 6.26 0.105 1.81 0.18 1.03 2.26 0.726 0.1 2.58 0.8 26.8 <2 302 0.3 <0.5 14 53 2.3 14 14 1.6 7 <2 15.8 33 71 98 0.025 0.6

HN-1190946.4 OM
69.11 13.64 6.88 0.056 1.71 0.11 0.12 3.4 0.981 0.07 3.05 0.9 15.6 <2 479 <0.1 <0.5 13 79 3.5 8 18 1.7 8.2 <2 21.1 36 2.5 144 0.039 0.8

HN-1190981 OM
79 8.36 7.16 0.07 1.42 0.12 0.07 1.4 0.63 0.07 1.75 0.4 4 222 2.5 0.5 12 81 8.1

HN-1191033 OM
63.9 16.9 8.29 0.07 1.65 0.16 0.14 3.86 1.03 0.1 3.75 0.1 1.5 599 2.5 0.5 13 58 35.3

HN-1191066.4 OM
51.7 23.8 9.81 0.09 2.01 0.18 0.2 5.73 1.35 0.12 4.1 0.3 8 722 2.5 0.5 15 42 2.3

HN-1191117.6 OM
71.1 12 9.35 0.08 1.75 0.1 0.05 2.24 0.66 0.07 2.6 0.4 12 357 5 0.5 25 49 19.4

HN-1191141 OM
61.98 17.51 7.74 0.06 1.67 0.14 0.15 4.43 1.031 0.09 3.48 0.7 19.2 <2 630 0.1 8 97 4.1

HN-1191165.8 OM
64 15.3 9.32 0.06 1.96 0.12 0.1 3.72 0.82 0.1 3.8 0.2 13 454 8 0.5 22 38 102

HN-1191191.3 OM
62.9 16.6 8.1 0.37 2.1 0.3 0.79 4.01 1.01 0.2 2.95 0.3 46 443 2.5 0.5 16 52 31.8

HN-1191195 NF1
71.78 14.39 3.63 0.072 1.88 0.19 1.08 3.75 0.316 0.13 2.62 <0.5 4.4 <2 425 <0.1 <0.5 3 10 3.2 4 16 2.1 5.2

Rock Unit
Analytical Method SiO2 wt% Al2O3 wt% Fe2O3(Tot) wt% MnO wt% MgO wt% CaO wt% Na2O wt% K2O wt% TiO2 wt% P2O5 wt% LOI wt% Ag As Au ppb Ba Bi Cd Co Cr Cs Cu Ga Ge Hf Mo Nb Ni Pb Rb S wt% Sb FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-MS INAA INAA FUS-ICP FUS-MS TD-ICP INAA INAA FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS Detection Limit 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.5 0.1 2 3 0.1 0.5 1 0.1 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 2 0.1 1 1 1 0.001 0.1

46

23 1.6 6.3 0.5 11 33 4 65 0.12 2.5 0.5 19 34 1 180 0.33 2.5 0.5 22 40 1 234 0.02 2.5 0.5 12 24 1 96 0.14 2.5 0.9 <2 22 40 2.5 185 0.5 17 27 7 164 1.63 2.5 0.5 18 37 6 165 0.37 2.5

<2 13.1 4 7 165 0.002 0.7

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1190629.5 NF1
5 <3 5 55 0.8 15.7 0.28 4.89 20 0.6 40.6 20 182 35.7 76.2 7.44 27.2 5.78 0.735 5.8 1.02 6.08 1.23 3.6 0.538 3.51 0.54

HN-1190640 OM
10 <3 3 19 0.9 9.84 0.32 2.54 81 0.6 31.5 101 309 37.6 76.3 7.46 28 5.43 1.04 4.91 0.79 4.72 0.95 2.8 0.417 2.73 0.449

HN-1190946.4 OM
13 <3 6 15 1.17 11.9 0.49 3.54 101 2.2 33.5 51 350 40.1 82.9 8.26 31 6.15 1.13 5.58 0.91 5.54 1.1 3.21 0.489 3.36 0.548

HN-1190981 OM
1.3 5 8

HN-1191033 OM
1 5 17

HN-1191066.4 OM
1.5 5 24

HN-1191117.6 OM
1.4 5 12

HN-1191141 OM
19 <3 12 18 1.24 13.4 0.83 3.26

HN-1191165.8 OM
0.7 5 14

HN-1191191.3 OM
0.8 5 16

HN-1191195 NF1
6 <3 10 17 0.93 17.7 8.56 5.51

Rock Unit
Analytical Method Sc Se Sn Sr Ta Th Tl U V W Y Zn Zr La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu FUS-ICP INAA FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS Detection Limit 1 3 1 2 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 5 0.5 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.002

21 5 31 36.4 264 22.9

18 5 61 142 243 34.6

26 5 72 71 221 49.8

18 5 47 65.9 193 24

134 6 34.9 266 57.7 116 11.4 42.1 8.14 1.65 7.22 1.08 5.96 1.16 3.35 0.501 3.34 0.555

15 5 52 70.3 243 20.5

17 5 57 124 233 28.3

22 1.9 46.3 78 197 42.7 91.5 8.94 32.5 7.21 1.25 7.22 1.23 7.27 1.42 4.09 0.603 3.79 0.565

47

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1191196.6 NF1
78.8 11.5 2.08 0.04 1.24 0.24 0.26 3.37 0.26 0.09 2.25 0.1 88 342 2.5 0.5 3 37 1.1

HN-1191263.6 NF1 (vc)

64.5 15.2 8.06 0.02 0.81 0.09 0.09 4.76 0.98 0.05 5.6 1.1 113 504 2.5 0.5 16 53 35

HN-1191270 NF1
65.88 14.26 7.56 0.279 1.98 0.27 1.42 3.05 0.874 0.18 2.76 0.6 32.7 <2 373 <0.1 <0.5 15 75 2.1 15 18 1.5 5.5

HN-1191271.1 NF1 (vc)

63.2 16.2 8.88 0.26 2.21 0.32 0.63 3.79 0.99 0.21 3.1 0.4 67 478 2.5 0.5 15 43 42.8

HN-1191286.3 NF1
73.8 13.7 2.92 0.03 1.35 0.3 3.47 2.35 0.3 0.1 1.65 0.1 1.5 236 2.5 0.5 4 73 2

HN-1191296.5 OM
72.26 14.46 2.7 0.035 1.69 0.28 2.21 4.28 0.302 0.13 2.29 0.6 6.3 <2 667 0.2 <0.5 3 14 3.1 <1 19 1.5 5.4

HN-1191319.5 OM
65.8 13.2 7.04 0.05 3.93 0.52 4.73 0.28 0.74 0.21 2.2 0.2 1.5 34 2.5 0.5 0.5 40 1.3

HN-1191332.04 OM
64.6 15.8 7.03 0.08 2.24 0.22 0.67 4.38 0.98 0.12 3.05 0.1 8 536 2.5 0.5 13 50 21.2

HN-1191341.5 OM
63.6 14.7 6.61 0.1 4.59 0.29 5.68 0.26 0.77 0.14 2.25 0.4 1.5 25 2.5 0.5 11 72 1.4

HN-1191386.8 NF1
64.5 14.4 5.56 0.1 3.63 2.11 3.82 2.12 0.72 0.14 3.05 0.1 1.5 467 2.5 0.5 9 57 17.4

HN-1191403 NF1
49.03 16.66 10.26 0.215 9.57 1.94 3.73 1.14 1.279 0.15 5.41 <0.5 5 <2 149 <0.1 <0.5 27 158 1.9 2 18 1.7 4.2

HN-1191407.16 NF1
65.1 14.5 6.08 0.07 4.28 0.51 2.94 2.36 0.72 0.16 2.75 0.4 1.5

Rock Unit
Analytical Method SiO2 wt% Al2O3 wt% Fe2O wt% MnO wt% MgO wt% CaO wt%
3(Tot)

Detection Limit 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.5 0.1 2 3 0.1 0.5 1 0.1 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 2 0.1 1 1 1 0.001 0.1

FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-ICP FUS-MS INAA INAA FUS-ICP FUS-MS TD-ICP INAA INAA FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS

Na2O wt% K2O wt% TiO2 wt% P2O5 wt% LOI wt% Ag As Au ppb Ba Bi Cd Co Cr Cs Cu Ga Ge Hf Mo Nb Ni Pb Rb S wt% Sb

48
361 2.5 0.5 9 64 3.3

0.5 10 5 9 151 0.02 2.5

2 17 52 403 197 5.63 6

<2 19.3 38 2.5 121 0.13 0.5

0.5 20 39 23 147 0.32 2.5

2 11 26 4 97 0.03 2.5

<2 13.8 4 2.5 170 <0.001 0.5

0.5 14 11 1 10 0.04 2.5

0.5 17 31 1 170 0.16 2.5

0.5 14 18 1 10 0.005 2.5

0.5 12 20 1 65 0.02 2.5

<2 11.1 20 2.5 39 0.002 <0.2

0.5 14 8 3 81 0.05 2.5

Sample Number / Data Source

red = this study; black = Mireku 2001

HN-1191196.6 NF1
0.25 5 11

HN-1191263.6 NF1 (vc)

0.25 5 22

HN-1191270 NF1
14 <3 5 23 0.98 11 0.64 2.81

HN-1191271.1 NF1 (vc)

1.2 5 21

HN-1191286.3 NF1
0.25 5 36

HN-1191296.5 OM
6 <3 8 31 0.9 17.4 0.55 5.42

HN-1191319.5 OM
9.2 5 49

HN-1191332.04 OM
0.8 5 18

HN-1191341.5 OM
9.6 5 60

HN-1191386.8 NF1
5 5 93

HN-1191403 NF1
42 <3 2 51 0.54 4.32 0.18 1.31

HN-1191407.16 NF1
3.1 5 42

Rock Unit
Analytical Method Sc Se Sn Sr Ta Th Tl U V W Y Zn Zr La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu FUS-ICP INAA FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS TD-ICP FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS FUS-MS Detection Limit 1 3 1 2 0.01 0.1 0.01 0.01 5 0.5 0.1 1 1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.001 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.001 0.01 0.002

1 5 35 22.1 139 21.2

6 5 47 516 246 28.8

125 2 27.6 158 233 36.3 72.8 7.27 27.1 5.43 1.13 4.85 0.79 4.47 0.89 2.61 0.402 2.71 0.441

23 5 53 100 233 26.3

5 5 45 13.2 158 26.7

23 1.4 39.2 26 212 41.3 87.1 8.61 30.9 6.77 0.672 6.39 1.07 6.07 1.2 3.5 0.521 3.36 0.536

36 5 50 17.8 241 27.4

15 5 52 28.9 250 33.4

74 5 44 64 239 27.7

37 5 43 63.1 221 20

245 <0.5 30.2 226 182 25.3 52 5.31 21.4 4.94 1.26 5.28 0.84 4.97 0.98 2.87 0.437 2.94 0.477

26 5 49 25.8

49

244 30.2

50

Stratigraphic and Structural Relationships in the Western Sackville Subbasin of the Maritimes Basin, Southeastern New Brunswick: A Petrographic, Petrophysical, and Seismic Analysis
HOLLY J. STEWART
Geological Surveys Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, New Brunswick, CANADA E3B 5H1 (Holly.Stewart@gnb.ca) Stewart, H.J. 2011. Stratigraphic and structural relationships in the western Sackville Subbasin of the Maritimes Basin, southeastern New Brunswick: a petrographic, petrophysical, and seismic analysis. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2010. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Mineral Resource Report 2011-2, p. 5074.

___________________________________________________________________________
The Sackville Subbasin is one of several depocentres in the southeastern New Brunswick segment of the Maritimes Basin in Atlantic Canada. The western part of the subbasin includes Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous sedimentary rocks. Detailed petrographic and petrophysical analyses were conducted of cuttings from three deep exploration wells near Dorchester in the western subbasin. These analyses, combined with reinterpreted seismic survey data from the area, revealed information of relevance to hydrocarbon exploration in the region. The data helped to more precisely define the stratigraphy and, to a lesser extent, the structure of the western Sackville Subbasin. This study demonstrated that the depth to pre-Late Devonian basement rocks was shallower than previously interpreted. It also helped to delineate the distribution and internal stratigraphy of the hydrocarbon-bearing Early Carboniferous Albert Formation (Horton Group) in the report area. The Albert Formation typically contains three conformable units that, in ascending order, are the Dawson Settlement, Frederick Brook, and Hiram Brook members. All members contain kerogenous sandstone, mudstone, and shale; and regionally, all members have produced economic quantities of oil and gas. Recently, the main unit targeted for conventional gas exploration and development is the Hiram Brook Member, whereas that investigated for unconventional gas exploration is the Frederick Brook Member. The current study identified only the Dawson Settlement and Frederick Brook members in the three deep wells near Dorchester. This observation, combined with the reinterpreted seismic data, indicates that the Hiram Brook Member may have been eroded during a basin inversion event in the area during the Early Carboniferous. Absence of the Hiram Brook Member in these wells has obvious implications for hydrocarbon exploration in the western part of the Sackville Subbasin. _________________________________________________ Le sous-bassin de Sackville figure parmi quelques-uns des centres de sdimentation de la partie sud-est du Nouveau-Brunswick du bassin des Maritimes, au Canada atlantique. La partie occidentale du sous-bassin comprend des roches sdimentaires dont la formation remonte la priode comprise entre le Dvonien tardif et le

51
Carbonifre prcoce. Des analyses ptrographiques et ptrophysiques approfondies ont t ralises sur des dblais de forage de trois puits dexploration en profondeur, prs de Dorchester, dans le sous-bassin de louest. De concert avec des donnes de lev sismique rinterprtes, les rsultats de ces analyses ont permis dobtenir de linformation pertinente pour les travaux de prospection dhydrocarbures dans la rgion. Ces donnes ont notamment permis de dfinir avec plus de prcision la stratigraphie et, dans une moindre mesure, la structure de la partie ouest du sousbassin de Sackville. Elles ont notamment tabli que les roches du socle antrieures au Dvonien tardif taient une profondeur moindre que ce que lon avait dduit auparavant. Cette tude a galement aid dlimiter dans le secteur concern la rpartition et la stratigraphie interne de la Formation dAlbert, du Carbonifre prcoce (groupe de Horton), qui contient des hydrocarbures. Pour lessentiel, la Formation dAlbert contient trois units concordantes, que voici (en ordre ascendant) : ce sont les membres de Dawson Settlement, du ruisseau Frederick, et du ruisseau Hiram. Tous ces membres renferment du grs, du mudstone et du schiste bitumineux. Au plan rgional, tous les membres ont fourni des volumes rentables de ptrole et de gaz. Rcemment, le membre du ruisseau Hiram a t le principal secteur vis par des travaux dexploration et de mise en valeur du gaz classique, tandis que des travaux dexploration de gaz non classique ont concern le membre du ruisseau Frederick. Ltude actuelle na permis que de dtecter la prsence des membres de Dawson Settlement et du ruisseau Frederick dans trois puits creuss en profondeur prs de Dorchester. Cette observation et linterprtation des donnes de lev sismique portent croire que le membre du ruisseau Hiram peut avoir subi une rosion au cours dune inversion de bassin survenue dans la rgion au dbut du Carbonifre. Labsence du membre du ruisseau Hiram dans ces puits a des incidences manifestes sur les travaux dexploration de gisements dhydrocarbures dans la partie occidentale du sous-bassin de Sackville. _________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
The hydrocarbon deposits of Late Devonian to Carboniferous rocks in the Maritimes Basin of Atlantic Canada (Fig. 1) were first recognized in the mid-19th century and have since been the subject of numerous government, industry, and academic studies. Recent exploration work confirms what many of these reports concluded: namely, that rocks of the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous Horton Group of the Maritimes Basin in southeastern New Brunswick particularly those of the Albert Formationcontain the most economically significant resources of gas (conventional and unconventional) and oil in the province. The Albert Formation consists predominantly of fluvial and lacustrine sedimentary rocks that were deposited within the isolated, Early Mississippian depocentres of the Maritimes Basin. The most easterly of these depocentres, the Sackville Subbasin (Fig. 1, 2), was defined by Martel (1987) and is one of the least studied. The work by Martel (1987) was based mainly on seismic surveys completed by Chevron Canada Resources Ltd. between 1982 and 1985, and on limited surface outcrop and borehole information.

Qubec
Gulf of St. Lawrence

New Brunswick
Newfoundland New Brunswick

Maine, USA

Area of Figure 1

Maritim es

Moncton

Bas in

Be

lle

e isl

Fa

ult

Northumberland Strait
NE ZO

IN
Fa ult

No

va

Sco

tia

B SU
Inset 2

S BA
D EF
lt

M OR
Shediac

ED

Inset 1

Cr
N orth e Riv r
Fau

ee
Fa t ul

WESTMORLAND UPLIFT
Moncton

Po

rt E

lgi

NEW BRUNSWICK PLATFORM

N
Be rry M

ills

nF au

lt

NE
Sm ith

ok co lt m a u mr Fa Me ast E

ke

CO
Havelock

G CA
M O

AI NT
Gaytons Fault
ph se o t-J ult ain Fa

Fa D h orc es
Dorchester

u lt ter

d La

Gran

S Stoney Creek Field Hillsborough

SU
t ul Fa

A BB
KV E ILL
Cree
Wood
ll we

SIN
Sackville

UP
Jord an

L
M
lt
Sussex

T IF
n ou
Gordon

T IF

op e

ta
Falls

in

l au
McCully Field

t
u Fa lt

IN

D
Ca

IA

N
on led

SU
ia F

BBASIN
a ult

u Fa

lt

52

ON NCT O M

C SA

Nova Scotia
HASTINGS UPLIFT
ShepodyB eckwith Fau lt

is

as

Fa H ill

be c

T IF L UP

ult

CA

Alma

Ch

D LE

CU M SU BE B R Ha B AS LAN rve IN D yH

ign

A SC

B SU
O

A NI

ec to

N RE
u Fa

I AS

L UP

Ba

Carboniferous deep basins Late DevonianCarboniferous shallow basins Exposed pre-Late Devonian crystalline uplifts

Ke

nn

Bay of Fundy
0 10 km

N O T S NG I K

ON

r ON love T C C

Geological boundary Fault Unconformity

Figure 1. Distribution of subbasins and crystalline uplifts in the Maritimes Basin of southeastern New Brunswick. Geology is after Potter et al. (1979), Howie (1986), Martel (1987), St. Peter (1993, 2006), Ryan and Boehner (1994), and St. Peter and Johnson (2009). The dashed purple line outlines the area of Figure 2.

53

106

Fau
UIN 716
c ia

lt

114

Fa

ult

Hillsborough

ult

Fa

le Up doni lift a

Pe tit d co

Su

s ba

in

n Sy

cli

ne

h orc

es

ter

UIN 325

n Ta

tra

ar ult

16

Dorchester
UIN 330

ville Sack

Fa
Sackville

e Cr

ek

ve Ri r

Ca

Ho

pe

ll we

Sa

il kv

le

Wood

Nova Scotia
pod y
Shepody Bay

She

rv

Ha

Beck

gs Hastin Uplift

ey

with

Fault
Unique Identifier Numbers (UINs) and names of the deep wells examined for the current study: UIN 325 Shell Dorchester 1 UIN 330 Imperial Dorchester 1

Cumberland

Subbasin
un yo fF
0

dy

Ba

5 km

UIN 716 Columbia/Corridor Coppermine Hill 2

Late Carboniferous Pictou Group Cumberland Group

Early Carboniferous Mabou Group Windsor Group Sussex Group

Late Devonian Early Carboniferous Horton Group

Geological contact Major fault 1996 seismic lines

Pre-Late Devonian Crystalline basement

Lines of section (Fig. 4) Well location with UIN

Figure 2. Simplified geological map of the western Sackville Subbasin, southeastern New Brunswick, modified after St. Peter and Johnson (2009) and Webb and Stewart (2011). See Figure 1 for the location of this map area.

At the time of Martel's report, only two deep wells had been drilled in the Sackville Subbasin, both of them near Dorchester in the western part of the subbasin (Fig. 1, 2). They were Shell Dorchester 1 drilled by Shell Oil Company in 1949, and Imperial Dorchester 1 drilled by Imperial Oil Limited in 1960. A third deep well, Columbia/Corridor Coppermine Hill 2 (hereafter, Coppermine Hill 2), was drilled northeast of Dorchester in 2001 by Columbia Natural Resources Canada Limited (Fig. 2). The three wells were reviewed by St. Peter (2001) and referred to by St. Peter and Johnson (2009). These authors combined well data with geological mapping results from the western part of the subbasin and presented a number of stratigraphic and structural interpretations.

54 The current study examined the three deep wells in detail using petrographic and petrophysical analysis. The analytical results were integrated with seismic data, mainly from a two-line survey conducted in 1996 by Corridor Resources Inc. (Fig. 2). The combined information helped to confirm or, in cases, to re-evaluate some interpretations of Late Devonian to Carboniferous stratigraphy and structure around Dorchester. A clearer understanding of the stratigraphy, coupled with seismic analysis, will lead to a better assessment of the hydrocarbon potential of the Albert Formation in the Sackville Subbasin. Note: the three deep wells of the current study are catalogued in the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR) borehole database by their Unique Identifier Numbers (UINs), which are shown on Figure 2. Additional information about the wells is available in this online database (NBDNR 2011).

REGIONAL GEOLOGY
Maritimes Basin
The Late Devonian to Early Permian Maritimes Basin (Fig. 1, inset 2) is an extensive successor basin that developed during the waning stages of, and following, the Middle Devonian Acadian Orogeny; remnants of the basin occur throughout Atlantic Canada (Roliff 1962; St. Peter and Johnson 2009, and references therein). The basin has a rich sedimentological and structural history that involved subaerial to marine sedimentation over a period of 90 Ma. The Maritimes Basin is structurally complex, due to episodes of basin inversion and faulting that produced several major disconformities, paraconformities, and angular unconformities. In New Brunswick, the basin is subdivided into four major Early Carboniferous subbasins or depocentres (Fig. 1), those being the Moncton, Cocagne, Cumberland, and Sackville subbasins (van de Poll 1995; St. Peter 2006). The subbasins are now delineated by major faults and basement uplifts and may be partially concealed by younger Carboniferous strata and their boundaries (Fig. 1; St. Peter 2000; St. Peter and Johnson 2009).

Stratigraphy of the Sackville Subbasin

The Sackville Subbasin covers an area of about 800 km2 and essentially is defined by its Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous stratigraphy. Paleogeographically, most of the basin-fill clastic sediments that dominate the subbasin succession were derived from the Caledonia, Westmorland, and Hastings uplifts (Fig. 1). The subbasin stratigraphy (Fig. 3) has been described in detail by Martel (1987) and St. Peter and Johnson (2009) as a sequence of various lithologies. In general, the succession begins with the mainly red to grey, proximal alluvial fans and other fluvial and lacustrine rocks of the late Famennian (Late Devonian) to Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous) Horton Group (Fig. 3), which are overlain unconformably or disconformably by grey, coarse-grained deposits of the late Tournaisian Sussex Group. The mainly evaporitic

55
EUROPEAN STAGE

SUBSYSTEM

SPORE ZONE

SYSTEM

GLOBAL STAGE

GROUP

AGE (Ma)

SACKVILLE SUBBASIN (St. Peter and Johnson 2009)

Salisbury Formation
Boss Point Fm Cole Point Mbr Breau Creek Mbr

WESTERN SACKVILLE SUBBASIN (Stewart 2011)

Salisbury Formation

LATE (Pennsylvanian)

WESTPHALIAN

311.71.1

PICTOU

BASHKIRIAN

314.5

CUMBERLAND

Boss Point Formation

NAMURIAN

318.11.3

SERPUKHOVIAN

Dorchester Cape Mbr

CARBONIFEROUS

326.41.6

MABOU

Hopewell Cape Formation Maringouin Formation Lime-Kiln Brook Formation

Pugwash Mine Fm

Hopewell Cape Formation Maringouin Formation Lime-Kiln Brook Formation

Pugwash Mine Fm

EARLY (Mississippian)

WINDSOR

VISEAN

Upperton Fm Macumber Formation

Upperton Fm Macumber Formation Hillsborough Formation

345.32.1

5 4 3

SUSSEX

Round Hill Formation

TOURNAISIAN

Albert Formation

HORTON

2
359.22.5

McQuade Brook Formation Memramcook Formation

Albert Fm

Frederick Brook Member

Dawson Settlement Member

DEVONIAN

McQuade Brook Formation Memramcook Formation

LATE

FAMENNIAN

374.52.6

PRE-LATE DEVONIAN

Crystalline basement

Figure 3. General stratigraphy of the Sackville Subbasin according to St. Peter and Johnson (2009) and as revised according to Stewart (2011) and the current report.

56 sequence of the Visean Windsor Group rests with angular unconformity on the Sussex Group and records the incursion of the Windsor Sea into the basin. Redbed sedimentary rocks conformably overlying the late Visean to early Serpukhovian (Early Carboniferous) Mabou Group signify the resumption of proximal alluvial and other fluvial deposition in the region. A major regional unconformity separates these four mainly Early Carboniferous groups from the overlying Late Carboniferous Cumberland and Pictou groups (Fig. 3) that, in the report area, have been identified as Bashkirian (St. Peter and Johnson 2009). The predominantly grey to red fluvial sequences of the two youngest groups heralded the onset of more distally derived fluvial sedimentation that blanketed the Sackville and other subbasins in the region and also buried some previously exposed basement uplifts. It is noteworthy that Martel (1987) interprets seismic reflectors below the Horton Group at the base of the succession as a possible interbedded volcanic and clastic sequence of rocks, similar to those mapped in the same stratigraphic position in nearby Nova Scotia. To date, such rocks have not been found either at surface or at depth in New Brunswick.

Structure of the Sackville Subbasin

The subbasin is delineated primarily by major basin-bounding faults that trend northeasterly or northnorthwesterly, including the HarveyHopewell, Dorchester, Port Elgin, and Wood Creek faults (Fig. 1, 2; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). As discussed by Martel (1987), these faults likely underwent periods of significant, basin-facing, dip-slip movement that allowed the accumulation of thick (>1 km) basin-fill sediments during basin subsidence in the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous. However, some of the faults undoubtedly also experienced a protracted history of reverse and strike-slip movement during this time, as well as later movements that post-dated deposition of Late Carboniferous cover material within the Sackville Subbasin (see St. Peter and Johnson 2009). The internal structural history of the Sackville Subbasin is quite complex. Unconformities in the Early Carboniferous stratigraphic section attest to at least two main periods of basin inversion caused by compression or transpression, in addition to intrabasinal faulting events with local basement uplifts, Late Carboniferous downwarping, broad folding, and salt diapirism (Martel 1987; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). The first major deformation event occurred before deposition of the Windsor Group; it involved transpression that caused uplifting, folding, and erosion of the upper part of the Sussex Group and underlying rocks. The second, and likely more regional, period of deformation and uplift affecting Carboniferous strata took place after deposition of the Mabou Group but before deposition of the Cumberland Group. This event was due mainly to the reactivation of some basin-bounding faults. The latest folding events to affect the younger strata were also associated with continued reactivation along a number of these faults and were accentuated by episodes of salt diapirism (Martel 1987; St. Peter and Johnson 2009).

57

DETAILED STRATIGRAPHY OF THE SACKVILLE SUBBASIN

The following stratigraphic relationships (see Fig. 3) and unit descriptions are summarized from comprehensive accounts in St. Peter (2001) and St. Peter and Johnson (2009).

Horton Group
The Horton Group in the report area consists of the Memramcook, McQuade, and Albert formations. The oldest unit is the Famennian to Tournaisian Memramcook Formation, which contains red, grey, and green, thick-bedded polymictic conglomerates, as well as trough cross-bedded, coarse- to fine-grained, feldspathic to lithic sandstones. These coarser facies are interstratified with red siltstone and mudstone (Norman 1941; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). The McQuade Formation gradationally overlies, and likely is in part a lateral distal facies of, the Memramcook Formation (St. Peter 2006; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). The McQuade Formation ranges from early Tournaisian Zone 1A to middle Tournaisian Zone 2A and consists of red to grey, medium- to fine-grained fluvial strata. Interbedded reddish brown and grey mudstone, siltstone, and fine- to coarse-grained, laminated and cross-bedded sandstone are the dominant lithotypes. Also present are pebble conglomerates containing intraclasts of mudstone and micritic limestone. The Early Tournaisian Albert Formation (Dawson 1853; Bailey and Ells 1878; Ami 1900; Wright 1922; Norman 1932, 1941; St. Peter 1992) gradationally overlies, and is in part laterally equivalent to, the McQuade Brook Formation. The Albert is divided into three conformable members: Dawson Settlement, Frederick Brook, and Hiram Brook (Greiner 1962). At the base is the Dawson Settlement Member, which consists of grey, variously grainsized calcareous sandstone with lenses of non-kerogenous dark grey shale and mudstone. Interbeds of green conglomerate and pebbly sandstone, light grey limestone, and brown kerogenous shale are also present. The Frederick Brook Member lies stratigraphically above the Dawson Settlement Member and consists of brown, kerogenous, dolomitic mudstone, and oil shale. Grey, non-kerogenous shale and mudstone, sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, and dolostone are also present. The Hiram Brook Member is the youngest unit of the Albert Formation. It consists predominantly of brown, thin- to medium-bedded, variously grain-sized calcareous sandstone intercalated with grey, non-kerogenous, slightly calcareous mudstone and shale. Interbeds of brown, kerogenous dolomitic shale, conglomerate, and grey limestone have also been noted (St. Peter and Johnson 2009). Rocks of the Hiram Brook Member were recognized in none of the three deep wells examined during this study (Fig. 3).

Sussex Group
The Sussex Group in the Sackville Subbasin is represented solely by the Round Hill Formation. The formation appears in outcrop elsewhere in the Maritimes Basin of southeastern New Brunswick (St. Peter and Johnson 2009) but has not been mapped at surface in this subbasin; instead, it has been identified only in a drillhole (St. Peter 2001).

58 The Round Hill Formation contains grey and locally red polymictic conglomerate, fine- to coarse-grained sandstone, minor mudstone, and rare limestone that together represent part of a late Tournaisian alluvial fan (McLeod 1980; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). Rocks of the Round Hill Formation were not observed in well intersections of the current study.

Windsor Group
Regionally, the Windsor Group is characterized by an Early Visean basal conglomeratic unit that unconformably overlies older sequences and that is succeeded by various types of evaporitic successions ranging from Early Visean to Namurian (Dawson 1873; Bell 1944). In the report area, this group comprises, in ascending stratigraphic order, the Hillsborough, MacumberGays River, Upperton, Pugwash Mine, and Lime-Kiln Brook formations. The conglomeratic unit, the Hillsborough Formation, consists of dark reddish brown, grey, and commonly sandy conglomerate with minor lithic sandstone, pebbly sandstone, and mudstone (Wright 1922; St. Peter 1992). The Macumber Formation is typically considered the oldest formation in the evaporitic sequence of the Windsor Group, consisting of grey to black, thin-bedded and laminated wackestone to packstone (Weeks 1948). The Gays River Formation, which interfingers with the Macumber, consists of grey to brown algal boundstone and is locally interbedded with minor grey, polymictic pebble conglomerate and calcareous, fine-grained to pebbly lithic sandstone, and limestone breccia mudstone (Boehner 1977). The Upperton Formation overlies the Macumber and Gays River formations. Near surface, gypsum of the Upperton often replaces the primary lithology, which is anhydrite (Anderle et al. 1979; McCutcheon 1981). The Pugwash Mine Formation consists mainly of colourless to white halite that is locally interbedded with minor red or reddish brown and grey shale commonly containing rock salt crystals. Very minor sandstone, anhydrite, dolomite, and selenite stringers are also present in places (Carter and Anderle 1990). The Lime-Kiln Brook Formation (Ryan and Boehner 1994) is divided into three informal members in New Brunswick (St. Peter and Johnson 2009). They contain differing proportions of gypsum, anhydrite, selenite porphyroblasts, wackestone, grainstone, sandstone, conglomerate, and limestone, as well as minor siltstone and mudstone. Typically, they include stromatolites, biomicrites, and oolitic grainstones (St. Peter and Johnson 2009). Parts of the Upperton and Lime-Kiln Brook formations can be laterally continuous with the Pugwash Mine Formation (Fig. 3). When the last-named formation is absent, the Lime-Kiln Brook directly overlies the Upperton.

Mabou Group
In the Sackville Subbasin, the Mabou Group is represented by the Maringouin and Hopewell Cape formations. The late Visean Maringouin Formation is a coarsening-upward sequence of red to grey calcareous, very fine- to fine-grained sandstone with brick red siltstone and mudstone; thicker and more abundant red sandstones are noted near the top of the formation

59 (Norman 1941; Gussow 1953). The Maringouin Formation can in part be laterally equivalent to the Lime-Kiln Brook Formation (Windsor Group) and is also considered a distal lateral equivalent of the lower part of the Hopewell Cape Formation. The Hopewell Cape Formation is a brownish red, poorly sorted, pebblecobble, polymictic conglomerate with coarse-grained to pebbly lithic and variously grain-sized sandstones. This facies, which is typically a fining-upward sequence, also contains brick red to maroon, very fine- to fine-grained, ripple-laminated and massive sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. Reduction spheroids and calcrete are common within the finer grained units of the Hopewell Cape Formation. At the top of the formation is the Dorchester Cape Member, which comprises red, very fine- to fine-grained, ripple-laminated sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. The member differs from lower sections of the formation in that it contains silcrete and more abundant calcrete (van de Poll 1994; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). The Hopewell Cape Formation was not subdivided in the current study.

Cumberland Group
The Cumberland Group is represented in the Sackville Subbasin by the Westphalian Boss Point Formation, which unconformably to disconformably overlies the Mabou Group. The Boss Point is characterized by commonly yellowish weathering, grey, plant-bearing quartzose sandstone; and well-sorted, rounded quartz-pebble conglomerate interbedded with finegrained sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, and lesser amounts of carbonaceous limestone, shale, and coal (Bell 1914, 1944; Browne 1991; St. Peter and Johnson 2009). Although the Boss Point Formation is divided into members at some localities, it remains undivided for the purposes of the present study.

Pictou Group
The Westphalian to Stephanian Pictou Group was not observed in wells within the report area but does occur on surface in the eastern part of the Sackville Subbasin. The only rocks of the Pictou Group identified in New Brunswick are those of the Salisbury and Richibucto formations. The Salisbury Formation consists of predominantly red, very fine- to fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone; and pinkish grey to red, trough cross-bedded sandstone, pebbly sandstone, and conglomerate. The Richibucto Formation contains grey and minor reddish brown, parallel- and trough cross-bedded sandstone, pebbly sandstone, and intraformational conglomerate. Interstratification occurs with red, very fine-grained sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, and minor lacustrine limestone; coalified plant fragments and thin coal seams are common in both formations of the Pictou Group (St. Peter and Johnson 2009).

METHODOLOGY
The Shell Dorchester 1, Imperial Dorchester 1, and Coppermine Hill 2 wells in the vicinity of Dorchester (Fig. 2) are the only deep exploration wells in the study area of the western Sackville Subbasin and thus were chosen for petrographic and petrophysical analysis.

60 Well cuttings for the petrographic examination were selected at 10 ft [3.03 m] intervals for the two older wells (Shell Dorchester 1, Imperial Dorchester 1) and at 3 m intervals for the younger, Coppermine Hill 2 well. Chip samples were observed under a stereoscopic microscope at 10x to 70x magnification to determine lithotype, colour, grain size, constituents, sorting, rounding, cementation, and potential for hydrocarbon content. Late Devonian to Carboniferous lithotypes identified in the study included conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, anhydrite, halite, limestone, and shale. Pre-Late Devonian lithotypes consisted of granitic and metasedimentary rocks. As with the investigation by Parks (2010) of the Albert Formation in the McCully Field (Fig. 1), the current petrophysical study compared and interpreted the various wireline log signatures that characterize the lithofacies identified by petrographic examination. (Schlumberger Limited (2010) describes the theory behind wireline tool functions.) The integration of petrographic and petrophysical well data is key to creating an accurate strip log of lithofacies in hydrocarbon-bearing rocks of the Maritimes Basin. A reliance solely on wireline data, without an accompanying microscopic examination of well cuttings from the same depth, can lead to false identification of some rock types. Wireline logs were available only for the Shell Dorchester 1 and Coppermine Hill 2 wells. Those for Shell Dorchester 1 consisted of self-potential, sonic, and various resistivity logs; those for Coppermine Hill 2 comprised gamma ray, neutron, density, sonic, and assorted resistivity logs. Abbreviated lithologic descriptions derived from the petrographic analysis were displayed on the strip logs beside wireline data and drilling parameters. After the petrographic and petrophysical analyses were completed, standardized strip logs were generated for all three wells. These detailed strip logs formed the basis for constructing cross-sections between the wells (Fig. 4a, 4b). Appendices 2, 3, and 4 of Stewart (2011) provide the complete strip logs for Shell Dorchester 1, Imperial Dorchester 1, and Coppermine Hill 2, respectively, showing the lithologic, wireline (where available), and drilling data for each well.

PETROGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
The petrographic descriptions of lithofacies in the three wells are presented below according to group, formation, and (for the Albert Formation) member. Descriptions of cuttings from the individual wells represent an average of all observed lithologic characteristics of each formation in that well. All wells were drilled vertically, and all numbered depths in metres represent the measured depth or MD (Table 1).

Shell Dorchester 1 (UIN 325) Horton Group

The Horton Group in this well (Fig. 4a, 4b) is represented by the McQuade Brook Formation, Albert Formation, and probably Memramcook Formation (see Discussion, below). The McQuade Brook Formation was intersected at the base of the well in the 2277 m to 2508 m depth interval. It is dominated by siltstone that varies from light to dark grey, is siliceous, and has calcite veining. Sandstone, the second most abundant lithology, is maroon to grey,

61 fine- to medium-grained, micromicaceous, poorly sorted, and well consolidated; and has subangular constituents. This sandstone is noteworthy, being pebbly with schistose clasts. Between the depths of 2277 m and 2343 m, a coarse-grained facies of blue to green conglomerate and sandstone (likely equivalent to the Memramcook Formation) was observed in association with the finer grained, siltstone-dominated sequence. The Dawson Settlement Member of the Albert Formation overlies the McQuade Brook Formation and is present in the 1958 m to 2277 m depth interval. The dominant lithology is dark grey, silty, calcareous, and slightly micaceous shale that contains evidence of plant fragments. Intervals of medium to dark grey, calcareous, and commonly siliceous siltstone occur throughout the section, decreasing in abundance with depth in each interval. Lenses of very fine-grained calcareous sandstone occur throughout the section; the sandstone is white to grey with high concentrations of quartz and muscovite. Also present are white to light grey, microcrystalline dolomitic limestones that reach a maximum concentration at 2035 m, then decrease in abundance with depth. Two types of conglomerate occur in the lowermost section of the Dawson Settlement Formation. One type is blue to green with chlorite, muscovite, granitic clasts, and subangular to angular quartz clasts; it closely resembles the blue to green conglomeritic facies in the underlying MemramcookMcQuade sequence. The other conglomerate has a pink to maroon, fine- to coarse-grained matrix with chlorite, muscovite, and quartz, as well as subangular to angular granitic clasts. Some intervals contain up to 10% grey to green, slightly calcareous siltstone. The Frederick Brook Member lies above the Dawson Settlement Member and was intersected in the 1695 m to 1958 m depth interval. Shale, the dominant lithology, is dark grey, silty, calcareous, and slightly micaceous with evidence of plant fragments. Intervals of medium to dark grey calcareous siltstone decrease in abundance with depth; typically, the siltstone is siliceous. Lenses of minor, very fine-grained, white to grey calcareous sandstone are present throughout the section in association with predominant quartz and muscovite and minor selenite stringers; the sandstone lenses are slightly less extensive than in the underlying Dawson Settlement Member. A 20 m thick interval of white microcrystalline anhydrite was intersected in the 1828 m to 1848 m depth interval.

Windsor Group
The Windsor Group lies above the Horton Group and represents a significant portion of the stratigraphy in this well (Fig. 4a, 4b). The basal Hillsborough Formation was intersected in the 1600 m to 1695 m depth interval. The formation consists mainly of polymictic conglomerate that varies between greyish green and reddish brown with clasts of subangular to subrounded quartz and a variety of igneous lithologies. The conglomerate grades into sandstone toward the base of the section. Minor limestone observed in this section may be the result of cavings.

62

SW

NE

a)
Shell Dorchester 1 Coppermine Hill 2
2508 m 3420 m
(Not to scale)

LATE DEVONIANCARBONIFEROUS Cumberland Group

N
Shell Dorchester 1 Imperial Dorchester 1

Boss Point Formation Mabou Group Hopewell Cape Formation Maringouin Formation Windsor Group Lime-Kiln Brook Formation Pugwash Mine Formation Upperton Formation MacumberGays River formations Hillsborough Formation Horton Group Albert Formation (Frederick Brook Member) Albert Formation (Dawson Settlement Member) MemramcookMcQuade Brook formations PRE-LATE DEVONIAN Crystalline basement Approximate contact Approximate unconformity Fault

b)

2508 m

2420 m

(Not to scale)

Figure 4. Stylized cross-sections between a) the Shell Dorchester 1 and Coppermine Hill 2 wells, and b) the Shell Dorchester 1 and Imperial Dorchester 1 wells. Figure 2 shows the lines of section.

63
Table 1. Tops of Pre-Late Devonian to Carboniferous formations in the western Sackville Subbasin, New Brunswick, as interpreted from a petrographic examination of well cuttings in the Dorchester area. Compare with cross-sections in Figures 4a and 4b.

Well
KB (m) GRD (m)

Shell Dorchester 1 6.4 4.27

MD/ TVD

Imperial Dorchester 1 24.08 19.51

MD/ TVD

Coppermine Hill 2 145.3 140

MD/ TVD

Tops of Formations (m) GROUP Cumberland Mabou FORMATION / MEMBER Boss Point Formation Hopewell Cape Formation Maringouin Formation Lime-Kiln Brook Formation Pugwash Mine Formation Upperton Formation MacumberGays River formations Hillsborough Formation Albert Formation (Frederick Brook Member) Albert Formation (Dawson Settlement Member) MemramcookMcQuade Brook formations Crystalline basement Total depth of well
SS SS SS

0 119 530 1539 1564 1600 1695 1958 2277 2508

-6.4 112.6 523.6 1532.6 1557.6 1593.6 1688.6 1951.6 2270.6 2501.6

Windsor

0 536 1204 1472 1576 2335

-24.08 511.92 1179.92 1447.92 1551.92 2310.92

0 177 1026 1426 1745 2100.5 2150.5 2218

-145.3 31.7 929.7 1280.7 1599.7 1955.2 2005.2 2072.7

Horton

2553 2420 2395.92 2862 3420

2407.7 2716.7 3274.7

Notes: GRD = Ground elevation, KB = Kelly bushing elevation, MD = Measured depth, SS = Sub-sea level, TVD = True vertical depth

The overlying MacumberGays River formations were intersected in the 1564 m to 1600 m depth interval. The main lithology is grey, frosted limestone with minor conglomerate near the base that apparently grades into the Hillsborough Formation below. Overlying the MacumberGays River formations is a thin bed of Upperton Formation, between 1539 m and 1564 m. The dominant Upperton lithology is anhydrite with minor gypsum, salt, and limestone near the base of the interval. The anhydrite is white to grey and microcrystalline with minor orange staining. The Upperton Formation is overlain by the Pugwash Mine Formation, which was intersected between 530 m and 1539 m. The Pugwash Mine Formation in this well is represented by a thick succession of relatively clean, clear to white salt, except near the top of the section, where the salt is orange. Minor siltstone stringers and selenite crystals are present in some sections. At the top of the Windsor section, the Lime-Kiln Brook Formation was intersected in the 119 m to 530 m depth interval. The formation in this well consists mainly of white to grey microcrystalline anhydrite with stringers of gypsum, selenite, and salt.

64

Mabou Group
The Mabou Group in this well (Fig. 4a, 4b) is represented only by the Hopewell Cape Formation, which occurs from the collar to a depth of 119 m. The formation consists of maroon to brown sandstone with poorly sorted, subrounded, poorly consolidated gravel and becomes coarser grained with depth.

Imperial Dorchester 1 (UIN 330)

Late Devonian to Carboniferous rocks older than the upper Windsor Group (i.e., rocks of the Horton and Sussex groups and Windsor rocks older than the Upperton Formation) were not intersected in this well (Table 1).

Windsor Group
The Upperton Formation (Fig. 4b) is present between 2335 m and 2420 m, where it consists of salt, varied proportions of dirty anhydrite, and differing quantities of shale. The salt can be both clear and opaque and typically appears as large crystals. The dirty anhydrites, and what possibly may be gypsum, are white to light grey and in the form of powdered crystals. The shale is grey, calcareous, and fissile, and ranges from hard to soft throughout the entire section. The overlying Pugwash Mine Formation (Fig. 4b) is found in the 1576 m to 2335 m depth interval. Halite, which occurs throughout the interval, is predominantly white to light pink and less commonly light brown. Salt crystals vary from fine- to coarse-grained aggregates, and when the large crystals are clean, they are semitransparent to transparent. The Pugwash Mine Formation in this section contains minor quantities of red to maroon and grey to green shales that are very slightly calcareous, fissile, and vary in hardness. Also present is minor white, powdery anhydrite. The top of the Windsor Group is represented by the Lime-Kiln Brook Formation in the 1472 m to 1576 m depth interval (Fig. 4b). The formation here consists of reddish maroon to brown, claycoated siltstone, clay, and shale, with minor sandstone stringers. The shale is non-calcareous, micromicaceous, and moderately soft; it ranges from blocky to subfissile. The clay coating is grey, vuggy, and moderately consolidated. The overlying Maringouin Formation (Fig. 4b) was intersected between 1204 m and 1472 m and contains red, brown, and grey siltstone as the dominant lithology. Most of the siltstone is oxidized, blocky, and very slightly calcareous; it contains minor mica, is hard, and has a dirty coating. Minor sandstone and conglomerate lenses appear near the base of the formation. The sandstone is red to brown and les commonly grey, very fine to medium grained with a quartz matrix, slightly calcareous, well sorted, subangular, and well consolidated. Sandstone abundance increases near the base of the formation. The conglomerate is maroon to brown, very slightly calcareous, has biotite in the matrix, is poorly sorted, and is well consolidated. Subangular to angular clasts in the conglomerate are composed of quartz and a variety of igneous fragments.

65 The Hopewell Cape Formation (Fig. 4b) overlies the Maringouin Formation at depths of between 536 m and 1204 m and consists of conglomerate and sandstone. The conglomerate is maroon to brown, poorly sorted and well consolidated with subangular clasts of quartz, igneous fragments, and schist in a matrix with extensive biotite. Red to brown sandstone varies from very coarse to fine grained, is highly calcareous, is poorly sorted, and has subangular grains. Minor lenses of maroon to brown siltstone also occur throughout the section; the siltstone is siliceous, blocky, slightly calcareous, and hard.

Cumberland Group
The Imperial Dorchester 1 well was collared in rocks of the Boss Point Formation, which extend down to a depth of 536 m (Fig. 4b). Lithotypes of the formation consist of grey and maroon siltstone; grey, very fine- to coarse-grained grey and maroon sandstone; white to pink polymictic conglomerate; and minor, light to medium grey shale that is blocky and noncalcareous. Despite the lithologic variety, the grain sizes show an overall trend of becoming finer with depth.

Coppermine Hill 2 (UIN 716) Pre-Late Devonian Rocks

This well intersected rocks of the pre-Late Devonian basement between 3420 m and 2862 m (Fig. 4a). The main basement lithologies comprise alternating sequences of schist, metasedimentary rocks, and weathered to unweathered granitic rocks. The schist appears in discrete zones devoid of other material. It is light to medium grey to green and poorly sorted; has abundant subrounded to elongated, grey to white quartz grains; and contains chlorite, biotite, and muscovite. The maroon to brown metasedimentary rocks are slightly calcareous, pyritiferous, and very hard. They resemble the pyritiferous, hard siltstones of the overlying McQuade Brook Formation (see below) but are much more indurated. The composition of the granitic rocks is somewhat similar to that of the schist, but the brown, grey, and orange quartz minerals are angular instead of subrounded. The granitic intervals also contain minor calcite (possibly vein material) and are pyritized, hard, and shiny.

Horton Group
Rocks of the McQuade Brook Formation (Horton Group) were intersected between 2862 m and 2553 m and overlie crystalline basement (Fig. 4a). The formation consists mainly of dirty, dark grey and brown to dark maroon and brown siltstone that is very calcareous, blocky, and has minor grey clay content. This siltstone-dominated facies is maroon-brown at the base, medium to dark grey in the mid-section, and dark brown in the upper section. The McQuade Brook Formation in this well has high pyrite content and is very hard, suggesting deep burial. The strip log for Coppermine Hill 2 (Stewart 2011, her Appendix 4) shows thin intervals of brown, polymictic conglomerate within the siltstone facies, beginning at 2629 m and

66 becoming more common uphole until the interpreted WindsorHorton boundary is reached at 2553 m. At this depth, the brown conglomerates, which probably represent the Memramcook Formation (see Discussion, below) give way to maroon to brown conglomerates of the Hillsborough Group (Windsor Group).

Windsor Group
The Hillsborough Formation represents the base of the Windsor Group in this well and was intersected between 2218 m and 2553 m (Fig. 4a). The main lithology is conglomerate, accompanied by a minor, 20 m section of sandstone and siltstone. The conglomerate is maroon to brown, polymictic with quartz and a variety of igneous clasts, poorly sorted, predominantly subrounded, and slightly calcareous. The sandstone is dark grey, fine grained, has a high percentage of quartz and biotite in the matrix, and is moderately sorted with subangular grains. The pebbly siltstone is maroon to brown, non-calcareous, and blocky. The siltstone section may be thicker than indicated, but a 10 m to 15 m interval of chip samples is missing from above and below the section. The MacumberGays River formations were intersected in the 2150.5 m to 2218 m depth interval (Fig. 4a) and consist mainly of dirty anhydrite, limestone, and salt. The anhydrite is white to light grey and has powdered crystals; the limestone is light grey with mud cement. The salt is white to light grey, semitransparent to transparent, and in both powdered and large-crystal form. The Upperton Formation overlies the MacumberGays River formations and was intersected at a depth interval of 2100.5 m to 2150.5 m (Fig. 4a). The Upperton Formation is a narrow, dirty section that consists mainly of white to light grey, powdered anhydrite crystals but also contains significant salt and siltstone stringers. The salt is white to light grey, semitransparent to transparent, and in both powdered and large-crystal form. The halite-dominated Pugwash Mine Formation occurs in the 1745 m to 2100.5 m depth interval (Fig. 4a). The salt is light brown to greyish with intermittent stringers of medium to dark grey siltstone and minor white powdery anhydrite. The larger halite crystals in general appear powdery but when cleaned are semitransparent to transparent. The top of the Windsor Group is represented by the Lime-Kiln Brook Formation, which extends from 1745 m to 1426 m (Fig. 4a) and features miniscule white clay throughout the formation. The formation consists of siltstone and sandstone with minor salt and significant limestone in various intervals. The siltstone is maroon to grey, siliceous, veined in places with calcite, micromicaceous with minor pyrite, moderately hard, and blocky to platy. The sandstone is maroon, very fine to fine grained, siliceous, veined with calcite, micromicaceous with biotite, moderately sorted, and subangular to subrounded. Salt occurs as large, white to orange, semitransparent crystals. Light grey, calcite-veined limestone is present in the 1587 m to 1662 m depth interval.

67

Mabou Group
The Mabou Group in this well is represented by the Maringouin and Hopewell Cape formations. The Maringouin Formation extends from 1026 m to 1426 m (Fig. 4a) and alternates between siltstone and minor sandstone lenses at the base of the section. The siltstone is maroon to brown and grey, calcareous, micromicaceous, and brittle in places. The sandstone lenses are very fine to fine grained and non-calcareous with constituents that vary from subangular to subrounded. The top of the sequence is dominated by similar sandstone but is mainly fine grained to very coarse grained. A single section of shale occurs between 1158 m and 1170 m; the shale is light to dark grey, blocky, very hard, and at some depths is vitreous, subfissile, and micromicaceous. The Hopewell Cape Formation was observed in the 177 m to 1026 m depth interval (Fig. 4a) and consists predominantly of conglomerate with lesser amounts of interbedded sandstone and siltstone that exhibit properties similar to the sandstone and siltstone in the previous interval. The conglomerate is dark maroon to dark brown and grey, polymictic, calcareous, and poorly sorted with a cement of siltstone and sandstone. All finer grained rocks in this interval are red to brown siltstone.

Cumberland Group
The well was collared in rocks of the Boss Point Formation to a depth of 177 m. The section consists mainly of a mixture of white to brown sandstone and siltstone with minor red to brown mudstone stringers. The sandstone is calcareous, poorly consolidated, and very fine to coarse grained with subrounded and subangular grains. The calcareous siltstone is predominantly red to brown and less commonly grey; it also is hematitic and very soft.

DISCUSSION
This detailed study of petrographic and petrophysical data from the three deep wells in the western Sackville Subbasin has helped to more precisely define the contacts between groups, formations, and members of Late Devonian to Carboniferous rocks in the report area (Table 1). Study results also provide a basis for examining and, in some cases, suggesting revisions to several previous stratigraphic and structural interpretations of rocks in the area.

Pre-Late Devonian Basement

Rocks identified as pre-Late Devonian basement were intersected only in the Coppermine Hill 2 well. They consist of alternating intervals of schist, metasedimentary rocks, and weathered to unweathered granitic rocks. The schists were previously identified by Gemmel and Giles (2001) as sandstones, the metasedimentary rocks as siltstones, and the granitic rocks as conglomerates. Evidence to support the reinterpretation of these rocks is as follows.

68
The schist appears to be present in discrete zones devoid of other material, is chloritic,

contains micaceous material, and has elongated quartz grainsfeatures that are more typical of schist than of siltstone.
The metasedimentary rocks in this well are highly indurated, unlike most of those

commonly found in Late Devonian to Carboniferous rocks in the region.

The material identified herein as granitic rocks contains very weathered angular chips and

lacks sedimentary or metasedimentary clasts. Moreover, no metasedimentary material that could indicate the presence of a matrix is attached to the angular fragments. The wireline log signatures for the Coppermine Hill 2 well (Stewart 2011, her Appendix 4) show that the gamma ray response gradually decreases with depth and then becomes sporadic at the contact between the reinterpreted pre-Late Devonian crystalline basement and the younger cover rocks. The sonic wireline log remains stable between 200 sec/m and 220 sec/m at this contact.

Horton Group MemramcookMcQuade Brook Formations

The McQuade Brook Formation and likely the Memramcook Formation were intersected at the base of the Horton section in two of the three wells being studied: Shell Dorchester 1 and Coppermine Hill 2. It is difficult to distinguish clearly between the two formations in these wells, but in general terms, the Memramcook Formation is characterized as being a coarser grained, proximal facies, whereas the McQuade Brook Formation is a finer grained, distal facies (St. Peter and Johnson 2009). Palynological analyses by Dolby (2011) of samples from both wells (one from a depth of 8190 ft [2481.8 m] in Shell Dorchester 1 and one from a depth of 2727 m in Coppermine Hill 2) date the rocks as Tournaisian Zone 1C to 1D. This age range supports their identification as either Memramcook Formation or McQuade Brook Formation. The coarse-grained conglomerate and sandstone facies interpreted as Memramcook Formation in the Shell Dorchester 1 well is assumed to grade laterally into the finer grained, siltstone-dominated sequence of the McQuade Brook Formation in the Coppermine Hill 2 well. The thin intervals of brown conglomeratic rock within the uppermost McQuade Brook siltstones in Coppermine Hill 2 may represent interfingerings of Memramcook-equivalent material. Given the relative geographic positions of the two wells (Fig. 2) and the foregoing lithofacies relationships, it would appear that the coarser Memramcook Formation grades into the finer McQuade Brook Formation toward the northeastern (i.e., deeper) part of the Sackville Subbasin. Such a relationship supports the interpretation that the two formations represent proximal and distal temporal equivalents (see St. Peter and Johnson 2009, their p. 38).

69

Albert Formation
Results of the present study have helped to more precisely define the distribution and internal stratigraphy of the hydrocarbon-bearing Albert Formation in the western Sackville Subbasin. The Albert Formation was intersected only in the Shell Dorchester 1 well, where it is represented by two of its three members: Dawson Settlement and Frederick Brook. Rocks of the Hiram Brook Member were not observed in any of the wells (Table 1). In the Shell Dorchester 1 well, the McQuade Brook Formation is in gradational contact with the overlying Dawson Settlement Member (Albert Formation). The Dawson Settlement Frederick Brook contact at 1958 m is marked by an abrupt facies change between the very fine-grained sandstone and limestone of the Dawson Settlement Member and the overlying shales of the Frederick Brook. The sharp facies change is mirrored in the wireline data, in which the 20 ohms (), 30 , and 60 array induction, sonic, and self potential logs all show signatures that veer to the left at the contact (see Stewart 2011, her Appendix 2). The main differences between the two members in this well are that the Dawson Settlement has limestone and abundant quantities of very fine-grained calcareous sandstone, whereas the Frederick Brook lacks limestone, has less abundant very fine-grained sandstone and includes a 20 m interval of anhydrite. A palynological age of Tournaisian Zone 2 was obtained for the well cuttings interpreted here as Frederick Brook Member, but no such confirming age could be obtained for cuttings identified as Dawson Settlement Member (Dolby 2011). The Imperial Dorchester 1 and Coppermine Hill 2 wells contain no units that are laterally equivalent to the Albert Formation at the same depth (Table 1). In Coppermine Hill 2 to the northeast, the top of the McQuade Brook Formation is in sharp contact with the overlying Hillsborough Formation (Windsor Group), and the Albert Formation is entirely absent (Fig. 3, 4a). Thus, the Albert Formation pinches out somewhere between the Shell Dorchester 1 and Coppermine Hill 2 wells (Fig. 4a, 5), which indicates that the stratigraphic section of Albert Formation in the western Sackville Subbasin is thinner than was previously interpreted. However, it is possible that additional intersections of the Albert Formation could be encountered at depth below the Imperial Dorchester 1 well, which ended in rocks of the Windsor Group (Table 1).

Windsor and Mabou Groups

The Windsor Group makes up a significant portion of the stratigraphy in Shell Dorchester 1 and appears to have influenced structural relationships among rocks in the well. In the southern part of the cross-sectioned area (i.e., Imperial Dorchester 1 in Fig. 4b), the Hillsborough and MacumberGays River formations were not intersected but are assumed to be present at greater depths. As demonstrated in both cross-sections (Fig. 4a, 4b), the basal formations of the Windsor Group (Hillsborough, MacumberGays River, Upperton) have relatively uniform thicknesses across this part of the subbasin. However, the younger formations (Pugwash Mine, Lime-Kiln Brook) show more varied thicknesses.

70 In his seminal paper on the Carboniferous stratigraphy and structure of New Brunswick, Gussow (1953) discussed the presence of a salt dome in the Sackville Subbasin. Results of the current study offer further evidence for such a dome involving the salt-dominated Pugwash Mine Formation: evidence includes relative unit thicknesses and the apparent absence of some lithographic formations above the salt units (Fig. 4a, 4b, 5). According to Martel (1987), the thickest part of the salt dome lies to the west in the vicinity of Shell Dorchester 1. The present study supports Martels concept of a westward thickening dome (Fig. 2), in that the Pugwash Mine Formation is 1009 m thick in Shell Dorchester 1 and only 365 m thick in Coppermine Hill 2 (Table 1). In Imperial Dorchester 1 to the south (Fig. 4b), the formation has an intermediate thickness of 759 m. Lithologic data (Fig. 4a; Table 1) and the 1996 seismic profile (Fig. 5) suggest that the Maringouin Formation is truncated above the slightly thinned Lime-Kiln Brook Formation between the Coppermine Hill 2 and Shell Dorchester 1 wells. Lithologic data also indicate a similar truncation of the Maringouin Formation above the substantially thinned Lime-Kiln Brook Formation to the south of Shell Dorchester 1 in the direction of Imperial Dorchester 1 (Fig. 4b; Table 1). However, these apparent thinning relationships are more likely due to facies changes between the two formations: as noted by St. Peter and Johnson (2009), the Maringouin can in part be laterally equivalent to the Lime-Kiln Brook. Whatever the Lime-Kiln BrookMaringouin facies relationship in this part of the western Sackville Subbasin, the seismic profile (Fig. 5) does indicate that a buoyant salt dome pushed up through the overlying strata, causing the stratigraphy to appear anticlinal near Shell Dorchester 1. Under such a scenario, the dome would have affected the subsequent configuration and erosional history of overlying strata in the Mabou and Cumberland groups.

Seismic Survey and Structural Implications

The 1996 seismic profile reveals a fault that caused noticeable reverse displacement of preLate Devonian rocks near Shell Dorchester 1 (Fig. 5). Rocks of the Horton Group seem to display only minor movement along this structure, indicating that the apparently significant basement displacement could have resulted from strike-slip movement along irregular basement topography. Martel (1987) interpreted similarly Horton-age and younger faults (e.g., the Dorchester Fault) along a seismic line completed by Chevron Canada Resources Ltd. The 1996 seismic profile also indicates that faulting and folding of the Horton strata took place before deposition of the Windsor Group (see St. Peter and Johnson 2009). It likely was during this interval that the Albert Formation was eroded to varied degrees, which would account for the missing Albert section in the Coppermine Hill 2 well. Importantly, the uppermost unit of the Albert Formationthe Hiram Brook Member, one of the main targets for conventional gas in the regionis absent from all deep wells in the Dorchester area and presumably was eroded completely during basin inversion in the Early Carboniferous. Nonetheless, the lack of Hiram Brook strata does not rule out the potential for conventional gas elsewhere in the basin or for unconventional gas buried at depth below the Hiram Brook Member.

SW
Coppermine Hill 2

NE
0

Shell Dorchester 1

Hopewell Cape Formation Maringouin Formation Lime-Kiln Brook Formation

500

500

Frederick Broo k Formation

1000

Pugwash Mine Formation Upperton Formation Hillsboro ugh Formation MacumberGays River formations Dawson Settlement Member MemramcookMcQuade Brook formations

1000

lt Fau

71

1500

1500

Depth (metres)

Crystalline basement

2000

2000

2500

2500

Figure 5. Suggested interpretation of a seismic profile between the Shell Dorchester 1 and Coppermine Hill 2 wells in the western Sackville Subbasin. The survey was conducted in 1996 by Corridor Resources Inc. See Figure 2 for the two lines of the seismic survey.

72

CONCLUSIONS
A detailed analysis was conducted of petrographic and petrophysical data from three deep wells near Dorchester in the western Sackville Subbasin. The analyses were integrated with data from a 1996 seismic survey carried out between the wells. The study results concerning the stratigraphy and structure of rocks in the western subbasin can be summarized as follows.
The contacts between some groups, formations, and members of the Late Devonian to

Carboniferous rocks in the report area were more precisely defined.

Rocks mapped as Carboniferous conglomerate by earlier authors were herein identified as

pre-Late Devonian crystalline basement, which indicates that the depth to basement in the report area is shallower than previously interpreted.
The stratigraphic section of Albert Formation in the western Sackville Subbasin can be

subdivided into the Dawson Settlement and Frederick Brook members. The Hiram Brook Member (Albert Formation), a key target for conventional gas in southeastern New Brunswick, is absent from all three deep wells in the report area.
The total thickness of the Albert Formation in the report area is thinner than previously

interpreted, and the formation appears to pinch out to the northeast of Dorchester.
The stratigraphic and structural relationships in the report area, as revised on the basis of

the current study, can be interpreted to support Gussows (1953) suggestion of a salt dome in the western Sackville Subbasin. Future work will include petrographic and petrologic analysis of other wells in the western Sackville Subbasin, as well as additional field mapping and seismic interpretation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, the author thanks Malcolm McLeod for carefully reviewing this paper and providing insight on some of the subject matter. Steven Hinds reviewed the first draft of the paper and aided in seismic interpretation. Craig Parks provided insight on both the petrographic analysis and the geophysical log interpretation. The author also wishes to thank Terry Leonard for preparing most of the figures.

REFERENCES
Ami, H.M. 1900. Notes on some of the formations belonging to the Carboniferous system in eastern Canada. Canadian Record of Science, 8, p. 149163. Anderle, J.P., Crosby, K.S., and Waugh, D.C.E. 1979. Potash at Salt Springs, New Brunswick. Economic Geology, 74, p. 389396. Bailey, L.W., and Ells, R.W. 1878. Report on the Lower Carboniferous belt of Albert and Westmorland counties, New Brunswick, including Albert shales. Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for 187677, 12, p. 351401.

73
Bell, W.A. 1914. Joggins Carboniferous section, Nova Scotia. Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report for 1912, p. 360371. Bell, W.A. 1944. Use of some fossil floras in Canadian stratigraphy. Royal Society of Canada, Transactions, 38, Section 4, p. 113. Boehner, R.C. 1977. The Lower Carboniferous stratigraphy of the Musquodoboit Valley, central Nova Scotia. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 204 p. Browne, G.H. 1991. The sedimentology of the Boss Point Formation (Pennsylvania), eastern New Brunswick and northern Nova Scotia. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, 552 p. Carter, D.C., and Anderle, J.P. 1990. Exploration drilling of evaporites: procedures developed in eastern Canada. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 83, No. 939, p. 103112. Dawson, J.W. 1853. On the Albert Mine, Hillsborough, New Brunswick. Geological Society of London, Quarterly Journal, 9, p. 107115. Dawson, J.W. 1873. Report on the fossil plants of the Lower Carboniferous and Millstone Grit formations of Canada. Geological Survey of Canada, Separate Report 430, 47 p. Dolby, G. 2011. Palynological analysis of cuttings samples from Dorchester #1 & Copper Mine Hill #2. Unpublished report by G. Dolby of G. Dolby & Associates Ltd., Calgary, submitted as letter to H. Stewart of NBDNR, February 25, 2011. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, 3 p. Gemmel, D., and Giles, K. 2001. Unique Identifier 716, Columbia Corridor Copper Mine Hill 2/F-882329. Columbia Natural Resources Canada Limited report submitted to New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals and Energy Division, 430 p. Greiner, H.R. 1962. Facies and sedimentary environments of Albert shale, New Brunswick. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Bulletin 46, No. 2, p. 219234. Gussow, W.C. 1953. Carboniferous stratigraphy and structural geology of New Brunswick, Canada. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 37, No. 7, p. 17131816. Howie, R.D. 1986. Windsor Group salt in the Cumberland Subbasin of Nova Scotia. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper No. 85-11, 12 p. Martel, A.T. 1987. Seismic stratigraphy and hydrocarbon potential of the strike-slip Sackville sub-basin, New Brunswick. In Sedimentary Basins and Basin-Forming Mechanisms. Edited by C. Beaumont and A.J. Tankard. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, 12, p. 319334. McCutcheon, S.R. 1981. Stratigraphy and paleogeography of the Windsor Group in southern New Brunswick. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 206 p. [also] New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Division, Open File Report 81 31, 210 p. McLeod, M.J. 1980. Geology and mineral deposits of the Hillsborough area, map area V-22 and V-23 (Parts of 21 H/15E and 21 H/15W). New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Branch, Map Report 796, 35 p. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011. New Brunswick Borehole Database. http://www1.gnb.ca /0078/GeoscienceDatabase/Borehole/Search.asp [accessed June 2011]. Norman, G.W.H. 1932. Stratigraphy of the Stoney Creek oil and gas field, New Brunswick. In Oil and Gas in Eastern Canada. Geological Survey of Canada, Economic Geology Series, 9, p. 167173. Norman, G.W.H. 1941. Moncton, Westmorland and Albert Counties, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 646A (with marginal notes). Parks, C.M. 2010. A petrographic and petrophysical investigation of the Albert Formation in the McCully Field, southern New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Open File (CD-ROM) 2010-3, 59 p.

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Potter, R.R., Hamilton, J.B., and Davies, J.L. 1979. Geological map, New Brunswick (2nd edition). New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals and Energy Division, Map NR-1. Roliff, W.A. 1962. The Maritime Carboniferous basin of eastern Canada. Geological Association of Canada, 14, p. 2141. Ryan, R.J., and Boehner, R.C. 1994. Geology of the Cumberland Basin, Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties, Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources; Mines and Energy Branches, Memoir 10, 222 p. Schlumberger Limited. 2010. Schlumberger Oilfield Glossary, 2010. http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com [accessed May 2011]. St. Peter, C.J. 1992. Lithologic facies, seismic facies and strike-slip setting of the Lower Carboniferous alluvial/fluvial/lacustrine Albert Formation of New Brunswick. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 229 p. [also] New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Geoscience Report 922, 145 p. St. Peter, C.J. 1993. Maritimes Basin evolution: key geologic and seismic evidence from the Moncton Subbasin of New Brunswick. Atlantic Geology, 29, p. 233270. St. Peter, C.J. 2000. Oil shale and oil and natural gas in New Brunswick: historical and current industryrelated activities. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals and Energy Division, Information Circular 2000-5, 16 p. St. Peter, C.J. 2001. Petroleum geology in the Carboniferous of southeastern New Brunswick. In Guidebook to Field Trips in New Brunswick and Eastern Maine. Edited by R.K. Pickerill and D.R. Lentz. New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, 93rd Annual Meeting, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Trip A-4, p. 130. St. Peter, C.J. 2006. Geological relationship between the Cocagne Subbasin and Indian Mountain Deformed Zone, Maritimes Basin, New Brunswick. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2005. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2006-3, p. 103183. St. Peter, C.J., and Johnson, S.C. 2009. Stratigraphy and structural history of the late Paleozoic Maritimes Basin in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Memoir 3, 348 p. Stewart, H.J. 2011 (in press). Petrographic, petrophysical, and seismic data from the western Sackville Subbasin of the Maritimes Basin, southeastern New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Open File (CD-ROM) 2011-2. van de Poll, H.W. 1994. Carboniferous provenance and lithostratigraphy of the Chignecto Bay region, New Brunswick: a preliminary assessment. In Current Research 1993. Compiled and edited by S.A.A. Merlini. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Minerals and Energy Division, Miscellaneous Report 12, p. 188201. van de Poll, H.W. 1995. Upper Paleozoic rocks: New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and les de la Madeleine. In Geology of the AppalachianCaledonian Orogen in Canada and Greenland, Chapter 5. Edited by H. Williams. Geological Survey of Canada, Geology of Canada, 6, p. 455492. Webb, T.C., and Stewart, H.J. 2011. Bromine as an indicator of potash mineralization in Carboniferous marine evaporites, Sackville Subbasin, southeastern New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Mineral Resource Report 2011-1, 40 p. Weeks, L.J. 1948. Londonderry and Bass River map-areas, Colchester and Hants counties, Nova Scotia. Geological Society of Canada, Memoir 245, 86 p. Wright, W.J. 1922. Geology of the Moncton map area. Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 129, 69 p.

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Surficial Geology Mapping in New Brunswick: Past, Present, and Future

SERGE ALLARD
Geological Surveys Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, New Brunswick, CANADA E3B 5H1 (Serge.Allard@gnb.ca) Allard, S. 2011. Surficial geology mapping in New Brunswick: past, present, and future. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2010. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Mineral Resource Report 2011-2, p. 75126.

___________________________________________________________________________
A comprehensive understanding of surficial geology is integral to the socioeconomic fabric of New Brunswick. It is the responsibility of the Geological Surveys Branch (GSB) to delineate, describe, and analyze the distribution of surficial materials in order to successfully 1) identify and characterize granular aggregate resources (sand, gravel, clay, and till) for use in infrastructure construction projects, 2) provide useful data to the mineral exploration community, 3) offer pertinent baseline geological information to agencies involved in forestry, agriculture, groundwater resources, and land-use planning, and 4) help to identify landforms and sediment characteristics that present hazards to public health and safety. Extensive surficial geology data have been collected by the GSB as a result of till geochemistry investigations, granular aggregate mapping projects, and other surficial mapping projects that span the past five decades. However, only modest advances have been made in synthesizing maps that are comprehensive and easily accessible by clients. This is due partly to the fact that the existing data sets did not provide the level of detail needed to produce such maps. Older detailed maps are available for some areas, but in many cases they are outdated, difficult for clients to access, and unavailable in a digital georeferenced format. Since 2009, new mapping endeavours in areas of poor coverage, combined with advanced technological capabilities in the fields of remote sensing and GIS, have enabled GSB staff to bridge the gap and to produce detailed, up-to-date surficial geology maps for southwestern New Brunswick. These maps reflect a newly devised, consistent approach to field mapping and map production. The GSB has recently emphasized the compilation and publication of standardized digital maps for bedrock geology. Likewise, the current initiative to produce consistent surficial geology maps for southwestern New Brunswick represents the first, pilot step toward creating a standardized set of surficial geology maps for the entire province. Such maps will significantly improve our understanding of surficial geology in New Brunswick. _________________________________________________ Une bonne comprhension de la gologie superficielle fait partie intgrante du tissu socioconomique du Nouveau-Brunswick. La Direction des tudes gologiques (DEG) a pour mandat de dfinir, de dcrire et danalyser la rpartition des matriaux de surface

76
et, ce faisant, de russir 1) dfinir et caractriser les ressources en agrgats granulaires (comme le sable, le gravier, largile et le till) destines aux projets de construction dinfrastructures; 2) offrir des donnes utiles pour les prospecteurs miniers; 3) offrir des donnes gologiques de base pertinentes pour les organismes qui oeuvrent lamnagement du territoire, la gestion des ressources deau souterraine, lexploitation de la ressource forestire et lagriculture; et 4) aider identifier les configurations de terrain et les caractristiques sdimentaires susceptibles de porter atteinte la sant et la scurit publiques. La Direction des tudes gologiques a recueilli un vaste corpus de donnes sur la gologie superficielle dans le cadre dtudes sur la composition gochimique du till, de projets de cartographie des agrgats granulaires, et dautres projets de cartographie des matriaux de surface raliss au cours des trente dernires annes. Trs peu de perces ont toutefois t ralises en ce qui a trait la synthtisation de cartes globales et que peuvent consulter facilement les clients. Cela sexplique en partie par le fait que les ensembles de donnes existantes noffrent pas le degr de prcision voulu pour produire des cartes aussi dtailles. Il y a certes des cartes dtailles pour certaines rgions, mais dans de nombreux cas, il sagit de cartes dsutes, de consultation difficile pour les clients, et qui nexistent pas dans un format de donnes numriques rfrence spatiale. Depuis 2009, de nouveaux projets de cartographie dans les secteurs mal reprsents et les nouveaux dveloppements technologiques dans les domaines de la tldtection et des SIG ont permis la DEG de combler les lacunes et de produire des cartes jour et plus dtailles. En outre, les nouvelles cartes de gologie superficielle produites rendent compte dune approche innovatrice et plus cohrente en termes de lev sur le terrain et de production de cartes. La DEG a rcemment ax ses efforts sur la compilation et la publication de cartes numriques uniformes de la gologie du substrat rocheux. De mme, le programme actuel de production de cartes de gologie superficielle uniformes du sud-ouest du Nouveau-Brunswick est une premire initiative pilote visant la cration dune srie de cartes de gologie superficielle uniformes pour lensemble de la province. Ces cartes amlioreront dans une trs large mesure notre comprhension de la gologie superficielle du Nouveau-Brunswick. _________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
Surficial geology refers to the study of unconsolidated or poorly consolidated rock materials found at the earths surface. At a basic level, these loosely consolidated sediments are the result of erosion and weathering of bedrock. Over time, solid rock is broken down into successively smaller fragments to form loose accumulations of sand, silt, clay, and gravel or other distinct accumulations of sediments that contain a variety of size fractions. In New Brunswick, these surficial deposits can vary in thickness from a few centimetres to likely more than 100 m: thicknesses exceeding 80 m have been documented by Lamothe

77 (1990). Such sediments are the parent material (C-horizon) of the soil that occurs between the zone of biologically modified soil (A- and B- horizons) and the underlying rock. (Note that soil is used hereafter in the restricted context, meaning biological soilthat is, the A- and Bhorizons only.) When mapping surficial geology, a geologist first makes observations about the surficial materials at a network of points throughout the chosen map area. The observation points may be auger holes, roadcuts, gravel pits, streamcuts, or any other location where surficial sediments are exposed. After examining these data in conjunction with water well and borehole data, other published information, and various digital elevation data and aerial photographs, the geologist can interpret the distribution of surficial materials and produce a surficial geology map. More than 90% of New Brunswick is covered by unconsolidated materials that formed as the result of Pleistocene glaciation. The remaining 10% comprises bare rock, residuum, and deposits of Holocene origin (e.g., alluvium, colluvium, and organic deposits). During the most recent (Wisconsinan) ice age, large glaciers up to 2 km thick formed and coalesced over New Brunswick. The erosive action of these glaciers had a locally profound effect on shaping the landscape. Flowing glaciers scoured bedrock, and the erosion products, along with preexisting unconsolidated surficial deposits, were deposited and redeposited by actions of the glacial system. Through advance and subsequent melting of debris-laden ice, various surficial deposits were formed. Reworking of these deposits and the emergence of new deposits took place during the Holocene as a result of fluvial, colluvial, and other currently active geological processes. Surficial materials and the overlying soils represent the zone in which humans interact with the landscape. It thus makes sense that, over time, people developed a keen interest in understanding the physical attributes of surficial deposits as well as the processes and conditions that led to their formation. The effects of New Brunswicks diverse surficial geology are far-reaching, initially having influenced where habitation occurred. Today, agriculture, forestry, mining and mineral exploration, construction, and land-use planning all rely on an understanding of surficial materials. The Geological Surveys Branch (GSB) of the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR) has the responsibility to delineate, describe, and analyze surficial materials in order to generate client-oriented maps and reports that 1) help to locate construction aggregate resources (sand, gravel, clay, and till), 2) assist the mineral exploration community, 3) provide useful baseline geological information to agencies involved with forestry, agriculture, groundwater resources, and land-use planning, and 4) help to identify landforms and sediment characteristics that present hazards to public health and safety. In 2009 the GSB launched a project to produce new, up-to-date, 1:50 000 scale surficial geology maps for the area in southwestern New Brunswick covered by map quadrant 21 G of

78 Canadas National Topographic System (NTS) (Fig. 1). From 2009 to the present, fieldwork was conducted in six of the fourteen 1:50 000 NTS map sheets of 21 G. As well, maps were published for four sheets of 21 G (Fig. 1) using a new methodology designed to create consistent, standardized maps of surficial geology for the area. The new 21 G maps represent the first, pilot series of what will become a set of comprehensive, standardized surficial geology maps for the entire province. How these maps were producedincluding detailed descriptions of the new methodology and the revised map unitsis the subject of the present report.

PREVIOUS WORK
Surficial mapping and the interpretation of glacial history in New Brunswick were first conducted in the mid-1800s by Robb (1851), Hind (1865), and Matthew (1872, 1879). Through the course of their investigations and by mapping glacial striae, they adopted the notion that glaciation in the area comprised a massive glacier flowing in a south-southeasterly direction. They recognized that the glacier had a profound effect on the New Brunswick landscape and that the unconsolidated sediments mantling the surface of the province were formed by processes related to glacial advance and retreat. The astute surficial geology observations made by Chalmers (1884, 1885, 1890, 1902) led him to conceptualize the Appalachian system of glaciers, in which numerous local ice masses interacted to form the complex erosional record that characterizes many parts of New Brunswick. The Appalachian Glacier Complex model is still relevant today and has been adapted and improved upon to explain glacial phenomena observed across the Maritimes (Seaman 2004, 2009; Stea 2004). Following the Second World War, major infrastructure projects were in effect across Canada. These activities, brought on by a thriving economy, required the use of surficial geology information to locate suitable sand and gravel resources, assess groundwater potential, provide information on foundation conditions for construction, and conduct agricultural surveys (Fulton 1993). By the mid-1950s, it was generally recognized that surficial geology data were beneficial to agriculture, forestry, and land-use planning in New Brunswick. H.A. Lee with the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) completed a lengthy mapping program of the upper and middle Saint John River valley (Fig. 2), becoming among the first to systematically describe and delineate surficial sediments and to produce surficial geology maps (1:63 360 scale or 1 inch to 1 mile) for the province (Lee 1955a, 1955b, 1956, 1957, 1959a, 1959b, 1962). He was preceded by Wicklund and Langmaid (1953) with the Canada Department of Agriculture, who conducted regional soil surveys that provided some information on glacial sediments and their relevance to the physical attributes of overlying soils. From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, the GSC conducted reconnaissance-scale mapping in New Brunswick as part of its larger mandate to map extensive areas of Canada. The motivation to examine New Brunswick was influenced in part by the 1950s discoveries of substantial base metal deposits in the Bathurst Mining Camp (Fig. 1) and the recognition that

79

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Figure 1. Location of National Topographic System (NTS) map sheets in southwestern New Brunswick, showing the current report area (outlined in red), areas of the four new surficial geology maps (in yellow), and areas mapped during the recent (2009 to present) fieldwork program.

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Maps by the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 NBDNR Plate No. 74-125, 74-126 74-127, 74-128 76-116, 2005-16 82-194 83-28 84-33 84-480 86-216A 87-47A 88-10A, 88-11A 88-15A 89-71A 89-293, 89-294 92-68 92-86 93-12E, 93-13E 96-4, 2011-11 97-33, 2005-15 2005-17 2005-18 2011-12 2011-13 2011-14
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No. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 GSC Map No. 55-15 2-1956 24-1959 34-1959 24-1962, 25-1962, 26-1962 1976A 1977A

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Figure 2. Index to surficial geology maps produced for New Brunswick between 1955 and 2011 by the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR) and the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC).

81 surficial maps and related data sets were important tools for mineral exploration. Gadd (1973) mapped southwestern New Brunswick, and Gauthier (1982) mapped northern New Brunswick at scales of 1:200 000 and 1:100 000, respectively. Rampton and Paradis (1981ac), working under provincial auspices, mapped central and southern New Brunswick at a scale of 1:250 000 (Fig. 2). Surficial mapping by the GSC culminated in the production of a provincial, 1:500 000 scale map (Rampton 1984a, modified as 1984b) and a comprehensive report (Rampton et al. 1984) describing the Quaternary history of New Brunswick. Although some glacial theories in the report have since been disproven, it is the most recently available, relevant synthesis of Quaternary geology for the province as a whole. Newer works by Seaman (2004, 2006, 2009) and Seaman and McCoy (2008) provide a more up-to-date account of the complex glacial history and Quaternary stratigraphy in west-central New Brunswick.

Granular Aggregate Inventory Program (GAIP)

By the early 1970s, the availability of suitable granular aggregate materials for infrastructure construction projects (highways, hydroelectric dams, and bridges) had become a concern in New Brunswick. In anticipation of policy changes (enacted on April 1, 1975) that would ban aggregate extraction from provincial beaches, the NBDNR initiated the New Brunswick Granular Aggregate Inventory Program (GAIP). The program involved the systematic mapping of surficial units considered to be important as granular aggregate resources, those being glaciofluvial deposits, alluvial deposits, and select ablation till deposits. Fieldwork began in 1974 to outline alternative sources of concrete sand in the Moncton area, which would be significantly affected when provincial beaches were closed for aggregate extraction. The inventory project was later extended to the Saint John area, the BathurstCampbellton area, the Saint John River valley between Edmundston and Fredericton (Fig. 1), and subsequently to the remainder of the province. The field mapping and sampling components of the inventory were completed in 1986. Mapping was based on the federal 1:50 000 scale NTS maps for the province (Fig. 1, 3a). The associated reports (Fig. 3b), which commonly dealt with two or more map areas, presented 1) a brief description of the bedrock and surficial geology of the study area, 2) a description of the types and general characteristics of granular aggregate deposits present, 3) appendices containing section descriptions and the results of mechanical grain-size and lithologic analyses, and 4) estimated recoverable reserve volumes for specific deposits. Reports and maps were produced for each map area as part of the GAIP, yet only a small percentage of the actual field observations were published. For a single 1:50 000 scale NTS map sheet, it was not unusual for a geologist to capture field notes at more than 200 observation sites but to report on only a few tens of sites. At the time, no foreseeable reason appeared to exist to include observations that had no bearing on the perceived economic potential of surficial deposits in the granular aggregate reports. Thankfully, the geologists

82 conducting the mapping surveys had the foresight to meticulously record these observations in their notebooks or on their field maps and aerial photographs. Maps and reports resulting from the GAIP are still relevant today and continue being used by industry to locate granular aggregate materials and to facilitate land-use planning. In fact, historically they are some of the most requested items produced by the NBDNR. In response to this interest and in order to increase client accessibility, the GSB staff has created an online, interactive granular aggregate database (NBDNR 2011a) that contains all site data from approximately 2500 sample sites and provides easy access to the scanned maps and reports. This database is one of the most frequently accessed online databases of the GSB website. Following the era of GSC-led and GAIP surficial mapping projects during the early 1950s to 1980s, no systematic surficial mapping took place in New Brunswick. The provincial government occasionally conducted projects of limited scope, such as surficial mapping around municipalities (e.g., Seaman 1985). As well, a few surficial geology-related graduate theses were completed (e.g., Balzer 1992). However, these projects generally lacked any consistency of approach or map presentation style.

Till Geochemistry Surveys

The early 1970s brought the realization that many principles of surficial geology could help with locating orebodies in glaciated terrains. Examining the lithologic content and geochemistry of glacial sediments, coupled with delineating the provenance of these sediments, could lead to the discovery of orebodies (Shilts 1975). Surveys involving the geochemical analysis of glacial till (hereafter referred to as till geochemistry surveys) proved to be a good reconnaissance-scale method of assessing the mineral potential of a region. A solid understanding of surficial geology principles is fundamental to any till geochemistry survey, not only for successfully identifying the preferred sample medium (basal till in most cases), but also for understanding how glacial stratigraphy, depositional history, and postglacial alteration can effect the survey results (Shilts 1975). By the mid-1970s, Canada and some Scandinavian countries had successfully used till geochemistry as a mineral exploration technique. The first New Brunswick forays into till geochemistry were conducted by exploration companies around Mount Pleasant (Fig. 4) in southwestern New Brunswick (Szabo et al. 1975) and at Sisson Brook (Fig. 4) in west-central New Brunswick (Snow and Coker 1987). In the early 1980s, following the success of the industry projects, the NBDNR conducted and contracted numerous till geochemistry sampling projects at select locations throughout the province (Pronk 1984a, 1984b; Thomas et al. 1987). By 1986 the NBDNR had embarked on a full-scale, methodical till geochemistry sampling program. Sampling initially was conducted in northern New Brunswick in the vicinity of the Bathurst Mining Camp (Fig. 1) but later was expanded to cover some of the Miramichi

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Figure 3. Index to a) map plates, and b) reports produced by the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources under the Granular Aggregate Inventory Program, colour-matched by year.

84

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Highlands, Caledonian Highlands, and St. Croix Highlands (Fig. 4), all areas considered to have significant mineral potential. In the pursuit of provincial coverage, more recent surveys have been undertaken in the New Brunswick Lowlands, Chaleur Uplands, and Edmundston Highlands (Fig. 4), albeit at a reduced sample density (Fig. 5). The till geochemistry program is ongoing and has proven highly effective in delineating mineral occurrences and stimulating mineral exploration throughout New Brunswick. To date, the till geochemistry data set contains more than 15,000 stations.

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Figure 5. Index to the a) sampling density of, and b) reports and map plates associated with, the till geochemistry sampling program of the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources.

86 The scope of the NBDNR till geochemistry program did not include comprehensive surficial mapping and the production of surficial geology maps; however, the work yielded a wealth of surficial data. At each sample site station, geologists recorded information about the site physiography and the physical attributes of the sample media (lodgement tills in most cases). They also took field notes at sites where samples were not collected, recording descriptions of glacial landforms, sediment characteristics, sediment thickness, and stratigraphy.

CURRENT INITIATIVE: NEW MAPPING METHODOLOGY Background

As a result of the foregoing till geochemistry program, granular aggregate mapping, and related investigations since the mid-1950s, large amounts of surficial geology data have been compiled by the GSB staff. Yet until recently, only modest advances had been made in synthesizing comprehensive surficial geology maps. This was due in part to the fact that the data sets acquired during the earlier surveys had an insufficient level of detail to produce such maps. Detailed older maps are available for some areas (Fig. 2), but in many cases they are largely the result of aerial photograph interpretation with very little ground-truthing, are difficult for clients to access, and are unavailable in a digital geo-referenced format. However, thanks to recent mapping in areas of poor coverage and to advanced technological capabilities in the fields of remote sensing and GIS, the GSB staff can now bridge the gap and produce digital, comprehensive surficial geology maps that answer the need for up-to-date, relevant, and consistent surficial geology information in New Brunswick. For a variety of reasons, the earlier surficial maps by the GSB did not adhere to a common methodology of production. (The GAIP maps are consistent in legend and presentation but are not considered comprehensive surficial geology maps.) However, in 2009 the GSB staff launched a multiyear mapping program to produce 1:50 000 scale digital surficial maps for southwestern New Brunswick (NTS 21 G; Fig. 1). GSB geologists used the new program as an opportunity to design and implement a standardized mapping system that would ensure map consistency. Since then, surficial geology maps published under the new system are consistent in terms of how units are defined, described and classified; symbology; map presentation (i.e., colours and fonts, etc.); and overall layout. As well, all maps are edgematched so that geological boundaries and features cross map boundaries without discrepancy. The GSB has recently emphasized the compilation and publication of standardized digital maps of New Brunswicks bedrock geology as part of its mandate to promote mineral exploration and development. Likewise, the current initiative to produce consistent, up-to-date surficial geology maps of southwestern New Brunswick is the first step toward providing a standardized set of such maps covering the entire province for use by the forestry, agriculture, mining, construction, and land-use planning sectors. Such maps will significantly improve our understanding of surficial geology in New Brunswick.

87 As part of the pilot project to publish standardized surficial maps for NST 21 G, the GSB staff has conducted the following activities between 2009 and the present:
1. developed a new surficial geology map legend, deposit classification system, and map

2. 3. 4. 5.

presentation style to be used in producing all new surficial geology maps in New Brunswick; complied and digitized all existing surficial geology data for southwestern New Brunswick (21 G); conducted fieldwork in the Musquash, St. George, St. Stephen, Rollingdam, McDougall Lake, and Fredericton Junction map areas of 21 G (Fig. 1); conducted imagery interpretation of the St. George, McDougall Lake, Fredericton Junction, and McAdam map areas (Fig. 1); and published 1:50 000 scale surficial geology maps for the St. George, McDougall Lake, Fredericton Junction, and McAdam map areas (Allard 2011 ad).

1. New Map Legend, Classification System, and Presentation Legend

In 2009, in consultation with GSB staff and with advice from GSC staff, the author undertook the task of developing a new surficial geology legend that would apply to all of New Brunswick and could be used for each surficial map produced by the GSB. The standardized New Brunswick Surficial Geology Legend (Table 1) closely resembles the one recently implemented by GSC Qubec (Yves Michaud, pers. comm. 2010), with only minor variations in nomenclature and format. In some cases, these differences are warranted by the nature of geological data available in New Brunswick. For example, the mapping and classification of wetlands in New Brunswick by the NBDNR is more rigorous and comprehensive than what takes place during a typical surficial mapping program. The availability of detailed wetland data makes it possible not only to display deposits containing significant accumulations of organic material, but also to plot accurate boundaries for discrete wetlands in a map area. Distribution of wetlands and their proximity to other map units can have significant implications for such activities as forestry, agriculture, and land-use planning. Map units are classified first on the basis of their age, then by depositional environment, and finally by facies and/or geomorphology. From oldest to youngest, the 12 map units comprise residuum, till deposits, glaciofluvial deposits, glaciomarine deposits, glaciolacustrine deposits, marine deposits, lacustrine deposits, eolian deposits, alluvial deposits, organic deposits, colluvial deposits, and anthropogenic materials. Note that, in some cases, multiple types are deposited contemporaneously. Areas where bedrock appears in outcrop at the surface are also shown on the maps. The 12 map units are further subdivided and classified to give a total of 47 possible legend units, including the one for bedrock. Table 1 and Deposit Types (see below) provide summary and detailed descriptions, respectively, for each of the 47 units.

88 In addition to containing a standardized Surficial Geology Legend, each map includes a diagram of the Quaternary Stratigraphic Column for New Brunswick (Fig. 6), which subdivides the Middle to Late Pleistocene into glacial phases that affected Atlantic Canada (Stea et al., in press). Where applicable, the map units are assigned to their interpreted glacial phase or interphase of origin. Material thickness must exceed 1 m to qualify as a map unit, with three exceptions, which are described below: Till Veneer (Tv), Glaciomarine Veneer (GMv), and Organic Veneer (Ov).
Till Veneer: Because the dominant landform assemblage in many areas of New Brunswick

is a veneer of till over bedrock, it was deemed important to distinguish between areas of thin till cover and those of bare bedrock at surface. In a strict (>1 m) mapping approach, areas covered with till veneer would fall under the Bedrock (R) unit. Yet even thin till veneer presents more opportunities for drift prospecting than do areas of bare rock. Identifying areas of bare rock also has value to the forestry and mineral exploration sectors.
Glaciomarine Veneer: Like till veneer, glaciomarine veneer occurs consistently across New

Brunswick (in this case, along most coastal areas) and thus is denoted as such on the maps. Polygons marked GMv can indicate the extent of marine inundation during the Late Wisconsinan.
Organic Veneer: The symbol Ov is used to describe wetlands that lack significant organic

accumulation. The generic term wetlands had been considered to distinguish these areas, but because they contain some degree of organic accumulation (veneer), a map unit to specifically denote organic veneer was deemed more appropriate for a surficial geology map. All deposit types in the Surficial Geology Legend have a veneer subunit (Table 1), but the subunits are used only in section descriptions, on cross-section diagrams, or in exceptional situations (aside from the aforementioned Tv, GMv, and Ov units). If a unique assemblage of sediments has significant stratigraphic implications, it may be important to note all sediments in the sequence, veneer and otherwise. For example, if Unit Tl overlies a veneer of glaciofluvial sediments (GFv) that overlie bedrock (R), and if the sediment package is laterally continuous across a distance that warrants a map unit, then the unit label will refer to the vertically layered package as, in this case, Tl/GFv/R. In the context of New Brunswick Quaternary stratigraphy, the occurrence of basal till overlying anything other than bedrock or weathered bedrock is unusual. Where a typical sequence of sediments is encountered (i.e., GFv/Tl), the corresponding map unit will not refer to the overlying veneer material (in this case, GFv), as it does not exceed 1 m in thickness. To consistently map all surficial sediments that are less than 1 m thick would be impractical. On maps covering landscape features (e.g., river valleys) that contain significant accumulations of superimposed surficial deposits and have sufficient borehole data, a crosssection diagram may be included.

89
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HOLOCENE

H, A, Ob Of, Ov

10
Collins Pond Gaspereau Ice Centre
GMl, GFx, GFo, GFt, Tm

11

13

Late

Chignecto

15
Scotian

Fundy Highlands Ice Divide Central Maine Ice Centre

Escuminac Ice Centre
Reworking of Tl, Td, Tv, and Tm

Wisconsinan

18
Escuminac

QUATERNARY

PLEISTOCENE

22 30
Inactive ice cover

Middle

40

55

Caledonia

Early

Laurentide Ice Sheet

Tl, Td, Tv, Tm

75

Illinoian Sangamonian

Deglaciated

130

200

White Mountains Northumberland Megantic Hills Ice Divide

Figure 6. Quaternary stratigraphic column for New Brunswick, modified after Seaman (2009). The inferred ages of deposit types for the McDougall Lake map area (Fig. 1) are used here to demonstrate how the column is portrayed on the new surficial geology maps. This chart does not show the base of the Pleistocene (= base of the Quaternary), which is placed at 2.588 Ma (Gibbard and Head 2009). The pre-Pleistocene deposits are, by definition, also pre-Quaternary.

90
Table 1. New Surficial Geology Legend for New Brunswick, coloured according to the three-pigment RGB system (contd on p. 9193).

HOLOCENE
Anthropogenic Materials H 128,0,0 Anthropogenic
Human-made or human-altered geological materials (i.e., landfills, fill, mine tailings)

Colluvial Deposits: materials that reached their present position as a result of gravity-induced movement Cs C Cv 230,230,128 230,204,0 246,217,0 Scree Colluvium Veneer
Accumulations of angular boulders, cobbles, and gravel along the base of cliffs; form fans or aprons Unsorted, crudely stratified complex of reworked glacial deposits, fractured bedrock and slope wash; generally mantle steep valley walls and floors

Organic Deposits: peat and muck; formed by the accumulation of plant material in various stages of decomposition Of Ob Ov 112,112,112 0,0,0 159,159,159 Fen Bog Veneer
Accumulations of organic material derived from sedges and decaying woody debris in eutrophic, mineral-rich wetlands; generally occur as flat, wet plains occupying natural depressions Peat-covered wetlands in which vegetation shows the effects of a high water table and a general lack of nutrients; characterized by raised mounds or plateaus and acidic waters

Alluvial Deposits: sediments deposited by modern rivers and streams Ap At Af A Av 255,255,100 255,230,128 215,193,0 255,255,0 250,240,119 Plain Terrace Fan Undifferentiated Veneer
Sorted sand, gravelly sand, gravel, silt, and organic debris; form an active floodplain close to river level with meander channels and scroll marks; prone to seasonal flooding Sorted sand, gravelly sand, gravel, silt, and organic debris; form inactive terraces above the modern floodplain Poorly sorted sand, gravel, silt, and organic debris; occur where a stream issues from a narrow valley onto a plain or flat valley floor

91
Eolian Deposits: wind-deposited sediments; well sorted and stratified to massive Ed El 215,132,35 230,178,70 Dune Loess
Stratified fine to medium sand, forming parabolic dunes or ridges

Veneer of massive wind-blown silt and fine sand

Lacustrine Deposits: sediments deposited in and adjacent to lakes; exposed by recent fluctuations in lake levels Ld Ll Lb L Lv 230,76,255 255,178,255 255,91,255 230,128,204 234,146,211 Delta Littoral Basin Undifferentiated Veneer
Sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; stratified and well sorted; form where a stream enters a lake; planar surface, commonly marked by abandoned channels Sand, silty sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; normally graded; form beach ridges and terraces Silt, clay, and fine sand; generally laminated

Marine Deposits: sediments deposited in the modern marine environment Mi Md Ml M Mv 204,230,255 102,178,255 102,178,204 153,230,255 175,236,255 Intertidal Delta Littoral Undifferentiated Veneer
Clayey silt and silty clay; form coastal plains; exposed between the extreme high-tide and extreme low-tide marks Sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; stratified and well sorted; occur where streams flow into the sea; form planar surfaces, commonly marked by abandoned channels Sand, silty sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; form beaches, bars, and spits

92

PLEISTOCENE
Glaciolacustrine Deposits: sediments deposited in ice-dammed lakes in valleys and other low-lying areas along the margins of decaying ice centres GLd GLl GLb GL GLv 153,76,230 204,178,255 204,153,255 178,153,204 194,173,215 Delta Littoral Basin Undifferentiated Veneer
Sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; stratified and well sorted; occur where meltwater streams flowed into proglacial lakes; form planar surfaces marked by abandoned channels Sand, silty sand, sandy gravel, and gravel; normally graded; deposited (or reworked) sediments along the shore and within proglacial lakes; commonly form beach ridges and terraces Silt, clay, and fine sand; generally laminated, commonly in the form of rhythmites

Glaciomarine Deposits: sediments deposited in the marine environment during the Late Wisconsinan episode of marine submergence and subsequent emergence GMd 153,153,255 Delta
Sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; stratified and well sorted; occur where meltwater streams flowed into the sea; form planar surfaces, commonly marked by abandoned channels Sand, silty sand, sandy gravel, gravel, and cobble gravel; normally graded; occur in areas that were inundated by shallow seas during the Late Wisconsinan; often form beach ridges and terraces Clayey silt and silty clay, generally massive; deposited by settling during Late Wisconsinan marine submergence

GMl GMb GM GMv

149,221,255

Littoral

26,215,255 153,204,230 178,217,236

Basin Undifferentiated Veneer

Glaciofluvial Deposits: stratified sediments deposited by glacial meltwater in contact with or in proximity to glaciers GFo GFt GFx GF GFv 240,120,0 176,88,0 255,0,0 128,64,0 204,102,0 Outwash Plain Outwash Terrace Ice-Contact Stratified Drift Undifferentiated Veneer
Sand, sandy gravel, and cobbles; form plains and fans with flat to undulating surfaces marked by shallow sinuous meltwater channels Sand and gravel, generally stratified; occur as flat terraces perched above alluvial terraces and generally associated with large meltwater channels Sand, gravel, cobbles, boulders (minor silt); form eskers, kames, kame terraces, and other moraine features; hummocky surface, locally punctuated by kettles and marked by abrupt slopes

93
Till Deposits: sediments deposited by the action of advancing or decaying glaciers Tm 163,240,0 Melt-Out
Diamicton; deposited during the melting of debris-laden ice; stoney; loose; form hummocky topography Diamicton; deposited by the glacier sole sliding over the bed (substrate); overconsolidated; form undulating or streamlined topography Diamict products of subglacial shear; stoney; loose; consist predominantly of local material with local occurrences of glacially sheared bedrock (glacitectonite)

Tl

38,178,102

Lodgement

Td

0,88,0

Deformation

T Tv

0,119,0 227,168,171

Undifferentiated Veneer

PRE-PLEISTOCENE
Residuum: mechanically or chemically weathered bedrock W Wv 128,128,0 168,164,0 Residuum Veneer
Disaggregated (rotten) bedrock; varied degrees of mineral alteration; thickness can be locally highly varied; outcrops of competent bedrock and minor deposits of till or colluvium common

Bedrock: areas of bedrock that appear in outcrop at surface; often glacially polished and showing evidence of glacial flow orientation R 255,0,255 Bedrock
Continuous bedrock outcrop; isolated deposits of colluvium or till common

Classification System
Early in the map design process, the possibility was discussed of using a strictly lithostratigraphic approach to mapping tills, similar to what was done in Nova Scotia (Ralph Stea, pers. comm. 2009). The value of such an approach was recognized, especially in that mapping till units on the basis of lithologic provenance could benefit the mineral exploration community. However, the facies classification system for mapping tills was finally selected as more appropriate for New Brunswick, given the provinces complex glacial history involving multiple ice-flow events and heavily reworked till. Unlike elsewhere in Canada, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick generally lacks a stratigraphic record of multiple, regionally extensive till sheets (Seaman 2004). Rather, the

94 province is typically, but not always (Lamothe 1992; Seaman and McCoy 2008; Seaman 2009), characterized by an apparent till sheet that blankets bedrock, featuring little to no stratigraphic variation. The lodgement till unit initially was deposited by a single ice-flow event but later came to reflect multiple ice-flow phases, having been repeatedly reworked and deformed (hybridized) during its depositional history (see Allard and Pronk 2003; Seaman 2004). Most events caused only minor reworking, but others had significant effects. Despite recent advances in the knowledge of New Brunswicks glacial history, the subject remains poorly understood. Seaman (2004, 2006, 2009) and Seaman and McCoy (2008) have made significant strides in delineating the till stratigraphy and interpreting the glacial history of west-central New Brunswick. However, much work remains in deciphering till stratigraphy across the province. For example, little is known about the preservation of pre-Wisconsinan tills and their distinguishing criteria, or about the full impact of the Younger Dryas stadial in New Brunswick. In most cases, it is possible to discern lateral variation in till units with respect to colour, texture, and lithology. But until the provinces glacial history and Pleistocene stratigraphy is more clearly defined, a purely lithostratigraphic approach to classifying tills cannot be implemented with confidence. That said (and as mentioned above), if boreholes in a map area indicate distinct buried till units or other unusual assemblages of surficial units implying a significant age discrepancy with what is recorded at surface, that information will be displayed on the map in a cross-section, and appropriate notes will be included in the legend. Such data will be valuable in the future if the GSB chooses to adopt a lithostratigraphic approach to till classification.

Map Presentation
Legend unit colours (Table 1) are similar to those used by the GSC and follow the basic colour scheme informally recognized as standard by the Canadian surficial geology community. Each legend unit is assigned a unique, three-pigment RGB colour. Where the surficial cover forms a pattern that is either too complex (too many lateral units) or is at too small a scale to justify a discrete legend unit, the polygon is coloured according to the dominant deposit type and labelled as a compound unit in descending order of cover, using a dot between units (e.g., Tm.GFx). Where a compound legend unit lies adjacent to a distinct unit that happens to be the same as the dominant component of the compound unit (e.g., Tm.GFx directly adjacent to Tm), the compound unit is coloured a slightly lighter shade. This is done from a cartographic perspective to ensure optimum map readability. Where distinct units are superimposed vertically in the field, the corresponding unit label indicates vertical stratigraphy by inserting a slash between units (e.g., A/GLb), and the map polygon is coloured according to the uppermost unit.

95 Symbology on the maps is similar to that used by the GSC. Geological features delineated by lines include, but are not limited to, geological contacts, eskers, moraines, and abandoned fluvial channels (Fig. 7). It is important to note that, in the context of New Brunswick surficial geology, moraine is used as a geomorphological term to describe an accumulation of glacial debris forming a ridge, not as a term to define composition or origin of a particular deposit. In other jurisdictions, chiefly within Europe, moraine is a generic term for deposits of glacial origin. For example, ground moraine is sometimes used in place of till. (Such inconsistent and even conflicting usage of glacial terms is common in the discipline; attempts to standardize surficial geology terminology (e.g., Brodzikowski and van Loon 1987) have for the most part been unsuccessful.) Topographic contour lines are included on the maps and were obtained from the Natural Resources Canada (NRC) NTS database of 1:50 000 scale maps (NRC 2011). The maps also include a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in the background to give viewers a greater sense of topography. DEMs (see Image Interpretation, below) are especially useful for those less familiar with interpreting topographic contour lines. Legend units are set to 50% transparency to allow subtle viewing of the background DEM. The digital elevation data used to create the background DEM were obtained from the Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED) website (GeoBase 2011). The source data for CDED at the 1:50 000 scale is extracted from hypsographic and hydrographic elements of the National Topographic Database and from data provided by Service New Brunswick. The DEM was created as a black-and-white, shaded relief image using the Lambertian Reflection Method with a 4x z-scale factor (vertical exaggeration) and a northwest light position (illumination towards 135 from an angle of 45 above the horizontal).

2. Compilation of Existing Data

Before any fieldwork was conducted, a project was initiated to inventory and compile all existing surficial geology data into consistent digital formats. As outlined above, southwestern New Brunswick (NTS 21 G) was chosen as the pilot area for the compilation. Three types of data were of interest: 1) point data (text materials) that described surficial features at point locations for which coordinate data were available, 2) line and symbol data that denoted surficial features (i.e., geological contacts, striae, drumlins, abandoned fluvial channels, moraine ridges, and so on), and 3) lithologic logs for water wells and other boreholes in the map area. Significant sources of previously unpublished point data consisted of 1) field observations collected as part of the till geochemistry surveys but not included in the related reports, 2) field notebooks used by geologists during the Granular Aggregate Inventory Program, 3) notes written on aerial photographs by field geologists during the GAIP and subsequent mapping projects, including the till geochemistry surveys, and 4) notes written on field maps during the GAIP. These data, representing about 6500 stations (Fig. 8), were combined with material from published sources and compiled into a spreadsheet informally referred to as the New Brunswick Surficial Geology Database.

96

Observation site Till geochemistry sample site Granular aggregate sample site Geological contact (interpreted)

Abandoned fluvial channel (small) Limits of abandoned fluvial channel Kame delta (small) Kame Limits of kettle (large) Kettle (small) Kame terrace Esker (direction known) Esker (direction unknown) GLACIAL LANDFORMS Moraine ridge De Geer moraine

EOLIAN LANDFORMS Undifferentiated eolian ridge Dune

ALLUVIAL LANDFORMS Alluvial fan Alluvial levee Alluvial terrace LACUSTRINE/MARINE LANDFORMS

Rogen moraine Lacustrine terrace Fluting Marine terrace Delta (small) Beach ridge Fossil site Glaciomarine limit Glaciolacustrine limit GLACIOFLUVIAL LANDFORMS Boulder field Drumlin Glacial striae (direction known) Glacial striae (direction unknown) BEDROCK FEATURES Tor
Weathered bedrock

Bedrock outcrop Area of numerous bedrock outcrops

Figure 7. Abridged version of the new symbology legend for surficial geology maps of New Brunswick. Note that some symbols may be changed or added in the final version.

Fredericton
r Ri

Sa int Jo hn
ve

Grand Lake

21 G/13 21 G/14 21 G/15 21 G/16

C.F.B. Gagetown

Maine, USA
21 G/11 21 G/10 21 G/09

21 G/12

97

New Brunswick
21 G/06 21 G/07 21 G/08

Saint John

Map area

Bay of Fundy Maine, USA

0
21 G/03 21 G/02 21 G/01

20 km

Figure 8. Network of about 6500 surficial geology observation points (green dots) in southwestern New Brunswick from which data were compiled before new fieldwork was begun in 2009.

98 Previously unpublished surficial geology line and symbol data for southwestern New Brunswick were obtained from old aerial photographs (mainly those used by GAIP mappers) and from preliminary maps or field maps used by staff working on the granular aggregate and till geochemistry programs. These features and all those from previously published sources were integrated into a common GIS project environment. Lithologic logs for water wells were obtained from the New Brunswick Department of Environment. Data related to other boreholes were extracted from university graduate theses and additional research literature. These data were compiled into an electronic database and in the future will be integrated with the GIS for ease of viewing and interpretation.

3. Field Mapping
Another key step in producing up-to-date, detailed surficial maps for southwestern New Brunswick was to identify and target areas in NTS 21 G that required additional field mapping, due to their inadequate coverage of observation sites. To date, fieldwork has been conducted in the Musquash, St. George, St. Stephen, Rollingdam, McDougall Lake, and Fredericton Junction map areas (Fig. 1). A total of some 3000 new observations of the surficial geology were made at various point locations in these areas. Observations typically took place at roadcuts and pits and, to a lesser extent, at auger holes, natural exposures, stream banks, and coastal sections. These data were integrated with the pre-existing point data in the New Brunswick Surficial Geology Database.

4. Image Interpretation
Following fieldwork, and during the map production phase using GIS, various types of airborne imagery were interpreted to detect patterns and features of significance to the surficial geology of an area. Three types of imagery were used: 1) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) created from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2011), 2) DEMs created from unfiltered data extracted from the New Brunswick Digital Topographic Data Base (DTDB) (Service New Brunswick 2011), and 3) digital aerial photographs collected by the NBDNR. These three forms of imagery have proven invaluable in helping to distinguish unit boundaries and to identify and map erosional and depositional glacial landforms. The SRTM DEMs are limited in terms of mapping small-scale landscape features, but they produce a more natural, less noisy approximation of the terrain surface than do the higher resolution DTDB images. The SRTM imagery (Fig. 9) has an xy resolution of 3 arc-seconds (30 m) and is best suited for discerning large-scale linear glacial features such as drumlins, fluting and, to a lesser extent, features such as eskers and end moraines. In fact, the SRTM imagery should be considered superior for mapping large-scale and even megascale glacial lineations. The ability to change the illumination orientation of the 3-D surface DEM makes this imagery highly effective not only for ascertaining the dominant orientation of fluting, but also for identifying palimpsest landforms. The SRTM imagery is also useful in separating

99

Maine, USA

10 km

Drumlins and megaflutes mapped using images from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). The images can be illuminated from various angles to enhance the appearance of glacial features. Eskers mapped using SRTM and aerial photography imagery.

Orom

octo Lak e

Figure 9. Extract of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model for southwestern New Brunswick, demonstrating how the model can be used to delineate drumlins, flutings, and eskers in the landscape surrounding Oromocto Lake.

areas with intense glacial fluting (which generally indicates lodgement till) from areas with a more irregular if not hummocky surface expression (which can indicate melt-out till). The DTDB ground data has an xy resolution of 1 m and, in comparison with SRTM imagery, produces a DEM with much more high-frequency signal (noise). Although DTDB imagery is somewhat useful in mapping large-scale glacial flow lineations, it is less effective than SRTM imagery for this purpose. On the other hand, DTDB imagery (Fig. 10) is very advantageous in helping to map the extent of glaciofluvial deposits (eskers in particular), moraine features, hummocky melt-out till deposits and, to some degree, alluvial deposits.

u eg gd Di h as
RIv er

Map area

100

Esker (direction known)

Lit

tle

Lo

ng

La

ke

ag

ag

ua

cD

ou

ga

ll

Ou

tle

da

vic

Ri

McDougall Lake
ve r

1 km

Figure 10. Extract of the Service New Brunswick DTDB Digital Elevation Model for the McDougall Lake map area (Fig. 1), demonstrating how the model can be used to delineate eskers in the landscape. Figure 4 shows the location of McDougall Lake in southwestern New Brunswick.

101 Standard aerial photographs were also used in the mapping process. Stereoscopic viewing of high-resolution aerial photographs is excellent for determining unit boundaries, particularly of organic deposits, alluvial deposits, and glaciofluvial deposits. Aerial photographs are used 1) where SRTM and DTDB images are not effective for delineating complex geology, 2) to map smaller scale glacial features such as abandoned fluvial channels or small moraine ridges and kames, and 3) to identify all areas of bedrock outcrop at surface.

Summary
Between 2009 and the present, four new surficial geology maps (Fig. 1) were compiled according to the new methodology and by integrating multiple data sources, as detailed above. The maps are available in two publication formats: Adobe PDF (Fig. 11) and ESRI Shapefile (SHP). They can be downloaded as electronic files without charge from the NBDNR website (NBDNR 2011b) or purchased as paper maps from the NBDNR by emailing a request to geoscience@gnb.ca or by telephoning (506) 453-3837.

DEPOSIT TYPES
The following section describes the deposit types that are relevant to mapping the surficial geology of New Brunswick. Most of the examples provided here are from the pilot area of NTS 21 G in southwestern New Brunswick (Fig. 1). However, some deposit types do not occur as mappable units in NTS 21 G and so are exemplified by sites located elsewhere in the province. Details of the 47 legend units described below (and summarized in Table 1) may undergo minor alterations as mapping progresses across the remainder of the province.

Pre-Pleistocene Bedrock
The Bedrock (R) map unit denotes areas where bedrock appears in outcrop at the surface. Thin deposits of unconsolidated materials overlying the bedrock are common. Typically, they comprise till veneer in upland areas; colluvium on slopes; and a variety of materials including organic, glaciomarine, and till veneer deposits in lowland areas. Substantial outcroppings of continuous bedrock are most common in upland areas and coastal regions but can occur in any area affected by intense glacial scouring, mass-wasting processes, or (as is the case in coastal regions affected by Late Wisconsinan marine submergence) wave-washing. Along the Bay of Fundy in southwestern New Brunswick, wavewashing has completely removed the glacial sediments from many hilltops and ridges. Isolated occurrences of bedrock outcrop are commonly encountered in areas of thick surficial deposits (i.e., Unit Td) as the result of undulating bedrock topography in the subsurface. Pleistocene glaciation had a profound effect on shaping the landscape of New Brunswick. Significant glacial scouring resulted in megascale fluting of bedrock surfaces, creating

102

GMl A Ob Tv

Tl Tv A R
Mill Lake

GFx A

GMl Tv GFx R GFx

R Tv

Lake Utopia

Tm

A Ov

A
0 2 km

Figure 11. Quadrangle extracted from one of the new 1:50 000 scale surficial geology maps produced for NTS 21 G in southwestern New Brunswick using the new methodology. This quadrangle is from the St. George map sheet (Fig. 1), published as Allard (2011a).

streamlined hills and ridges with an orientation that generally parallels the dominant direction of glacial flow in any given region. These megalineations, which can be tens of kilometres long, are not always easily discerned on aerial photographs but can be clearly delineated by using high-altitude SRTM imagery. They are typical of the McAdam and Rollingdam map areas of southwestern New Brunswick (Fig. 1). Large-scale, glacially streamlined bedrock landforms such as rock drumlins, roches moutonnes, and whalebacks occur at various localities throughout the report area where

103

Figure 12. Glacially polished bedrock displaying whalebacks, striae, and grooves with an orientation of approximately 170 in a pit just north of Prince of Wales (Fig. 4).

bedrock is sufficiently competent to allow for their formation and preservation. Excellent examples can be found near Saint John, St. Stephen, and St. Andrews (Fig. 4), where the surficial cover is thin and bedrock outcrop is prevalent (Fig. 12). Freshly exposed bedrock surfaces are commonly glacially polished. Glacial striae, grooves, crag-and-tail features, rat tails, chatter marks, and other small-scale erosional features are typical on these surfaces. It is not unusual to document multiple striae orientations at a single bedrock outcrop in southwestern New Brunswick; they record the various Wisconsinan ice-flow phases that affected the region (Seaman 1991). Most glacially streamlined and erosional landforms in the report area are the result of the Caledonia Glacial Phase and, to a lesser extent, the Escuminac and Scotian glacial phases (Fig. 6; Stea et al., in press). Where naturally exposed, the bedrock surface is typically weathered and fractured due to mechanical weathering and minor chemical alteration throughout the Holocene. However, as Rampton et al. (1984) observed, it can be difficult to distinguish fragmented and weathered bedrock from locally derived till deposits. The thickness of Holocene-derived weathering and disintegration material in southwestern New Brunswick ranges from less than 0.5 m to about 1 m. Accumulations of residuum that are less than 1 m thick (generally Holocene-derived) are mapped as Bedrock (R). However, for the purpose of describing stratigraphic sections, Residual Veneer (Wv) may be used. This latter symbol is restricted to describing such sections and is not a distinct map unit.

104 It is important to note that Holocene-derived residuum can exceed 1 m in thickness, especially in the northeastern part of the report area (Fig. 1), where bedrock is Carboniferous and less competent. However, most of the thick residual material in the province has a longer, more complicated weathering history and is interpreted to have formed during earlier (preHolocene) periods of weathering and subsequent preservation during the Pleistocene. This older residuum is described below.

Residuum
The glacial episodes affecting southwestern New Brunswick were intensely erosive, as evidenced by bedrock scouring and streamlined landforms. Nonethelessand unexpectedly, given the scale of glacial disturbance throughout the Pleistoceneseveral isolated but significant pockets of pre-Holocene residuum remain in the province. These accumulations of mechanically and, less commonly, chemically weathered bedrock typically exceed 1 m thick and occasionally reach more than 10 m thick in the report area. They are denoted by the Residuum (W) map unit. The last half century has seen considerable debate concerning the formational age of residuum in New Brunswick. Many authors suggested a pre-Pleistocene origin (e.g., Lee 1962; Anderson 1968; Wang et al. 1981). However, recent work on the paleomagnetic signatures of gossans in northern New Brunswick (Symons et al. 1996) indicates a period of weathering that spans 1.05 Ma to 2.3 0.3 Ma, which correlates to the Early Pleistocene (Fig. 6). From this, Seaman (2009) has deduced that the episodes of significant bedrock weathering in New Brunswick, including gossanization, took place in the Pleistocene, particularly during the Sangamonian interglacial (Fig. 6), as well as in other interglacial or instadial phases. It is assumed that, prior to Pleistocene glaciation, a residuum blanket that possibly was tens of metres thick (and comparable with modern residual profiles in tropical regions) overlay much of southwestern New Brunswick. The residuum preserved today is therefore considered to comprise 1) remnants of this once-extensive, pre-Pleistocene blanket, and 2) residuum from bedrock material weathered during the Pleistocene. Throughout the Pleistocene, most of the combined residuum was eroded by glaciers and incorporated in the resulting glacial sediments. The formerly contiguous residuum blanket is evidenced by its preservation as pockets of thick residuum and also by the presence of surface corestones. Corestones plucked from weathered granitic profiles in west-central New Brunswick (e.g., areas underlain by the Pokiok Batholith) during Pleistocene glacial intervals are widespread in the report area (Fig. 13). Residuum, derived chiefly from weathered granite, has been documented at some two dozen sites in southwestern New Brunswick. A spectacular example occurs about 10 km northwest of McAdam (Fig. 4), where recent excavations have revealed an approximately 10 m section of weathered porphyritic biotite granite residuum (Fig. 14) overlain by about 0.5 m of relatively unweathered basal till. The residuum material is generally considered to be in-situ. However, the weathered granite near surface contains bands of intensely weathered granite mixed with brown clay, and injected clay occurs within fractures to a depth of 8 m; both features are

105

Figure 13 (above). Corestones, plucked from weathered granitic profiles and deposited down-ice during the Pleistocene, litter the landscape in many parts of southwestern New Brunswick. This boulder is greater than 4 m long (a-axis) and was observed just south of McDougall Lake (Fig. 4).

Figure 14 (to left). An exposure of weathered granitic residuum (Unit W) in a pit on the northern flank of M o u n t H e n r y, a b o u t 1 0 k m northwest of McAdam (Fig. 4). The visible pit face is about 10 m high.

106 interpreted as evidence of minor glacial deformation. The granite is disaggregated to a considerable depth but displays no evidence of significant chemical alteration. Feldspar crystals remain intact, and accumulations of kaolin or other chemical weathering byproducts were not observed. Other significant accumulations of residuum are fairly uncommon in southwestern New Brunswick, but where they do occur, their areal distribution may be more than fortuitous. Initial impressions are that the residual materials appear to share a similar protected position in the landscape along the northern flanks of substantial hills or ridges with relatively flat to undulating surfaces extending northward. Such a sheltered geographic setting could have supported localized, subglacial conditions that facilitated the preservation of residuum pockets. However, this concept requires more investigation before a theory can be proposed.

Pleistocene Till Deposits

Till is a primary glacigenic sediment, formed directly by means of advancing or melting glaciers, and is the most common surficial material in southwestern New Brunswick. Deposits of till are subdivided in terms of facies and geomorphology into three end members: Lodgement (Tl), Deformation (Td), and Melt-Out (Tm) till. Lodgement (Tl) till is sediment deposited by the glacier sole sliding over the bed (substrate), having been liberated and plastered onto the bed by means of pressure-melting (Dreimanis 1989; Evans et al. 2006). Lodgement tills (Fig. 15) are typically diamictons with a bimodal grain-size distribution featuring a high percentage of silt with lesser sand and clay, and a high percentage of gravel with lesser cobbles and boulders. Bedrock that underlies lodgement till is commonly polished and characterized by indicators of glacial flow such as striae and grooves. Colour and texture are derived from the parent bedrock source(s). Lodgement tills are commonly overconsolidated and can appear massive to layered. Layering is due to the presence of numerous subhorizontal joints that give lodgement till its characteristic blocky or fissile structure. Elongated, bullet-shaped clasts are widespread and can be preferentially aligned with their long axis (a-axis) oriented parallel to glacial flow. Lodgement till blankets are common in southwestern New Brunswick, where they form undulating to streamlined topography that locally obscures the underlying bedrock terrain. Thickness is generally between 1 m and 5 m; however, considerably thicker accumulations have been documented in drumlins. Thicknesses exceeding 20 m have been recorded in geotechnical and water wells within a drumlin field that occurs southeast of Fredericton and extends toward the Oromocto River valley (Fig. 4). Significant thicknesses are also expected in a drumlin field in the Rollingdam and St. Stephen map areas (Fig. 1), as recent pit excavations in basal till near St. Stephen have revealed a 10 m thick section of lodgement till.

107

Lodgement till

Bedrock

Figure 15. A roadcut exposure of lodgement till (Unit T l) overlying bedrock, about 15 km north of St. Andrews (Fig. 4). The exposure is 3 m high.

Deformation (Td) till and glacitectonite both result from the subglacial shearing of bedrock and pre-existing surficial materials. The transition from deformation till to glacitectonite is gradational and reflects the degree of subglacial shearing. The term d eformation till refers to diamict products of subglacial shear, where no evidence remains of the parent material structure. Glacitectonite is defined as rock or sediment that has been deformed by subglacial shearing but retains some of the structural characteristics of the parent material, which may consist of igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary rocks, or unlithified sediments. (Benn and Evans 1998, p. 387). Occurrences of glacitectonite are frequently encountered in areas characterized by a blanket of deformation till. In fact, while mapping in such an area, it is common to find deformation till at one exposure, glacitectonite at the next, and so on. A remarkable example of glacitectonite with evidence of glacial rafting occurs about 17 km north of St. Andrews, on the northern flank of Blueberry Mountain. A 5 m to 6 m high rockcut measuring about 100 m long exposes glacially sheared and deformed dioritic and gabbroic rocks of the Late Silurian Bocabec Gabbro (Fig. 16). At one locale along the exposure, the base of the section is characterized by weathered, jointed dark grey gabbro, in which the joints are infilled with silt, clay, and sand as a result of till injection (Fig. 17). A raft of

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Raft of light grey diorite

Shear zone Jointed dark grey gabbro

Figure 16 (above). Exposure of glacitectonite (Unit Td) in a rockcut at Blueberry Mountain, about 17 km north of St. Andrews (Fig. 4). The exposure is 5 m high.

Figure 17 (to left). Till injection features in the jointed dark grey gabbro shown above in Figure 16. Weathering rinds on the exterior of the gabbro blocks mark the development of corestones and glacial plucking by means of till injection.

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Shear zone

Figure 18. Shear zone between the jointed dark grey gabbro and overlying raft of light grey diorite in Figure 16. Note the sheared gabbro fragments. Hammer handle is 46 cm long.

massive light grey diorite overlies the dark grey gabbro, separated by a shear zone (<0.5 m thick) that comprises disaggregated and sheared gabbro corestones and till-injected sand, silt, and clay (Fig. 18). The diorite also shows evidence of till injection in joints and fractures. The till injection episode may have pre-dated the rafting episode, as numerous glacial phases did affect the region. However, it is also possible that the till injection and deformation took place contemporaneously. More work will be required at this site to fully understand its implications to the regional glacial history. Deformation till deposits in southwestern New Brunswick typically consist of locally derived angular clasts set in a matrix of coarse sand. These tills are generally very representative of the underlying bedrock and display little evidence of dispersion; they are informally referred to as local stony tills by geologists with the GSB. Deformation till appears to be most common in, although is not limited to, upland areas. A widespread area of deformation till occurs in the southeastern corner of the McDougall Lake map area (Fig. 1), underlain by rocks of the Late Devonian Mount Douglas Phase of the Saint George Plutonic Suite (Fig. 19). Melt-Out (Tm) till (Fig. 20) is deposited during the melting of debris-laden glacial ice. The sediments can originate from either the supraglacial, englacial, or subglacial zones of the

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Figure 19. Exposure of deformation till (Unit Td) in the southeastern corner of the McDougall Lake map area (Fig. 1). Hammer handle is 85 cm long.

glacier and typically occur as a massive diamicton. Although melt-out tills derive their properties (texture, consistency) primarily from the ice source, the deposits are commonly modified by post-depositional processes, with meltwater remobilization and mass wasting playing important roles. Melt-out till, especially when derived from the subglacial load, can closely resemble lodgement till. However, the former deposit type is less compact and commonly contains a higher stone content with abundant cobbles and boulders. Grain-size analysis of till samples from southwestern New Brunswick (Pronk et al. 2004) shows that melt-out till samples average 5% less clay and 5% to 10% less silt than lodgement till samples from the same region. Clast roundness in melt-out till is on a par with that of lodgement till; however, melt-out till lacks the elongated, bullet-shaped clasts and striated clasts typical of lodgement till. Meltout till deposits in southwestern New Brunswick are composed predominantly of locally derived materials, indicating a provenance similar to that of lodgement till. Melt-out till deposits typically occur in valleys and other low-lying areas and form hummocky topography that obscures the underlying bedrock topography. Moraine ridges are common and either are aligned transverse to the dominant direction of glacial flow (ribbed moraine) or

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Figure 20. Melt-out till (Unit Tm) landforms and surface boulders in a clearcut just south of McDougall Lake (Fig. 4).

display irregular configurations with no preferred alignment (Fig. 20). Significant blankets of melt-out till occur in some low-lying regions of southwestern New Brunswick, where adjacent highland topography resulted in the progressive thinning and eventual fragmentation of regional glaciers into isolated, decaying ice masses. The thickness of melt-out till deposits is highly varied across the landscape and can change dramatically over short distances within a deposit. Deposits are generally thicker than 5 m and can reach 10 m thick or more in moraine features. Melt-out till generally thins upslope and transitions into patchy veneer or accumulations of surface boulders (Seaman 2009). The map unit T indicates undivided deposits of lodgement till, glacitectonite and deformation till, and melt-out till. Till Veneer (Tv) denotes areas where till is less than 1 m thick but is included as a map unit, because it is the dominant landform in many areas of southwestern New Brunswick (see p. 88). However, subdividing till veneer into respective end members is impractical. With some exceptions, thin till deposits are commonly extensively weathered (oxidized) and have been so modified by Holocene processes, such as freeze-thaw cycles, that categorization is difficult.

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A Further Note on Till Deposits

Minor occurrences of other till types can be expected within any given till map unit. In fact, the properties of subglacial tills in southwestern New Brunswick in many cases reveal a complex depositional history that involves multiple cycles of deformation. The blanket of till across the region typically gives the appearance of a homogenous diamicton. However, the homogeneity is more likely the result of multiple glacial-flow events that incorporated and deformed the preexisting till layer through subglacial shearing, lodgement, or melt-out processes. In southwestern New Brunswick, these processes have formed a hybrid till (Stea and Finck 2001; Allard and Pronk 2003; Seaman 2004) that displays properties inherited from the Caledonia, Escuminac, and Scotian glacial phases (Fig. 6). Given this complex glacial narrative, it is difficult to separate all till deposits in the field into the three end members described above. When mapping tills, one must consider the big picture and avoid the temptation to assign each observed exposure to a specific end member. Instead, it is more appropriate to consider, not just the texture, consistency, and lithology of the till, but also the geomorphology of the landscape as indicated by the presence or absence of landforms such as drumlins, Rogen moraine, melt-out till ridges, and so on. The following generalizations concerning till deposition can be made on the basis of current mapping work in the report area.
Lodgement till deposits generally occur as continuous blankets and commonly are

associated with streamlined landforms such as drumlins and flutings.

Upland areas are characterized by thin lodgement till that locally thickens over bedrock

hollows with localized deposits of glacitectonite and deformation till.

Melt-out till deposits are common in valleys and other low-lying areas. Tills in southwestern New Brunswick are technically hybrid tills with properties inherited

from multiple episodes of deformation and reworking. The degree of reworking can range from very minor to intense, but generally it is possible to determine the parent facies.

Glaciofluvial Deposits
Glaciofluvial deposits consist of sediments that settle out of flowing water sourced from melting glaciers. Deposits of glaciofluvial origin occur throughout the report area and typically are closely associated with modern river valleys and streams. They provide evidence of the vast drainage system that occupied southwestern New Brunswick during deglaciation. Glaciofluvial sediments are divided on the basis of facies and geomorphology into Ice-Contact Stratified Drift (GFx), Outwash Terrace (GFt), and Outwash Plain (GFo) deposits.

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Figure 21. Pit exposure of glaciofluvial ice-contact stratified drift sediments (Unit GFx) in an esker segment in the Digdeguash River valley, south of Rollingdam (Fig. 4).

Glaciofluvial Ice-Contact Stratified Drift (GFx) sediments are deposited via meltwater channels flowing on, in, or adjacent to glacial ice. As the ice melts, deposits are laid onto the substrate. Ice-contact deposits by nature have highly varied characteristics but generally consist of crudely stratified sand, gravel, and cobbles with differing amounts of boulders and, to a lesser extent, silt (Fig. 21). Ice-dropped boulders emplaced within finer sediment are a common feature of ice-contact deposits. Geomorphologically, these deposits occur as eskers, kames, kame terraces, kame deltas (commonly kettled), and end moraines. Glaciofluvial Outwash Terrace (GFt) and Glaciofluvial Outwash Plain (GFo) deposits, known collectively as proglacial outwash deposits, are formed by meltwater streams sourced from glaciers. Many of these streams occupied present-day major river valleys in the province, while others coursed through valleys and channels that are now abandoned. Outwash terrace deposits in valleys commonly occur as flat terraces perched above the alluvial terraces and comprise stratified sand and gravel. Outwash plains and fans form in areas where braided meltwater streams flow over broad flat terrain or where a meltwater stream issues from a narrow valley onto flat terrain. These deposits have flat to undulating surfaces commonly marked by shallow sinuous meltwater channels. Proglacial outwash sediments are typically well sorted but can vary significantly in composition from planar- or cross-bedded sand to massive, coarse-grained gravel sheets with abundant cobbles (Fig. 22).

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xx

Figure 22. Exposure of glaciofluvial outwash terrace sediments (Unit GFt) in the Nerepis River valley at Blagdon (Fig. 4). Hammer handle is 46 cm long.

The map unit GF indicates undifferentiated deposit(s) of glaciofluvial material. Glaciofluvial Veneer (GFv) is used to denote accumulations that are less than 1 m thick and is restricted to describing stratigraphic sections. Glaciofluvial deposits can be excellent sources of construction aggregate material. In some instances, they have undergone extensive meltwater transport prior to deposition, which results in the removal of fines and unsound clasts. Deposits that contain a high proportion of hard, resistant clasts or well-sorted, clean sand have been used for quality aggregate throughout New Brunswick (Fig. 23).

Glaciomarine Deposits
Glaciomarine sediments were deposited in the marine environment during the Late Wisconsinan episode of marine submergence and subsequently were exposed subaerially as a result of isostatic rebound of the crust following deglaciation. Deposits are regularly encountered along the Bay of Fundy coastline and inland to an elevation of about 70 m above sea level. Glaciomarine sediments are divided on the basis of facies and geomorphology into Basin (GMb), Littoral (GMl ), and Delta (GMd) deposits.

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Figure 23. Commercial sand and gravel operation in an esker deposit (Unit GFx) about 20 km south of Nackawic (Fig. 4).

Glaciomarine Basin (GMb) deposits in southwestern New Brunswick generally comprise very dense, massive, reddish brown to yellowish brown clayey silt and silty clay. At several locations they are fossiliferous (Fig. 24, 25). Exposed thicknesses of up to 5 m have been documented in some areas along the coast. Glaciomarine Littoral (GMl) deposits occur in areas that were inundated by shallow seawater during the Late Wisconsinan; they take the form of beach ridges and terraces. Glaciomarine beach deposits (raised beaches) are present in coastal regions of southwestern New Brunswick and, where elevation is low, can appear inland for considerable distances. These deposits indicate the high-water mark of Late Wisconsinan sea levels. They typically consist of well-sorted, medium- to coarse-grained sand, gravel, cobbles and, to a lesser extent, silt. Clasts can have the typical flattened pancake appearance common to beach gravels. Glaciomarine beach deposits are sometimes used as a source of granular aggregate. Those deposits assumed to have been reworked from glaciofluvial outwash or ice-contact stratified drift are generally of good commercial quality. However, most of these deposits occur in ecologically sensitive coastal areas, which limits their exploitability. Glaciomarine Delta (GMd) deposits in New Brunswick are of the Gilbert variety (Gilbert 1890) with a well-defined topset, foreset, and bottomset configuration. Topsets comprise horizontally stratified outwash gravel, cobbles, and sand deposited by meltwater streams flowing on the delta surface. Foresets consist of dipping beds of sand and fine gravel that were deposited in the subaqueous environment at the distal margin of the delta. Bottomsets contain silt and clay. The deltas form planar surfaces that are commonly marked by abandoned fluvial channels.

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Figure 24. Massive, reddish brown, fossiliferous glaciomarine basin sediments (Unit GMb) at Saints Rest Beach (Fig. 4), west Saint John. Knife is 22 cm long.

1 cm

Figure 25. Shell of Mya arenaria collected in 2006 by the author and Allen Seaman (also of the GSB) at Saints Rest Beach (Fig. 4). The shell fragments 14 have a C date (sample BGS-2716) of 12,330 B.P., which is equivalent to approximately 14,300 calibrated calendar years.

117 The map unit GM indicates undifferentiated deposit(s) of glaciomarine material. Glaciomarine Veneer (GMv) is a map unit used to denote accumulations of GMl (and, in rare instances, GMb) that are less than 1 m thick (see p. 88). Wave-washed surfaces are commonly encountered along the coast and at significant distances inland in some regions. Wavewashing along hillsides and in areas of hummocky bedrock topography along the coast results in a veneer of oxidized sand, silt, and gravel at surface. The presence of this material, which can be fossiliferous, demarks the extent of Late Wisconsinan marine inundation in some areas. Glaciomarine delta deposits in the report area (Fig. 26) contain significant resources of construction aggregate material (Allard 2007). Glaciomarine deltas east of St. George (Fig. 4) represent the largest contiguous accumulations of sand and gravel in the province, as exemplified by the Pocologan Delta, which is more than 50 m thick (Allard et al. 2010) and spans an area of 40 km2.

Glaciolacustrine Deposits
Glaciolacustrine sediments are deposited in ice-dammed lakes within valleys and other lowlying areas along the margins of decaying ice centres. They are divided on the basis of facies and geomorphology into Basin (GLb), Littoral (GLl), and Delta (GLd) deposits. Glaciolacustrine Basin (GLb) deposits consist of silt, clay, and fine sand, with occasional quantities of coarser material (dropstones). These deposits are generally laminated, commonly in the form of rhythmites (Fig. 27). In the report area, glaciolacustrine basin deposits are commonly encountered in and around the Saint John, Oromocto, and Nerepis river valleys (Fig. 4), where Glacial Lake Acadia was situated following deglaciation of the region. The origin of glaciolacustrine basin sediments in the report area has been the subject of considerable debate in the past. Some workers (e.g., Kiewiet de Jonge 1951; Lee 1957; Seaman 1982) assigned a glaciolacustrine, glaciomarine, or estuarian origin to deposits in the middle and lower Saint John River drainage basins. Rampton et al. (1984) mapped the same sediments as undifferentiated marine and lacustrine deposits. However, recent studies of paleosalinity and depositional models by Daigle (2005), Giudice (2005), and Dickinson (2008) indicate that these deposits consist, in descending order, of lacustrine, glaciolacustrine, estuarine, and marine sediments. Glaciolacustrine Littoral (GLl) deposits consist of sand, silty sand, sandy gravel, and gravel; they normally are graded and sometimes form beach ridges and terraces. Glaciolacustrine Delta (GMd) deposits are found in areas of New Brunswick where glacial meltwater was discharged into short-lived glacial lakes that existed near the end of the last glacial period (Late Wisconsinan). Although examples of such deposits have not yet been identified in southwestern New Brunswick, those elsewhere in the province are of the Gilbert variety. They consist of stratified and well-sorted sand, sandy gravel, and gravel that form planar terrain surfaces, commonly marked by abandoned fluvial channels.

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Figure 26 (to left). Glaciomarine delta sediments (Unit GMd), exposed at a pit in the Pennfield Delta situated east of St. George (Fig. 4). The visible pit face is about 10 m high.

Figure 27 (below). Laminated glaciolacustrine basin sediments (Unit GLb) in the Nerepis River valley just north of Welsford (Fig. 4). The layers of clayey silt are intercalated with layers of fine sand, likely indicating seasonal varves. Coin diameter is 2.4 cm.

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Figure 28. Marine intertidal sediments (Unit Mi) along the Bay of Fundy coast near Lorneville (Fig. 4), 5 km west of Saint John.

The map unit GL indicates undivided deposit(s) of glaciolacustrine material. Glaciolacustrine Veneer (GLv) is used to denote accumulations that are less than 1 m thick and is restricted to describing stratigraphic sections.

Holocene Marine Deposits

Marine sediments are deposited in the modern marine environment. For the surficial map legend, they are divided on the basis of facies and geomorphology into Littoral (M l), Delta (Md), and Intertidal (Mi) deposits. Marine Littoral (Ml) deposits consist of silty sand, sandy gravel, and gravel that form beaches, bars, and spits of various thicknesses. Marine Delta (Md) deposits contain stratified and wellsorted sand, sandy gravel, and gravel. They occur where streams flow into the sea and form planar terrain surfaces that typically are marked by abandoned channels. Marine Intertidal (Mi) deposits consist of clayey silt and silty clay, which form coastal plains that are exposed between the marks of extreme high tide and extreme low tide (Fig. 28). Sedimentation takes place in sheltered tidal water, particularly in estuaries with large sediment loads.

120 The map unit M indicates undifferentiated deposit(s) of marine material. Marine Veneer (Mv) denotes accumulations that are less than 1 m thick and is restricted to describing stratigraphic sections.

Lacustrine Deposits
Lacustrine deposits comprise sediments that are deposited in and adjacent to lakes and are subsequently exposed by fluctuations in lake levels. They are divided on the basis of facies and geomorphology into Basin (Lb), Littoral (Ll), and Delta (Ld) deposits. Lacustrine Basin (Lb) deposits consist of laminated silt, clay, and fine sand; they typically occur as rhythmites. Lacustrine Littoral (Ll) deposits comprise sand, silty sand, sandy gravel and gravel that form beaches, bars, and spits. Lacustrine Delta (Ld) deposits appear as stratified and well-sorted sand, sandy gravel, and gravel and are situated where a stream enters a lake, forming planar terrain surfaces. The map unit L indicates undifferentiated deposit(s) of lacustrine material. Lacustrine Veneer (Lv) denotes accumulations that are less than 1 m thick and is used only to describe stratigraphic sections.

Eolian Deposits
Eolian deposits consist of wind-deposited sediments reworked from marine, glaciofluvial, or glaciomarine sediments and are divided on the basis of geomorphology into Dune (Ed) and Loess (El) deposits. Dune (Ed) deposits typically consist of stratified, fine to medium sand and can form parabolic dunes or ridges. Stabilized and vegetated dunes are present to the west of Oromocto (Fig. 4) at the eastern end of Fredericton International Airport. Eolian Loess (El) occurs as a veneer of massive wind-blown silt and sand and is commonly observed on the surface of glaciofluvial outwash deposits (albeit in weathered form) in the report area. The symbol El is not a map unit but is used instead to describe stratigraphic sections.

Alluvial Deposits
Alluvial deposits comprise sediments deposited by modern rivers and streams. Particle size of these deposits depends on various factors, but stream gradient plays an important role. Coarse alluvium intercalated with colluvium (see Colluvium, below) is typically encountered along streams in upland areas, whereas finer alluvium generally occurs in low-lying, flat areas. Alluvial sediments are divided on the basis of facies and geomorphology into Fan (Af), Terrace (At), and Plain (Ap) deposits. Alluvial Fan (Af) deposits consist of poorly sorted sand, gravel, silt, and organic debris that occur where a stream issues from a narrow valley onto a plain or flat valley floor. Alluvial Terrace (At) deposits comprise sorted sand, gravelly sand, gravel, silt, and organic debris; they form inactive terraces above the modern floodplain (Fig. 29). Alluvial Plain (Ap) deposits consist of sorted sand, gravelly sand, gravel, silt, and organic debris. These deposits form

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Figure 29. An alluvial terrace deposit (Unit At) along the Oromocto River at Blissville (Fig. 4). Terrace is about 6 m high.

active floodplains close to river level with meander channels and scroll marks, and the plains are prone to seasonal flooding. The map unit A indicates undifferentiated deposit(s) of alluvial material. Alluvial Veneer (Av) is used to denote accumulations that are less than 1 m thick and is restricted to describing stratigraphic sections. Alluvial deposits are sometimes used as aggregate sources. However, their proximity to watercourses and typical association with high water tables often impede any development of large-scale aggregate operations.

Organic Deposits
Organic deposits are composed primarily of peat and muck formed by the accumulation of plant material in various stages of decomposition. They occur consistently in poorly drained topographic depressions, commonly in close association with waterbodies. The legend for the surficial geology maps contains three types of organic deposits: Bog (Ob), Fen (Of), and Organic Veneer (Ov). Organic Bog (Ob) represents peat-covered wetlands in which the vegetation shows the effects of a high water table and a general lack of nutrients. Bogs are characterized by raised

122 mounds or plateaus and acidic water. The bog surface is typically covered by sphagnum mosses and ericaceous shrubs. Peat accumulation is generally greater than 2 m in southwestern New Brunswick. Organic Fen (Of) indicates eutrophic, mineral-rich wetlands with accumulations of organic material derived from sedges and decaying woody debris. Fens occur as flat, wet plains occupying natural depressions. They commonly are covered by sedges, grasses, and shrubs, and tend to be sparsely treed. Organic Veneer (Ov) is a map unit used to denote wetlands with minor (<1 m) organic accumulation (see p. 88). Such wetlands take the form of either 1) forested areas where the water table is at surface and soil conditions are water-saturated, or where standing water is present, 2) coastal salt marshes, or 3) wetlands dominated by seasonal standing water. In New Brunswick, the mapping of wetlands is conducted by the Forest Management Branch of the NBDNR. The data are subsequently modified by the Geological Surveys Branch for incorporation into the surficial geology maps.

Colluvial Deposits
Colluvial deposits consist of materials that have reached their present position as a result of gravity-induced movement. Colluvium (C) signifies the unsorted, crudely stratified mlange of reworked glacial deposits, fractured bedrock, and slope wash that generally mantles the floors and walls of steep valleys. Scree (Cs) denotes angular boulders, cobbles, and gravel that accumulate along the base of cliffs, forming fans or aprons. Colluvial Veneer (Cv) is used to represent accumulations that are less than 1 m thick and is restricted to describing stratigraphic sections.

Anthropogenic Materials
The Anthropogenic (H) symbol is used to denote human-made or human-altered geological materials. These materials include, but are not limited to, landfills and mine tailings.

CONCLUSIONS
Field mapping and the production of digital 1:50 000 map plates for NTS 21 G in southwestern New Brunswick will be completed within the next two to four years. Now that a methodological framework has been established for surficial geology mapping in the province, geologists working on surficial geology projects will have at their disposal a set of criteria with which to systematically collect field data and produce maps. Enhanced GIS capabilities and the use of SRTM and CDED imagery have enabled surficial mapping and map production to become more effective and efficient. As other ultra-high resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery becomes available, further efficiencies and quality improvements will be realized. A new web-based delivery system of surficial geology maps is also being considered for the future that would enable clients to instantly access geochemical, lithologic, and grain-size data as well as field notes.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Aaron Power, Rex Boldon (GSB), Pam Dickinson (GSB), and Jenna Raymond provided field assistance. Les Fyffe (GSB) helped to interpret the geology at the Blueberry Mountain glacitectonite site. Allen Seaman (GSB), Toon Pronk (GSB), Mike Parkhill (GSB), Ralph Stea (Stea Surficial Geology Services), and Yves Michaud (GSC) provided advice. Paul Rennick, manager of the Digital Geoscience Section (GSB), provided considerable technical support. Special thanks to Allen Seaman and Paul Rennick. This paper was critically reviewed by Allen Seaman.

REFERENCES
Allard, S. 2007. Surficial geology of the St. George map area (NTS 21 G/02), southwestern New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2007-1, p. 2148. Allard S. 2011a. Surficial geology of the St. George area (NTS 21 G/02), Charlotte County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Plate 2011-10. Allard S. 2011b. Surficial geology of the McDougall Lake area (NTS 21 G/07), Charlotte County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Plate 2011-11. Allard S. 2011c. Surficial geology of the Fredericton Jct. area (NTS 21 G/10), York, Sunbury, and Queens County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Plate 2011-12. Allard S. 2011d. Surficial geology of the McAdam area (NTS 21 G/11), York County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Plate 2011-10. Allard, S., and Pronk, T. 2003. Glacial history of southwestern New Brunswick: challenges to drift prospecting. In Current Research 2002. Edited by B.M.W. Carroll. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2003-4, p. 111. Allard S., Butler K.E., and West, M.T. 2010. Ground penetrating radar imaging of the Pocologan glaciomarine delta, southwestern New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Open File (CD-ROM) 2010-1, 32 p. Anderson, F.D. 1968. Woodstock, Millville, and Coldstream map-areas, Carleton and York counties, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 353, 69 p. Balzer, S.A. 1992. Quaternary geology and dispersal patterns of the Canterbury area, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Open File Report 92-5, 192 p. Benn, D.I., and Evans, D.J.A. 1998. Glaciers and Glaciation. Arnold, London, 734 p. Brodzikowski, K., and van Loon, A.J. 1987. A systematic classification of glacial and periglacial environments, facies, and deposits. Earth-Science Reviews, 24, p. 297381. Chalmers, R. 1884. Report on the surface geology of western New Brunswick with special reference to the area included in York and Carleton counties. Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, Report of Progress, 18821884, Part GG, 47 p. Chalmers, R. 1885. Preliminary report on the surface geology of New Brunswick. Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, Annual Report, I, Part GG, 58 p. Chalmers, R. 1890. Report on the surface geology of southern New Brunswick to accompany sheet maps 1S.W., 1S.E., and 1N.E. Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, Annual Report, IV (18881889), Part N, 92 p.

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Chalmers, R. 1902. Report on the surface geology shown on the Fredericton and Andover quartersheet maps, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Annual Report, XII (1899), Part M, 41 p. Daigle, A.E. 2005. Stratigraphy and three-dimensional architecture of surficial sediments at Fredericton, New Brunswick. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 163 p. Dickinson, P.J. 2008. Geomorphological processes and the development of the lower Saint John River human landscape. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 203 p. Dreimanis, A. 1989. Tills, their genetic terminology and classification. In Genetic Classification of Glacigenic Deposits. Edited by R.P. Goldthwait and C.L. Matsch. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 817884. Evans, D.J.A., Phillips, E.R., Hiemstra, J.F., and Auton, C.A. 2006. Sub-glacial till: formation, sedimentary characteristics and classification. Earth Science Reviews, 78, p. 115176. Fulton, R.J. 1993. Surficial geology mapping at the Geological Survey of Canada: its evolution to meet Canadas changing needs. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 30, p. 232242. Gadd, N.R. 1973. Quaternary geology of southwest New Brunswick with particular reference to Fredericton area. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 71-34, 31 p. Gauthier, R.C. 1982. Surficial deposits, northern New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 856, 9 maps. GeoBase. 2011. Canadian Digital Elevation Data. http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/data/cded /index.html;jsessionid=5E38522B33C76427EEE088B25FF2C111 [accessed July 2011]. Gibbard, P.L., and Head, M.J. 2009. IUGS ratification of the Quaternary System/Period and the Pleistocene Series/Epoch with a base at 2.58 Ma. Quaternaire, 20, p. 271272. Gilbert, G.K. 1890. Lake Bonneville. United States Geological Survey, Monograph 1, 438 p. Giudice, G.M. 2005. Implications of glacial stratigraphy to municipal planning in a glaciated valley: Fredericton Junction, New Brunswick. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 137 p. Hind, H.Y. 1865. A preliminary report on the geology of New Brunswick, together with a special report on the distribution of the Qubec Group in the Province. Journal of the House of Assembly of New Brunswick, Appendix 8, 293 p. Kiewiet de Jonge, E.J.C. 1951. Glacial water levels in the St. John River valley. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Department of Geography, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, 116 p. Lamothe, M. 1990. Overburden drilling program in the Saint John River valley and the Baie des Chaleurs coastal area of northern New Brunswick: till geochemistry and borehole logs. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 2149, 84 p. Lamothe, M. 1992. Pleistocene stratigraphy and till geochemistry of the Miramichi Zone, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 433, 58 p. Lee, H.A. 1955a. Surficial geology of Edmundston, Madawaska and Temiscouata counties, New Brunswick and Quebec. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 55-15, 14 p. Lee, H.A. 1955b. Surficial geology, Edmundston, Madawaska and Temiscouata counties, New Brunswick and Quebec. Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 55-15. Lee, H.A. 1956. Surficial geology, Fredericton, York and Sunbury counties, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 2-1956. Lee, H.A. 1957. Surficial geology of Fredericton, York and Sunbury counties, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 56-2, 11 p. Lee, H.A. 1959a. Surficial geology, Grand Falls, Madawaska and Victoria counties, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 24-1959. Lee, H.A. 1959b. Surficial geology, Aroostook, Victoria County, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 34-1959. Lee, H.A. 1962. Surficial geology of Canterbury, Woodstock, Florenceville and Andover map-areas; York, Carleton and Victoria counties, New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 62-12, 8 p.

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Matthew, G.F. 1872. On the surface geology of New Brunswick. The Canadian Naturalist, New Series, VI, p. 89107. Mathew [Matthew], G.F. 1879. Report on the superficial geology of southern New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Report of Progress for 187778, Part EE, 36 p. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 2011. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov /srtm/ [accessed August 2011]. Natural Resources Canada. 2011. National Topographic Database. http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca /geogratis/en/product/search.do?id=F3D83500-2564-D61E-4F37-FEF860E6DDC0 [accessed July 2011]. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011a. Granular Aggregate Database. http://www1.gnb.ca/0078/GeoscienceDatabase/GranularAgg/GranAgg-e.asp [accessed August 2011]. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011b. Geoscience Publications. http://dnre-mrne.gnb.ca/ParisWeb /PublicationSearch.aspx [accessed August 2011]. Pronk, A.G. 1984a. Surficial geology and related geomorphological features of the Trousers Lake area. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Division, Plate 84-23. Pronk, A.G. 1984b. Till geochemistry of the Trousers Lake area. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Division, Plate 84-24. Pronk, A.G., Allard, S., and Boldon, G.R. 2004. Till geochemistry of the St. George (NTS 21 G/02) map area, Charlotte County, New Brunswick: site, textural and geochemical data with contour plots for As, Sb, Cu and Pb. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Open File 2004-5, 67 p. Rampton, V.N. 1984a. Surficial geology. New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 1594A. Rampton, V.N. 1984b. Generalized surficial geology map of New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources Division, Map NR 8. Rampton, V.N., and Paradis, S. 1981a. Quaternary geology of Woodstock map area (21 J), New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Development Branch, Map Report 81-1, 37 p. Rampton, V.N., and Paradis, S. 1981b. Quaternary geology of Moncton map area (21 I), New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Development Branch, Map Report 81-2, 31 p. Rampton, V.N., and Paradis, S. 1981c. Quaternary geology of Amherst map area (21 H), New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Development Branch, Map Report 81-3, 36 p. Rampton, V.N., Gauthier, R.C., Thibault, J., and Seaman, A.A. 1984. Quaternary geology of New Brunswick. Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 416, 77 p. Robb, J. 1851. Notice of observations on drift striae in New Brunswick. Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 4, p. 349351. Seaman, A.A. 1982. The late Quaternary history of the Burtts Corner area, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Division, Open File Report 83-2, 105 p. Seaman, A.A. 1985. Surficial geology, Village of McAdam, N.B. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Mineral Resources Division, Plate 85-6. Seaman, A.A. 1991. Complex glacial ice-flow events in New Brunswick with particular reference to the Oromocto Lake area, and implications for drift prospecting. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources, Geoscience Report 89-2, 48 p. Seaman, A.A. 2004. Late Pleistocene history of New Brunswick, Canada. In Quaternary Glaciations Extent and Chronology, Part II: North America. Edited by J. Ehlers and P.L. Gibbard. Developments in Quaternary Science, 2b. Elsevier, Amsterdam, p. 151167. Seaman, A.A. 2006. A new interpretation of the late glacial history of central New Brunswick: the Gaspereau Ice Centre as a Younger Dryas ice cap. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick

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for 2005. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2006-3, p. 136. Seaman, A.A. 2009. The Appalachian Glacier Complex, and the MiddleLate Pleistocene history of west-central New Brunswick, Canada. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2008. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2009-2, p. 66140. Seaman, A.A., and McCoy, S.M. 2008. Multiple Wisconsinan tills in the Sisson Brook exploration trench of Geodex Minerals Ltd., York County, west-central New Brunswick. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2007. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2008-1, p. 134. Service New Brunswick. 2011. Digital Topographic Database. http://www.snb.ca/gdam-igec /e/2900e_1.asp [accessed July 2011]. Shilts, W.W. 1975. Principles of geochemical exploration for sulphide deposits using shallow samples of glacial drift. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Bulletin 68, p. 7380. Snow, R.J., and Coker, W.B. 1987. Overburden geochemistry related to WCuMo mineralization at Sisson Brook, New Brunswick, Canada: an example of short- and long-distance glacial dispersal. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 28, p. 353368. Stea, R.R. 2004. The Appalachian Glacier Complex in Maritime Canada. In Quaternary Glaciation Extent and Chronology, Part II: North America. Edited by J. Ehlers and P.L. Gibbard. Developments in Quaternary Science, 2b. Elsevier, Amsterdam, p. 213232. Stea, R.R., and Finck, P.W. 2001. An evolutionary model of glacial dispersal and till genesis in Maritime Canada. In Drift Exploration in Glaciated Terrain. Edited by M.B. McClenaghan, P.T. Bobrowsky, G.E.M. Hall, and S.J. Cook. Geological Society of London, Special Publications 185, p. 237265. Stea, R.R., Seaman, A.A., Pronk, A.G., Parkhill, M.A., Allard, S., and Utting, D.J. (in press). The Appalachian Glacier Complex in Maritime Canada. Chapter 48 in Quaternary GlaciationExtent and Chronology, Part IV: A Closer Look. Edited by J. Ehlers and P.L. Gibbard. Developments in Quaternary Science, 2d. Elsevier, Amsterdam. Symons, D.T.A., Lewchuk, M.T., and Boyle, D.R. 1996. PliocenePleistocene genesis for the Murray Brook and Heath Steele AuAg gossan ore deposits, New Brunswick, from paleomagnetism. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 33, p. 111. Szabo, N.L., Govett, G.J.S., and Lajtai, E.Z. 1975. Dispersion trends of elements and indicator pebbles in glacial till around Mt. Pleasant, New Brunswick, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 12, p. 15341556. Thomas, R.D., Gleeson, C.F., Rampton, V.N., and Ruitenberg, A.A. 1987. Geochemistry and geology of surficial materials overlying part of the eastern Saint George batholith, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy; Mineral Resources Division, Report of Investigation 19, 26 p. Wang, C., Ross, G.J., and Rees, H.W. 1981. Characteristics of residual and colluvial soils developed on granite and of the associated pre-Wisconsinan landforms in north-central New Brunswick. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 18, p. 487494. Wicklund, R.E., and Langmaid, K.K. 1953. Soil survey of southwestern New Brunswick. Fourth Report of the New Brunswick Soil Survey, Experimental Farms Service, Canada Department of Agriculture in co-operation with the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 47 p.

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Trace-Element Values in Bedrock from the Burtts Corner Formation in the Vicinity of the Fredericksburg Basal Till Sb Anomaly, and from Adjacent Formations in the Napadogan Map Area, West-Central New Brunswick
ALLEN A. SEAMAN
Geological Surveys Branch, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, New Brunswick, CANADA E3B 5H1 (Allen.Seaman@gnb.ca) Seaman, A.A. 2011. Trace-element values in bedrock from the Burtts Corner Formation in the vicinity of the Fredericksburg basal till Sb anomaly, and from adjacent formations in the Napadogan map area, west-central New Brunswick. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2010. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Lands, Minerals and Petroleum Division, Mineral Resource Report 2011-2, p. 127146. _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Trace-element values for basal till samples from the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas in west-central New Brunswick were plotted on a bedrock base map for the two map sheets. The plots indicated a possible correlation between high Sb values and areas underlain by bedrock of the Ordovician Push and Be Damned Formation (Tetagouche Group) and the Silurian Burtts Corner Formation (Kingsclear Group). Similarly, the plots indicated elevated Ni values over the Cross Creek and Hayes Brook formations, both of the Kingsclear Group. To confirm these apparent correlations, 10 bedrock samples were collected from the Burtts Corner Formation in the vicinity of the Fredericksburg basal till Sb anomaly, which straddles the two map sheets; and 12 bedrock samples were gathered from various formations (including the Burtts Corner) that crop out along a transect crossing the Napadogan map sheet. Rocks in the second suite range in age from CambroOrdovician to Early Carboniferous. Trace-element analyses of the 22 bedrock samples indicate that high Sb values are not restricted to either the Burtts Corner or the Push and Be Damned formations. Only three samples show Sb values that are anomalous to extremely anomalous when compared with regional background values of the till geochemistry: two of siltstone from the Burtts Corner Formation and one of red manganiferous siltstone from the Ordovician Hayden Lake Formation (Tetagouche Group). These results imply that an as yet undiscovered source of Sb mineralization exists in the area. The study results provide no clear source for the belt of anomalous Ni values in till that overlies the mapped area of the Cross Creek and Hayes Brook formations. Ni is anomalous in the bedrock sample from the former formation but is merely above average in the sample from the latter. However, Ni is very anomalous in a sample of matrix material from a previously unidentified outlier of conglomerate from the Early Carboniferous Shin Formation (Mabou Group) that unconformably overlies the Hayes Brook Formation. Ni was also anomalous in samples from the Burtts Corner, Push and Be Damned, and Hayden Lake formations. _________________________________________________

128
Des valeurs dlment trace dans des chantillons du till de fond provenant des secteurs de feuilles de carte de Burtts Corner et de Napadogan, dans le centre ouest du Nouveau-Brunswick, ont t rpertories sur une carte de base du substratum associe ces deux feuilles de carte. Les valeurs releves indiqueraient une corrlation possible entre une teneur leve de Sb et les secteurs qui reposent sur le substratum de la Formation de Push and Be Damned de lOrdovicien (groupe de Tetagouche) et de la Formation de Burtts Corner, du Silurien (groupe de Kingsclear). Par ailleurs, les relvements suggrent des teneurs de Ni leves dans les Formations de la crique Cross et du ruisseau Hayes, toutes deux tant rattaches au groupe de Kingsclear. Pour confirmer ces corrlations apparentes, dix chantillons du substratum ont t recueillis dans la Formation de Burtts Corner, dans le secteur de lanomalie de Sb du till de fond de Fredericksburg, lequel chevauche les secteurs des deux feuilles de carte. Douze chantillons de substratum ont galement t recueillis dans diverses formations (dont celle de Burtts Corner) qui affleurent le long dun axe transversal qui traverse le secteur de feuille de carte de Napadogan. Lge des roches de la deuxime srie varie entre le Cambro-Ordovicien et le dbut du Carbonifre. Des analyses dlment trace dans des vingt-deux chantillons de substratum indiquent que les teneurs leves en Sb ne sont pas confines aux Formations de Burtts Corner ou de Push and Be Damned. Seuls trois chantillons indiquent des teneurs de Sb anormales extrmement anormales, comparativement aux teneurs rgionales caractristiques de la gochimie du till : soit deux chantillons de siltite de la Formation de Burtts Corner et un chantillon de siltite mangansifre rouge de la Formation du lac Hayden de lOrdovicien (groupe de Tetagouche). Ces rsultats laissent entendre que lorigine de la minralisation de Sb dans la rgion reste lucider. Les rsultats dtude ne donnent aucune indication claire dune ceinture de valeurs anormales en Ni dans le till qui recouvre le secteur cartographi des Formations de la crique Cross et du ruisseau Hayes. Une teneur anormale de Ni est observe dans lchantillon de substratum prlev dans la premire formation, mais elle est tout juste au-dessus de la moyenne dans lchantillon de la deuxime formation. Toutefois, il y a une teneur de Ni trs anormale dans un chantillon de matriau de gangue prlev dans un lot auparavant non identifi de conglomrat de la Formation de Shin du dbut du Carbonifre (groupe de Mabou), qui repose en discordance sur la Formation du ruisseau Hayes. Des teneurs anormales de Ni ont aussi t obtenues dans les chantillons recueillis des Formations de Burtts Corner, de Push and Be Damned et du lac Hayden. _________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
The Burtts Corner (National Topographic System (NTS) 21 J/02) and Napadogan (NTS 21 J/07) map areas in west-central New Brunswick (Fig. 1) are underlain by a variety of rocks of the CambroOrdovician Miramichi Group, Ordovician Tetagouche Group, Silurian Kingsclear Group, and Carboniferous Mabou Group (Smith and Fyffe 2006a, 2006b). The New Brunswick Bedrock Lexicon (New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR) 2011a) provides detailed descriptions of lithologic units within these groups.

129

CARBONIFEROUS Pictou Group Minto Formation

Napadogan

Mabou Group Shin Formation Royal Road Basalt

107

DEVONIAN Granitic rocks SILURIAN Kingsclear Group Taxis River Formation Burtts Corner Formation

8 Stanley Fredericksburg

21 J/07 21 J/02
Nashwa ak

Cross Creek Formation Hayes Brook Formation ORDOVICIAN Tetagouche Group Push and Be Damned Formation Hayden Lake Formation CAMBROORDOVICIAN Miramichi Group Knights Brook Formation Geological contact

Taymouth

River

0
Mactaquac Basin

10 km Penniac

Fault Highway

New Brunswick
A B C
Fredericton

Map Sheet Names and Numbers A B C Hayesville Napadogan 21 J/10 21 J/07

Maine, USA

Report area (area of Fig. 1)

Burtts Corner 21 J/02

Figure 1. Bedrock geology of the Burtts Corner (NTS 21 J/02) and Napadogan (NTS 21 J/07) map areas. The geological data are from NBDNR (2008).

130 Geochemical analyses of basal till samples (collected between 2002 and 2009) from the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas indicated a possible correlation between elevated elemental concentrations in the till and those in specific bedrock units. In particular, above average to anomalous values for Sb appeared to be characteristic of till overlying parts of the Push and Be Damned Formation (Tetagouche Group) and the Burtts Corner Formation (Kingsclear Group) (Fig. 1, 2). Similarly, above average to anomalous values for Ni appeared to be characteristic of basal till overlying parts of the Hayes Brook and Cross Creek formations, both of the Kingsclear Group (Fig. 3). To test the validity of the apparent correlations implied by these geochemical results, two suites of bedrock samples were collected in the summer of 2010 for analysis using the same analytical package as was used for the till samples. Suite 1 (Table 1) comprised wacke, siltstone, and mudstone from the mapped limits of the Burtts Corner Formation in the area of the Fredericksburg basal till Sb anomaly (Fig. 2), which has been reported on by Seaman (2008). Suite 2 consisted of sedimentary and metasedimentary samples from a transect across the central part of the Napadogan map area. These latter samples were collected from bedrock units depicted on Smith and Fyffe (2006b) and ranged from CambroOrdovician to Early Carboniferous (Table 1). Appendix 1 (p. 141146) presents the geochemical data for bedrock samples from both suites.
Table 1. Bedrock samples collected for analysis from the report area in west-central New Brunswick. Figure 1 shows the ages of, and relationships among, the groups and formations. Suite No. 1 Map Area Burtts Corner and Napadogan Napadogan Napadogan Napadogan 2 Napadogan Napadogan Napadogan Napadogan Miramichi Tetagouche Kingsclear Map Code in Appendix 1 SBU CSN SBU SCR SHAB OPBD OHL OKB No. of Samples 10 1 3 1 1 2 2 2 22

Group Kingsclear Mabou

Formation Burtts Corner Shin Burtts Corner Cross Creek Hayes Brook Push and Be Damned Hayden Lake Knights Brook

Total Number of Samples

SAMPLE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Bulk samples were collected from roadside bedrock outcrops using a mini-sledge hammer and a cold chisel. In the Fredericton laboratory of the NBDNR, a rock saw was used to cut

131 surface weathering off the samples. Approximately 300 g of rock for each sample was shipped to Activation Laboratories Ltd. (Actlabs) in Ancaster, Ontario. One sample, a conglomerate of the Shin Formation, was too friable to cut with the saw, and only matrix material from that sample was sent for analysis. At Actlabs, the samples were crushed to <1.7 mm using mild steel plates, and a split was removed for pulverization to 95% <105 m (Actlabs 2010). Approximately 20 g to 30 g of the resulting rock pulp was analyzed using the near-total metals Au+53 element analytical package (Code 1H2) with add-on Hg analysis using the Flow Injection Mercury System (FIMS, Code 1G). The Au+53 package now gives data for Au plus 54 other elements, and values are obtained using the following analytical methods.
Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) for Au plus 27 elements (As, Ba, Br, Ce,

Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, Hg, Ir, La, Lu, Na, Nd, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Ta, Tb, Th, U, W, and Yb);
Total DigestionInductively Coupled PlasmaOptical Emission Spectrometry (TDICP

OES) for 19 elements (Ag, Al, Be, Ca, Cd, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sr, Ti, V, Y, and Zn); and
TDICPMass Spectrometry (TDICPMS) for eight elements (Bi, Ge, In, Li, Re, Sn, Te,

and Tl). The total digestion methods obtain near-total metal values by dissolving a 0.25 g split of the pulverized sample in a four-acid (hydrochloric, nitric, perchloric, and hydrofluoric) solution prior to analysis (Actlabs 2010). Actlabs (2010) indicates that only partial extraction is obtained for Al, Sn, and Y; and that S values are for sulphides only.

RESULTS
Data
The geochemical results for the analyses of 22 bedrock samples in the report area are listed in Appendix 1 in stratigraphic order from youngest (Carboniferous) to oldest (Cambro Ordovician). Average and standard deviation values are included for the 13 samples from the Burtts Corner Formation. Elevated values are indicated by a colour code. Note that values below the detection limit were arbitrarily assigned a value equal to half of that limit for calculation purposes. Data on regional background values for trace elements in New Brunswick bedrock are not available. For this reason, the determination of what constitutes an elevated value was based on regional background values obtained from analyses of basal till samples from southern and central New Brunswick, using comparable near-total analytical techniques (Table 2). When these basal till average values were compared with published global average, median, or range values for Earths continental crust, soils, and rock types common to those in west-

Table 2. Average regional background values for basal till in southern and central New Brunswick, compared with the published average, median, or range values for Earths crust, soil, and rock types that are common to those in west-central New Brunswick. Values in green are from Mason (1966); in yellow are from Krauskopf (1967), in pink are from Rose et al. (1979), and in blue are from WebElements (2011). Notes: 1. bT = basal till; values shown below represent the reduced mean value for 3641 basal till samples from southern and central New Brunswick, with extreme high and low values trimmed. Appendix D in Seaman (2008) describes how the regional background values for till were determined. 2. Asterisk * = values that represent only partial extraction, avg = average, Sst = sandstone bT
avg <0.3 6.94* 14.3 <2 429 2 0.4 7.3 0.28 <0.3 87 14 90 5 25 1.4 3.81 0.5 10 35 <0.2 1.93 41.4

Elements and Units

Ag Al As Au Ba Be Bi Br Ca Cd Ce Co Cr Cs Cu Eu Fe Ge Hf Hg In K La ppm % ppm ppb ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppb ppm % ppm

Crust
avg 0.05 8.1 2 3 580 2 0.1 1.8 3.3 0.1 81 25 100 3 50 4.65 2 3 20 0.1 2.5 25

Continental Crust
avg 0.07 8.13 1.8 4 425 2.8 0.2 2.5 3.63 0.2 60 25 100 3 55 1.2 5.00 1.5 3 80 0.1 2.59 30 avg 0.07 8.2 1.8 <50 425 2.8 0.17 2.5 4.1 0.2 67 25 100 3 55 1.2 5.6 1.5 3 80 0.1 2.1 25 avg 0.08 8.2 2.1 3.1 340 1.9 0.025 3 5 0.15 60 30 140 1.9 68 1.8 6.3 1.4 3.3 67 0.16 1.5 34 (G-1) avg 0.04 7.43 0.8 2 1220 3 0.1 0.5 0.99 0.06 230 2.4 22 1.5 13 1.0 1.37 1.0 5.2 200 0.03 4.51 120

Granite
avg 0.04 7.7 1.5 <50 600 5 0.18 1.3 1.6 0.2 87 1 4 5 10 1.5 2.7 1.5 4 80 0.1 3.3 40 avg or median 0.037 2.1 2.3 840 3 0.3 (W-1) avg 0.06 7.86 2.2 5 180 0.8 0.2 0.5 7.83 0.3 30 50 120 1.1 110 1.1 7.76 1.6 1.5 200 0.08 0.53 30

Mafic
avg 0.1 8.8 2 <50 250 0.5 0.15 3.6 6.7 0.2 48 48 200 1 100 0.8 8.6 1.5 2 80 0.1 0.83 10 avg or median 0.1 1.5 3.2 330 1 0.05 avg

Shale
avg or median 0.19 12 4 550 3 1.0

Sst
avg or median 0.25 1.2 5 170 0.x 0.3

Soil
avg, median, or range 0.1 - 1 7.5 2 300 0.5-4 0.8

0.1 57 1 4.1 12 1.42

0.2 66 48 170 72 8.65

40 4.2 55

10 0.83 17

0.1 8.0 6.6 <50 580 3 0.01 6 2.5 0.3 50 20 100 5 57 1 4.7 2 6 400 0.05 2.3 40

132

0.3 76 19 90 42 4.7

0.0x 15 0.33 35 10 0.98

0.1-0.5 10 43 15 2.1

20 - 40 2.66 39

30 1.07 7

56 1.1 33

Elements and Units

Li Lu Mg Mn Mo Na Nd Ni P Pb Rb Re S Sb Sc Se Sm Sn Sr Ta Tb Te Th Ti Tl U V W Y Yb Zn ppm ppm % ppm ppm % ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm

bT
avg 44.3 0.63 0.99 694 1 1.10 30 43 0.046 21 96 0.003 0.01* 1.1 13.6 0.4 6.1 1* 73 1.0 0.7 0.1 12.6 0.48 0.6 3.4 88 <1 23* 4.0 75

Crust
avg 30 1.7 1000 1.5 2.5 75 0.09 10 150 0.0006 0.03 0.1 13 0.1 2 300 2 0.002 10 0.44 0.45 2.5 150 1

Continental Crust
avg 20 0.5 2.09 950 1.5 2.83 28 75 0.105 13 90 0.001 0.026 0.2 22 0.05 6.0 2 375 2 0.9 0.01 7.2 0.44 0.5 1.8 135 1.5 33 3.4 70 avg 20 0.8 2.3 950 1.5 2.4 28 75 0.105 12.5 90 <0.05 0.026 0.2 22 0.05 7.3 2 375 1.1 <0.05 9.6 0.57 0.45 2.7 135 1.5 33 3 70 avg 17 0.56 2.9 1100 1.1 2.3 33 90 0.1 10 60 0.0026 0.042 0.2 26 0.05 6 2.2 360 1.7 0.94 0.001 6 0.66 0.53 1.8 190 1.1 29 2.8 79 (G-1) avg 24 0.1 0.24 230 7 2.46 55 2 0.039 49 220 0.0006 0.0175 0.4 3 11 4 250 1.6 1.1 52 0.15 1.3 3.7 16 0.4 13 1 45

Granite
avg 30 1.1 0.16 400 2 2.8 35 0.5 0.07 20 150 <0.05 0.027 0.2 5 0.05 9.4 3 285 1.5 <0.05 17 0.23 0.75 4.8 20 2 40 3.8 40 avg or median 40 (W-1) avg 12 0.3 3.99 1320 0.05 1.54 15 78 0.065 8 22 0.0004 0.0135 1.1 34 5 3 180 0.7 0.6 2.4 0.64 0.13 0.52 240 0.45 25 3 82

Mafic
avg 10 0.6 4.5 1500 1 1.9 20 150 0.14 5 30 <0.05 0.025 0.2 38 0.05 5.3 1 465 0.8 <0.05 2.2 0.90 0.1 0.6 250 1 25 2.1 100 avg or median 17 avg

Shale
avg or median 66

Sst
avg or median 15

Soil
avg, median, or range 22

390 1.3

1500 1.5

4.5 0.06 18 276 0.0006 0.03 0.2 0.14 3.0 100 3.5

130 0.11 4 32 0.0006 0.03 0.1 0.13 1.5 465 0.48

60 0.7 1.34 850 2 0.66 23 95 0.077 20 140 <0.05 0.022 1.5 10 0.6 6.5 6 450 0.9 <0.05 11 0.45 1 3.2 130 2 30 3 80

850 2.6

x0 0.2

320 2.5

68 0.07 25 143 0.0005 0.24 1-2 0.6 6 300 3.5

2 0.017 10 40 0.0003 0.024 1.0 0.05 0.6 20

17 0.03 17 35 0.0005 0.01-0.2 2 0.31 10 67

133

20

2.7

12

5.5

0.001-0.01 13

3.9 44 1.5 41 51

0.53 250 1.0 25 94

3.7 130 1.8 35 100

1.7 20 1.6 10 40

1 57 1 27 36

80

134 central New Brunswick (Table 2), the till values generally fell within the range of the bedrock values. Therefore, in the absence of a data set for regional bedrock trace-element geochemistry, the data set for basal till is considered to be a reasonable proxy. Appendix 1 indicates four levels of statistically defined elevated values (see p. 141), based on the calculated mean (X) and standard deviation (SD). The appendix also includes sample site coordinates, sample lithology, and miscellaneous comments.

Samples from the Burtts Corner Formation

The analytical results for Sb in the 13 bedrock samples from the Burtts Corner Formation (Table 1; Appendix 1) clearly indicate that high Sb content is not a ubiquitous characteristic of the formation; the Sb values range from non-detectable (<0.1 ppm) for two samples to a maximum of 9.8 ppm for sample AS100048 (Appendix 1). The latter value is of similar magnitude to values obtained for several basal till samples in the Fredericksburg Sb anomaly (Fig. 2) but is only two-thirds of the maximum till value in that anomaly (Seaman 2008). However, an even higher maximum value of 30.6 ppm Sb has been obtained for till from a site overlying the Burtts Corner Formation farther to the north-northeast, in the area to the west of bedrock sample AS100063 (63 on Fig. 2). The highest Sb values in bedrock from the Burtts Corner Formation were obtained from two siltstone samples that were collected in quarries: one (AS100048) beside Crow Hill Road and the other (AS100053) just south of North Tay Road. This could indicate that the remaining bedrock samples, which are from surface outcrops, had undergone surficial leaching. However, the two quarry samples also differ in lithology from most of the other Burtts Corner samples, being siltstone rather than wacke (Appendix 1). A third sample from the Burtts Corner Formation is also fine grained: a mudstone from site AS100050, situated near the anomalous basal till site ND-HK13 of Seaman (2008). Together, the values obtained for these three fine-grained samples are moderately to significantly higher than those obtained for most of the wacke samples for numerous elements (Appendix 1). The elements include some that are typical of mineralizing systems in the region, such as As, Be, Bi, Fe, Hg, Sn, and Ti (Malcolm McLeod, pers. comm. 2011). The three samples are also moderately to significantly lower than the wacke samples in Ca, Mg, and Mn. Elements such as Sn and Ti are not susceptible to significant leaching in the surficial environment, whereas Ca, Mg, and Mn are. Therefore, the higher metal values in the three samples most likely reflect differences in lithology rather than in surface exposure. Of the three fine-grained samples cited above, only AS100048 from the Crow Hill Road quarry stands out as extremely anomalous in comparison with background basal till values for southern and central New Brunswick (see Seaman 2008). Specificallyand bearing in mind that the correlation between anomalous values for tills and bedrock samples in this region is only assumedAS100048 is extremely anomalous in Co, Hg, Mo, S, Sb, and Se; very anomalous in Ag, As, Cu, Pb, Re, Sr, and U; and anomalous in Fe (a hematite vein is visible

135

Percentiles 100 99 98 95 90 85 80 75 70 65 60
50 49 52 48 45 46 53 54

100 ppm 7.0 ppm 5.0 ppm 3.3 ppm 2.4 ppm

65 59 60 58 66

5140000
57

61 63 56 62 55 51 64

UTM Northings (NAD27)

1.5 ppm

55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

1.0 ppm

5120000

47

0.8 ppm

<0.1 ppm

5100000

Bedrock sample site

660000 670000 680000 690000

UTM Eastings (NAD27)

0 10 km

Geological contact Fault

Figure 2. Location of analyzed bedrock samples with respect to Sb distribution in basal till within the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas (Fig. 1); compare with the bedrock geology map (Fig. 1). The dotted white line indicates the approximate boundary of the Fredericksburg basal till Sb anomaly.

in part of the sample), Ni, P, Sc, Sm, V, and Zn. By the same standard, AS100050 is anomalous only in Rb; and AS100053 is extremely anomalous in S and anomalous in Au, Ba, Hg, Rb, Re, and Sb. Eight of the 10 wacke samples exhibit Ca values that are extremely anomalous in comparison with the regional basal till values, and Sr values that are anomalous to very anomalous. The much lower Ca and Sr values in sample AS100049, which lies just to the west of peak values

136 in the Fredericksburg basal till Sb anomaly, may reflect a sample leached by mineralizing solutions. A similar process may be indicated for sample AS100063, which has much lower Ca and Sr values; extremely anomalous values for Ni, Cr, and Mg; and a very anomalous value for Co. However, the presence of these elements in bedrock at this site is not readily apparent on the till geochemistry plots. The bedrock sample site (63 on Fig. 2) lies within a depression at less than the 25th percentile level for Mg, and at the eastern edge of depressions of similar magnitude for Co and Ni (the Ni depression is depicted on Fig. 3).

Samples with Elevated Nickel Values

Anomalous Ni values (from unpublished data) were obtained for 13 basal till samples collected in 2006 and 2009 from sites overlying the mapped area of the Cross Creek and Hayes Brook formations in the report area (Fig. 1). These values generate a discontinuous belt of values at the 98th percentile level near the eastern margins of the two formations (compare Fig. 1 and Fig. 3). A similarly high Ni value was obtained for a sample of finegrained quartzite with quartz veins (AS100064) from the Cross Creek Formation. In contrast, the sample of wacke from the Hayes Brook Formation (AS100065) contained only an above-average but background level of Ni. However, a previously unidentified outlier of conglomerate of the Early Carboniferous Shin Formation (Fig. 4) was found within the mapped limits of the Hayes Brook Formation, unconformably overlying the latter. Material collected from the outlier (AS100066: the matrix sample) was very anomalous in Ni. Anomalous Ni values are not restricted to the Shin and Cross Creek formations. As noted above, an extreme Ni anomaly occurs in sample AS100063 from the Burtts Corner Formation in the central part of the Napadogan map area. Ni was also anomalous in two other samples from this formation (AS100048, AS100049) from the area west of the Fredericksburg basal till anomaly (Fig. 2, 3). In addition, anomalous Ni values were obtained for the lithic sandstone sample from the Push and Be Damned Formation (AS100057) and for the red manganiferous siltstone (RMS) sample from the Hayden Lake Formation (AS100056).

Other Anomalies
All bedrock samples collected during this project contain anomalous concentrations of at least one elementand in some cases several elementsas defined by background geochemical values of the regional till geochemical data set (Table 2; Appendix 1). In many instances, the anomalous values can be correlated with obvious attributes of the samples collected. For example, high S values in several samples from the Burtts Corner Formation and one sample from the Knights Brook Formation reflect the presence of pyrite. The RMS sample from the Hayden Lake Formation, located near the Napadogan RMS occurrence (Unique Reference Number 1140 in NBDNR 2011b), is the most anomalous of all the collected samples. It is extremely anomalous in Ba, Co, Mn, and Sb; very anomalous in Fe and Te; and anomalous in As, K, Ni, P, Pb, and Rb.

137

Percentiles 100 99 98 95
58 61 57 63 56 62 55 51 64

195 ppm 104 ppm 87 ppm 75 ppm 65 ppm

65 59 60 66

5140000

90 85 80 75 70 65 60
50

UTM Northings (NAD27)

54 ppm

55 50 45 40 35 43 ppm

49 52 53

54

5120000
48 45 46

47

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 6 ppm
Bedrock sample site

34 ppm

5100000

660000 10 km

670000

680000

690000

Geological contact Fault

UTM Eastings (NAD27)

Figure 3. Location of analyzed bedrock samples with respect to Ni distribution in basal till of the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas (Fig. 1 ); compare with the bedrock geology map (Fig. 1).

DISCUSSION
Antimony (Sb)
The results presented above clearly indicate that elevated Sb values are not a ubiquitous characteristic of either the Burtts Corner Formation or the Push and Be Damned Formation. Only the two Burtts Corner siltstone samples contained anomalous concentrations of Sb; concentrations in the two Push and Be Damned bedrock samples were merely above average. One sample from the Knights Brook Formation contained a threshold anomalous concentration of Sb, and the RMS sample from the Hayden Lake Formation was extremely anomalous in Sb. Thus, varied degrees of elevated Sb concentration appear to be associated with all four formations.

138

Figure 4. Redbed conglomerate in a newly discovered outlier of the Early Carboniferous Shin Formation (Mabou Group), unconformably overlying the Silurian Hayes Brook Formation at site AS100066 (marked as 66 on Fig. 3). Hammer handle is 30 cm long.

In addition, the highest Sb value in samples of the Burtts Corner Formation was less than onethird of the maximum observed in the basal till (9.8 ppm in bedrock versus 30.6 ppm in till). Even the extremely anomalous value for the RMS sample (22.7 ppm) is only three-quarters that of the till maximum. The evidence of these analyses, combined with the above average to extremely anomalous values in the different bedrock units, implies that additional Sb contributions from more highly mineralized and localized bedrock sources remain to be discovered.

Nickel (Ni)
The anticipated correlation between the Cross Creek Formation and anomalous Ni values in the basal till appears to hold true. The Cross Creek sample site (AS100064) lies just th north of an area of elevated Ni at the 99 percentile level (= very anomalous) in the till geochemistry data (Fig. 3). However, study results do not confirm the expected correlation between the Hayes Brook Formation and elevated Ni values. The Ni value for the Hayes Brook sample (AS100065) is th th comparable only to the 90 percentile level in the till data (the 98 percentile level is

139 considered anomalous). Notably, this sample site lies in a gap in the anomalous Ni belt on the till geochemistry plot (Fig. 3). The anomalous area south-southwest of the gap is located just south of site AS100066; the matrix of the conglomerate sample (Shin Formation) from this site exhibits a very anomalous concentration of Ni. This high concentration in the matrix is unexpected, as Figure 3 clearly indicates that high Ni values are not typical of till overlying or adjacent to the Shin Formation. Therefore, the Ni concentration in the matrix material probably reflects a local rather than a regional source, one that likely originated during deposition in the Early Carboniferous. The available data offer no clear explanation for the belt of anomalous Ni overlying the Cross Creek and Hayes Brook formations. The following are among the several possibilities.
The original hypothesis that the elevated Ni values reflect Ni in the Cross Creek and Hayes

Brook formations could be correct. Sample AS100065 simply may not represent the typical geochemistry of the Hayes Brook Formation.
The anomalous Ni belt could be due solely to the presence of the Cross Creek Formation.

More detailed geological maps of the region (Smith and Fyffe 2006b) show that the formation outcrops as narrow bands to both the west (~0.5 km wide) and the east (~2 km wide) of the Hayes Brook Formation in the northern part of the Napadogan map area. The anomalous Ni in the till (and in the sample of Shin Formation) could be the result of dispersal from one of these segments of the Cross Creek Formation.
The Shin Formation in the Napadogan map area could be enriched in Ni, unlike that part of

the formation to the south in the Burtts Corner map area. If so, two possible explanations exist for the belt of anomalous basal till. First, the till could have been dispersed northwestward from the band of Shin Formation that outcrops along the eastern margin of the Cross Creek Formation. Evidence for northwestward dispersal has been noted previously for the Hayesville map area (Fig. 1) to the north (Seaman 2006). Second, additional outliers of the Shin Formation could unconformably overlie the Hayes Brook Formation in areas that happen to be situated within gaps in the observed distribution of bedrock outcrops.
The belt of anomalous till could reflect glacial dispersal from point sources within the

mapped area of the two Silurian formations. The dispersal could have been either southwestward during the Escuminac Phase of the Late Wisconsinan glaciation (Seaman 2009), northeastward during the subsequent Scotian and Chignecto phases, or, potentially, southwestward in some parts of the area and northeastward in others.
Finally, the observed distribution of Ni in the basal till could derive from some combination

of the foregoing possibilities. Obviously, further bedrock investigations in this district of west-central New Brunswick will be required to determine which, if any, of the above explanations is correct.

140

CONCLUSIONS
The working premise that the Burtts Corner Formation and the Push and Be Damned Formation were the source of elevated Sb basal till values in the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas is only partially correct. Although elevated Sb values were present in some bedrock samples from these formations, such values were far from ubiquitous. Moreover, elevated values were also obtained for samples from the Knights Brook and Hayden Lake formations. It therefore is likely that some units within all four formations contributed to the observed elevated Sb values. However, the Sb values in some basal till samples are significantly higher than those in the bedrock samples, indicating the probability that another, as yet undiscovered, source of Sb mineralization exists in the area. The source of the elevated Ni over the mapped extent of the Cross Creek and Hayes Brook formations is unclear. Additional bedrock mapping and geochemical analyses will be required to identify the source(s).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Field assistance was provided by Aaron Bustard. Terry Leonard prepared Figure 1, and Serge Allard provided the bedrock base used to generate Figures 2 and 3. This report was significantly improved by the constructive criticisms of Malcolm McLeod, Geological Surveys Branch, NBDNR.

REFERENCES
Actlabs 2010. 2010 Canadian schedule of services and fees. Activation Laboratories Ltd., Ancaster, Ontario, 32 p. Krauskopf, K.B. 1967. Introduction to Geochemistry. McGraw-Hill Inc., New York, 721 p. Mason, B. 1966. Principles of Geochemistry, 3rd edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 329 p. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2008. Bedrock geology of New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Map NR-1 (revised December 2008). New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011a. New Brunswick Bedrock Lexicon. http://dnr-mrn.gnb.ca/Lexicon/Lexicon/Lexicon_Search.aspx?lang=e [accessed July 2011]. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources (NBDNR). 2011b. New Brunswick Mineral Occurrence Database. http://dnre-mrne.gnb.ca/MineralOccurrence [accessed July 2011]. Rose, A.W., Hawkes, H.E., and Webb, J.S. 1979. Geochemistry in Mineral Exploration, 2nd edition. Academic Press, London, 657 p. Seaman, A.A. 2006. A new interpretation of the late glacial history of central New Brunswick: the Gaspereau Ice Centre as a Younger Dryas ice cap. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2005. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2006-3, p. 136. Seaman, A.A. 2008. Till geochemistry of the FredericksburgSouth Tay River area, parts of the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas (NTS 21 J/02 and 21 J/07), York County, west-central New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Open File (CD-ROM) 2008-6, 55 p.

141
Seaman, A.A. 2009. The Appalachian Glacier Complex, and the Middle to Late Pleistocene history of westcentral New Brunswick, Canada. In Geological Investigations in New Brunswick for 2008. Edited by G.L. Martin. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Mineral Resource Report 2009-2, p. 66140. Smith, E.A., and Fyffe, L.R. (compilers). 2006a. Bedrock geology of the Burtts Corner area (NTS 21 J/02), York County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Plate 2006-3 (revised September 2009). Smith, E.A., and Fyffe, L.R. (compilers). 2006b. Bedrock geology of the Napadogan area (NTS 21 J/07), York County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, Plate 2006-8 (revised September 2009). WebElements. 2011. Abundance in Earths Crust. http://www.webelements.com/periodicity/abundance _crust/ [accessed March 2011]. _________________________________________________

Appendix 1: Near-Total Extraction Trace-Element Data for Bedrock Samples from the Burtts Corner and Napadogan Map Areas
Appendix 1 (p. 142146) presents the near-total extraction trace-element data for Au plus 54 elements from rocks collected in the Burtts Corner and Napadogan map areas. Colour shading indicates anomalous values (mean plus 4 to 7.9 standard deviations) to extremely anomalous values (mean plus 16+ standard deviations), as judged by the standard of basal till background values for central and southern New Brunswick (see Table 2). For details regarding the calculation of these background values, see Appendix D of Seaman (2008). Notes 1. Asterisk * denotes elements for which the values represent only partial extraction. 2. Map code symbols representing the names of bedrock units are shown in Table 1. 3. Threshold anomalous Anomalous Very anomalous Extremely anomalous X + 2 SD to <4 SD (X = calculated mean; SD = standard deviation) X + 4 SD to <8 SD X + 8 SD to <16 SD X + 16 SD

5. Lithologic abbreviations used: f. = fine-grained, m. = medium-grained, c. = coarse-grained, hem = hematite, mdst = mudstone, metased = metasedimentary rock, polymict cgl = polymictic conglomerate, py = pyrite, qtz = quartz, qtzite = quartzite, RMS = red manganiferous siltstone, slst = siltstone 6. Analytical method abbreviations used: FIMS ICPMS ICPOES INAA MULT Flow Injection Mercury System Total Digestion (TD)Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Total DigestionInductively Coupled PlasmaOptical Emission Spectrometry Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis Indicates elements that were analyzed by two different methods: for Se: MULT denotes INAA and TDICPMS for Ag, Ni, Zn: MULT denotes INAA and TDICPOES

Ag ppm 0.3
MULT ICP-OES INAA INAA INAA ICP-OES ICP-MS INAA

Mean + 2SD Mean + 4SD Mean + 8SD Mean + 16SD Sample Site No. AS100066 matrix only qtz veining <0.3 8.50 8.8 <2 530 2 0.2 <0.5

Element Unit Symbol Detection Limit Analytical Method Bdrk Easting Northing Bedrock Unit (NAD27) (NAD27) Lithology CSN 683660 5142940 polymict cgl Al* % 0.01 As ppm 0.5 Au ppb 2 Ba ppm 50 Be ppm 1 Bi ppm 0.1 Br ppm 0.5

Comments

spotted; hem slaty lithic

<0.5 25.1 3.4 78.3 5.3 24.6 7.2 3.4 24.5 5.2 5.9 5.7 3.0 4 <2 5 <2 <50 230 390 <50

4 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 7

<50 340 230 670 350 790 <50 130 1050

142

AS100045 AS100046 AS100047 AS100048 AS100049 AS100050 AS100051 AS100052 AS100053 AS100053dupl AS100054 AS100055 AS100062 AS100063 slaty; py slaty; py qtz veining qtz veining; py py lithic 0.3 0.6 678905 5144610 5139545 5142540 5138450 5143145 5144340 5140875 RMS slst m. metased slst c. lithic sst slst m. wacke 5136135 f. qtzite ~10% qtz veins fractured qtz vein ~50% qtz veins ~25% qtz veins <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 spotted; qtz; py slaty <0.3 0.3 6.26 1.46 5.43 8.29 7.71 9.48 6.36 4.01 8.29 10.30 14.8 2 329.2 21.1 2.05 326.8 3.1 11.6 14.5 27.7 55.4 32.3 9.0 15.0 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 <2 330 380 <50 <50 2530 910 640 940

SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU 656575 656790 660215 658505 662355 669075 667900 663040 665340 665340 668560 667430 664640 670855 5114200 5114030 5116510 5120445 5125330 5127160 5128775 5120005 5120800 5120800 5121345 5135110 5137345 5139515 f. wacke f. wacke m. wacke slst f. wacke mdst m. wacke f. wacke slst slst m. wacke f. wacke f. wacke c. wacke <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 2.2 <0.3 0.3 <0.3 0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 5.38 6.16 5.17 8.55 7.43 5.58 5.14 5.34 9.48 10.10 5.85 6.01 5.91 5.01

1 2 1 3 2 3 1 1 4 4 2 2 2 <1 2 1 <1 1 2 3 4 2 3 5

<0.1 <0.5 <0.1 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.5 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.4 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.5 <0.5 0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 <0.1 <0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 <0.5

Average SBU SD SBU

AS100064

SCR

<0.5 <0.5 0.1 <0.5 0.2 <0.5 1.2 0.1 0.4 0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5

AS100065

SHAB 686115

AS100057 AS100058 661880 658720

OPBD 660385 OPBD 659115

AS100056 AS100059

OHL OHL

AS100060 AS100061

OKB 655825 OKB 664515

Mean + 2SD Mean + 4SD Mean + 8SD Mean + 16SD Sample Site No. AS100066 43 45 42 84 64 75 47 45 79 42 43 87 54 4 3 300 22 28 39 <0.3 120 182 0.6 106 9 0.06 0.12 <0.3 110 <0.3 139 10 20 127 222 208 46 81 116 127 <1 2 6 6 14 8 3 8 12 11 14 61 107 87 150 2310 3 2 3 3 0.9 0.9 1.6 0.8 35 30 114 51 62 63 31 5 67 54 1.2 0.4 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.7 2.99 3.41 3.10 6.41 4.12 1.61 3.01 5.41 6.40 7.81 1.8 11.20 1.7 3.62 2.1 6.95 2.3 5.46 9 11 12 90 19 <1 13 13 7 109 108 125 156 127 106 116 110 101 2 2 3 7 6 11 3 3 10 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.2 1.5 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.3 2.72 3.37 2.94 8.22 5.10 4.19 3.36 3.28 4.43 4 <5 6 <5 4 <5 4 629 6 <5 4 67 4 10 3 6 4 122 3 3 9 6 7 14 <5 <5 0.4 4.62 67 0.2 1.71 173 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 6 6 4 7 4 7 3 7 20 6 21 7 <5 <5 <5 8 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1

Element Ca Cd Ce Co Cr Cs Cu Eu Fe Ge Hf Hg Hg In Unit Symbol % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm % ppm ppm ppb ppm ppm Detection Limit 0.01 0.3 3 1 2 1 1 0.2 0.01 0.1 1 5 1 0.2 Analytical Method ICP-OES ICP-OES INAA INAA INAA INAA ICP-OES INAA INAA ICP-MS INAA FIMS INAA ICP-MS Bdrk Easting Northing Unit (NAD27) (NAD27) CSN 683660 5142940 1.15 <0.3 82 27 277 3 40 0.9 5.82 0.5 6 <5 <1 <0.2

143

AS100045 AS100046 AS100047 AS100048 AS100049 AS100050 AS100051 AS100052 AS100053 AS100053dupl AS100054 AS100055 AS100062 AS100063 3.92 3.69 678905 5.67 1.04 0.87 0.12 0.33 9.20 <0.3 49 0.3 75 5144610 5139545 5142540 5138450 5143145 5144340 5140875 5136135 18 <0.3 57.7 21 285.5 17.6 25.3 608.6

SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU 656575 656790 660215 658505 662355 669075 667900 663040 665340 665340 668560 667430 664640 670855 3.13 2.99 8.04 0.49 0.35 0.02 7.19 9.44 0.02 0.03 6.46 9.30 3.33 0.24 0.3 <0.3 <0.3 0.4 <0.3 <0.3 <0.3 0.3 <0.3 <0.3 0.3 0.4 <0.3 0.3 14 25 31 130 37 26 19 38 51 50 18 21 21 24 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.8 1.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 5114200 5114030 5116510 5120445 5125330 5127160 5128775 5120005 5120800 5120800 5121345 5135110 5137345 5139515

<0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2

Average SBU SD SBU

AS100064

SCR

<1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1

<0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2

AS100065

SHAB 686115

AS100057 AS100058 661880 658720

OPBD 660385 OPBD 659115

0.3 42 0.3 109

AS100056 AS100059

OHL OHL

AS100060 AS100061

OKB 655825 OKB 664515

Lu ppm 0.05
INAA ICP-OES ICP-OES ICP-OES INAA INAA MULT ICP-OES ICP-OES

Mean + 2SD Mean + 4SD Mean + 8SD Mean + 16SD Sample Site No. AS100066 0.40 0.38 0.48 0.43 0.65 0.57 0.61 0.43 0.42 0.61 0.37 0.35 0.65 0.38 2.39 2.96 1.56 81.4 0.47 56.9 0.55 73.2 0.75 3.57 55.8 2.41 41.6 <5 <5 2.56 47.4 3.14 58.9 30.2 0.91 41.3 0.74 63.4 0.66 56.9 0.77 2.49 2.19 2.30 1.39 0.05 1.62 0.29 514 264 1880 2120 818 1350 0.78 25000 1.96 1470 1.67 1.31 455 437 20 14 58 15 2.28 1.99 1.02 0.48 0.08 0.18 1.52 0.07 0.42 13 15 14 31 25 22 <5 15 31 3.00 1050 <1 1.06 52 172 0.045 12 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 1.67 32.5 0.90 11.2 0.69 28.9 1.29 19.6 1.94 23.3 3.70 45.0 47.0 0.49 11.9 0.11 35.7 0.40 25.1 23.1 37.0 15.0 26.6 28.7 27.7 49.1 35.8 48.6 27.4 26.7 51.3

Element Ir K La Li Unit Symbol ppb % ppm ppm Detection Limit 5 0.01 0.5 0.5 Analytical Method INAA ICP-OES INAA ICP/MS Bdrk Easting Northing Unit (NAD27) (NAD27) CSN 683660 5142940 <5 2.32 27.7 56.3 Mg % 0.01 Mn ppm 1 Mo ppm 1 Na Nd Ni % ppm ppm 0.01 5 1 P % 0.001 Pb ppm 3

144

AS100045 AS100046 AS100047 AS100048 AS100049 AS100050 AS100051 AS100052 AS100053 AS100053dupl AS100054 AS100055 AS100062 AS100063

SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU 656575 656790 660215 658505 662355 669075 667900 663040 665340 665340 668560 667430 664640 670855 1.05 1.62 1.12 2.80 1.77 2.59 1.35 1.17 3.49 3.65 1.39 1.41 1.89 0.03 38.8 47.1 38.4 47.2 66.2 36.5 33.3 44.9 70.5 67.2 52.9 48.0 31.1 58.0 1.32 1.83 1.79 0.80 1.77 0.65 1.86 1.90 0.92 0.95 1.99 2.53 1.63 12.10 418 439 680 211 217 143 693 933 197 197 607 812 551 776 <1 <1 <1 13 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 5114200 5114030 5116510 5120445 5125330 5127160 5128775 5120005 5120800 5120800 5121345 5135110 5137345 5139515

44 53 43 91 123 22 51 50 22 22 54 58 60 1040 1 0.88 21.2 132 3 0.80 13.5 274 <1 2.14 <1 2.63 <1 1.35 <1 0.13 2 0.62 2 0.28 4 0.65 <1 0.91 38 32 18 62 26 66 68 95 123 65 96 82 124 39 28 56

0.048 0.054 0.047 0.125 0.125 0.023 0.063 0.055 0.021 0.020 0.052 0.057 0.052 0.031 0.058 0.033 0.033 0.056 0.072 0.058 0.150 0.083 0.037 0.047

3 7 8 92 <3 10 7 5 17 20 14 8 11 <3 14 24 6 11 5 <3 68 8 6 6

Average SBU SD SBU 678905 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 5144610 5139545 5142540 5138450 5143145 5144340 5140875 5136135

AS100064

SCR

AS100065

SHAB 686115

AS100057 AS100058 661880 658720

OPBD 660385 OPBD 659115

AS100056 AS100059

OHL OHL

AS100060 AS100061

OKB 655825 OKB 664515

Rb ppm 15
INAA ICP-MS ICP-OES INAA INAA MULT INAA ICP-MS ICP-OES INAA INAA ICP-MS INAA

Mean + 2SD Mean + 4SD Mean + 8SD Mean + 16SD Sample Site No. AS100066 92 <15 <15 57 158 90 228 69 50 215 64 46 <15 <15 77 76 678905 <15 47 <0.001 <15 208 205 116 113 208 0.005 0.005 0.005 0.005 0.004 0.006 0.09 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.94 <0.01 0.001 0.02 5144610 5139545 5142540 5138450 5143145 5144340 5140875 5136135 0.2 0.7 1.9 2.1 22.7 1.2 0.8 2.7 0.007 0.009 0.31 0.80 1.7 2.7 14.3 4.5 11.1 21.9 23.8 34.7 1.7 4.6 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 0.4 1.4 1.8 0.3 11.1 <0.1 10.7 <0.1 11.6 <0.1 18.5 <0.1 4.5 4.8 5.4 3.7 6.1 2.2 4.9 4.0 5.9 7.6 15.4 <0.1 10.1 12.7 <0.1 6.8 19.6 <0.1 23.1 <0.1 6.8 8.8 <0.1 1.4 0.9 9.8 <0.1 1.2 0.3 0.4 4.4 10.3 <0.1 4.6 12.5 <0.1 4.9 11.1 <0.1 5.1 23.5 16.5 11.6 13.2 <0.1 8.3 20.7 <0.1 7.9 12.2 <0.1 5.3 11.7 4.4 5.1 19.4 <0.1 7.8 0.9 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 0.8 1.0 <0.5 1.1 2.1 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 1.2 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 0.7 <0.5 0.9 <0.5 <0.5 2 1 <1 1 <1 <1 3 2 4 <1 155 80 235 166 84 26 0.5 0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 1.7 99 <0.5 155 <0.5 0.5 0.4 <0.5 <0.5 1.0 <0.5 1.4 1.0 41 <0.5 <0.5 51 <0.5 <0.5 0.001 <0.01 0.7 23.1 <0.1 4.2 <1 120 <0.5 <0.5 0.1 9.6

Element Unit Symbol Detection Limit Analytical Method Bdrk Easting Northing Unit (NAD27) (NAD27) CSN 683660 5142940 Re ppm 0.001 S* % 0.01 Sb ppm 0.1 Sc ppm 0.1 Se Sm ppm ppm 0.1 0.1 Sn* ppm 1 Sr ppm 1 Ta ppm 0.5 Tb ppm 0.5 Te ppm 0.1 Th ppm 0.2

145

AS100045 AS100046 AS100047 AS100048 AS100049 AS100050 AS100051 AS100052 AS100053 AS100053dupl AS100054 AS100055 AS100062 AS100063

SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU 656575 656790 660215 658505 662355 669075 667900 663040 665340 665340 668560 667430 664640 670855 0.003 0.007 0.005 0.031 0.004 0.006 0.002 0.002 0.018 0.016 0.011 0.002 <0.001 <0.001 <0.01 0.02 <0.01 2.89 <0.01 0.02 0.06 <0.01 0.63 0.64 0.02 0.08 0.22 <0.01 <1 <1 1 3 1 4 1 <1 5 4 <1 <1 2 2 174 185 213 239 34 22 216 184 131 134 181 244 174 19 5114200 5114030 5116510 5120445 5125330 5127160 5128775 5120005 5120800 5120800 5121345 5135110 5137345 5139515

0.1 6.3 0.2 6.5 0.1 6.4 0.4 10.0 0.1 8.1 0.2 14.9 0.2 7.0 0.2 6.2 0.2 14.0 0.2 0.1 6.3 0.2 5.7 <0.1 9.2 <0.1 4.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 8.1 3.2 6.4 7.5 0.2 6.5 0.1 10.3 0.9 13.2 0.3 10.5 0.3 13.9 0.1 17.3

Average SBU SD SBU

AS100064

SCR

AS100065

SHAB 686115

AS100057 AS100058 661880 658720

OPBD 660385 OPBD 659115

AS100056 AS100059

OHL OHL

AS100060 AS100061

OKB 655825 OKB 664515

Mean + 2SD Mean + 4SD Mean + 8SD Mean + 16SD Sample Site No. AS100066 2.6 3.2 1.4 19.0 2.6 3.1 2.9 2.4 4.5 2.2 2.1 3.5 <0.5 3.8 4.7 <0.5 3.3 3.2 2.8 1.1 1.5 0.61 0.18 0.8 1.1 <0.5 3.6 4.9 3.2 15 126 96 91 78 85 148 82 81 58 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 2.0 2.2 3.5 1.8 17 5 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 20 20 28 13 40 18 18 24 2.6 0.7 2.5 3.0 3.2 4.7 5.1 3.9 4.9 4.9 28.0 24.7 26.0 23.0 69 29 57 90 93 108 73 62 85 108 29.4 27.2 25.2 26.9 28.7 24.0 26.8 23.4 322.6 A10-8658 301.0 A10-8658 309.9 A10-8658 303.6 A10-8658 306.8 A10-8658 309.1 A10-8658 334.6 A10-8658 303.2 A10-8658 3 <1 3 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 2.3 2.2 2.2 3.4 3.2 3.0 2.2 2.1 3.7 27.2 27.6 26.6 25.0 25.0 19.7 26.3 25.6 20.2

Element Ti Tl U V W Y* Yb Zn Mass Submitted Lab Unit Symbol % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm g Sample Report Detection Limit 0.01 0.1 0.5 2 1 1 0.2 1 Weight No. Analytical Method ICP-OES ICP-MS INAA ICP-OES INAA ICP-OES INAA MULT INAA g Bdrk Easting Northing Unit (NAD27) (NAD27) CSN 683660 5142940 0.17 0.5 3.3 64 <1 18 2.9 93 26.7 305.1 A10-8658

146

AS100045 AS100046 AS100047 AS100048 AS100049 AS100050 AS100051 AS100052 AS100053 AS100053dupl AS100054 AS100055 AS100062 AS100063 0.31 0.21 678905 0.08 0.34 0.30 0.29 0.40 0.39 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.2 5144610 5139545 5142540 5138450 5143145 5144340 5140875 5136135 0.5 0.4

SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU SBU 656575 656790 660215 658505 662355 669075 667900 663040 665340 665340 668560 667430 664640 670855 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.76 0.31 0.60 0.35 0.25 0.50 0.55 0.10 0.21 0.26 0.29 0.3 0.4 0.3 1.0 0.4 1.4 0.4 0.3 1.2 1.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 <0.1 25 36 26 213 83 165 77 56 117 122 29 52 54 113 13 14 15 26 26 6 16 17 19 22 17 17 20 13 43 54 48 137 123 64 51 53 88 87 54 69 54 63 5114200 5114030 5116510 5120445 5125330 5127160 5128775 5120005 5120800 5120800 5121345 5135110 5137345 5139515

309.6 A10-8658 306.8 A10-8658 324.9 A10-8658 304.4 A10-8658 326.7 A10-8658 300.9 A10-8658 296.9 A10-8658 316.7 A10-8658 308.4 A10-8658 A10-8658 319.8 A10-8658 300.0 A10-8658 308.2 A10-8658 304.8 A10-8658

Average SBU SD SBU

AS100064

SCR

AS100065

SHAB 686115

AS100057 AS100058 661880 658720

OPBD 660385 OPBD 659115

AS100056 AS100059

OHL OHL

AS100060 AS100061

OKB 655825 OKB 664515

Mineral Resource Report 2011-2 ISBN 978-1-55471-042-3 ISSN 0548-4014 Price $25.00