Schetselaar, Ernst 
  
  
2 GEOLOGICAL CONTEXT 
The study area is located near the southeastern coastal region of Baffin Island, Nunavut on the Meta 
Ingognitia Peninsula (figure 1). The area has been recently surveyed at 1:100,000 scale by Quaternary 
(Hodgson 1997) and bedrock (St-onge et al. 1996a, 1996b) geologic mapping by the Geological Survey 
of Canada. Extensive well exposed (> 80% of total area) bedrock zones are characteristic of this area. 
Vegetation is confined to low lying shrubs, arctic grasses, moss and lichen cover. These more vegetated 
zones are typically located along river valleys, adjacent to lakes and coastlines. Quaternary studies 
suggest that the area has been extensively glaciated with many localized ice flow domains resulting in 
deposition of minor till cover in the study area. 
Figure-1: Study area, roughly 60 x 60 km, in the arctic of Nunavut, Canada. Stippled pattern on detailed map 
indicates unconsolidated quaternary cover, white indicates lakes, coloured (Blues, Reds and greens) areas 
underlain by supracrustals of Level-3 Lake Harbour Group Markham Bay sequence (Hanging wall cover 
rocks). Grays indicate regions underlain by Level-2 Orthogneisses. 
  
  
  
  
  
Topographic variation is from near sea level in the south to 800 meters in the central study area. A 
network of incised drainage valleys cut the area in roughly north-south direction (Figure 2). Much of 
the structural fabric in the region is characterized by northeast dipping gneissosities in orthogneisses 
and foliation/bedding fabric in supracrustal rocks. This contributes to the regional northwest-southeast 
grain to the landscape with numerous northeast dip slopes. 
Figure-2: Digital Elevation Model of the study area. Elevation ranges from « 200 meters (Browns 
and tans) to 800 meters (Light to dark greens). Note northeast dip-slopes in top right of image. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
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International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part B7. Amsterdam 2000.