Volume 11, 1958 - The Arctic Circle - Home

VOL XI No.4
THE ARCTIC CIRCULAR
62
because the ice remained around the coasts later than usual and the
weather was very foggy, The area comprises a succession of
Proterozoic sedimentary rocks and includes some iron-formation.
It is expected that work in this region will be continued in 1959.
Fort Enterprise. The geological mapping of this area
was completed in 1958 by J .A, Fraser. The regioJ;l, 150 miles north
of Yellowknife, is one of low relief underlain for the most part by
granitic rocks of Precambrian age. The northern half is almost
devoid of trees but south and west of Winter Lake are sparse
stands of spruce. Field work was carried out between June 27
and August 23 and in this time the party saw little game. A cow
moose and two calves were sighted on July 10 southwest of Long
Legs Lake at least 10 miles from the nearest trees. On August 21
a cow moose was seen along Starvation River more than 30 miles
north of the trees. One caribou was seen on August 1 south of
Baldhead Lake and small groups of caribou numbering haU a dozen
Or less appeared in the area south of Point Lake On August 18.
Southern Baffin Island. RoG o Blackadar accompanied by
three assistants, S.!::!. Kranck, -!.:Q. Sund, and ~.K. Murphy left
Churchill for Cape Dorset on May 28 in a Dakota aircraft of Trans­
Air Ltd. The party was unable to reach Amadjuak on the south
coast, where a standard 4-mile reconnaissance map-area was to
be initiated, and during June carried out mapping between Cape
Dorset and Andrew Gordon Bay usinG dog teams and the services
of Cape Dorset natives. It was proposed to move to Amadjuak
following break-up but although the winter ice cleared from Dorset
Harbour on July 6, strong southeast winds soon brought pack ice
into the harbour and from July 17 to August 18 scarcely any open
water was to be seen. This belt of pack ice. held close against
the southwest coast of Baffin Island by unusually prolonged
southeast winds, extended east to Markham Bay and was reported
to be 50 miles in width. It twice prevented the C.G.S. C.D. Howe
from reaching Cape Dorset and not until August 22 was th.;'C.C:S:
Edward Cornwallis able to enter Dorset harbour and only On August 25
was it possible to discharge cargo with any ease. On August 18 a
Canso aircraft of Austin Airways. beached at Cape Dorset by the ice
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s inc e July 17, was able to take off and SoH. Kranck and J.O. Sund
returned to Ottawa via Moosonee. By August 30 the ice had cleared
entirely and Blackadar and Murphy proceeded to Amadjuak aboard
I
the Peterhead Aivik owned by Pootoeook. a leader of the Cape
Dorset community, who has since died, Geological mapping was
carried out between September 1 and 18. Unusually fine weather
prevailed during the first week of September although the latter part
was more typical with overca.st skies and frequent snow flurries.
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