Mineralization in the Andrew, Waugh, and Johnson Lakes Area, Northeastern Alberta

Interesting new deposits of molybdenite and radioactive minerals have been found near Andrew, Waugh and Johnson Lakes in the Precambrian Shield of northeastern Alberta. These occurrences were noted and examined during a geological survey carried out by field parties of the Research Council of Alberta during 1957 and 1958 (Godfrey 1958a). A detailed and direct search for mineralization in the area mapped has not been carried out. Traverses spaced at one quarter of a mile intervals were made in the course of the geological mapping. On these traverses radioactivity was measured by a portable Geiger counter. The level of radioactivity was assessed using the following relative scale: -significant- when radioactivity is in the range of 2.5 to 4 times background , -high- when radioactivity is 4 to 5 times background, and -very high- when radioactivity is 6 times background or greater.

Radioactivity varies over the different rock types. For example, the counts over granite, granite gneiss, pegmatite and some metasedimentary rocks may be twice as high as those over some schists. Some of the minerals in the most recent discoveries were identified in the field and need confirmation. This area should be of interest to prospectors and mining exploration companies.