Moose River Basin Research Articles

Silurian conodont biostratigraphy and carbon (δ13Ccarb) isotope stratigraphy of the Victor Mine (V-03-270-AH) core in the Moose River Basin

The Moose River Basin in Ontario, Canada, contains nearly 1 km of Silurian marine strata, and although it has been studied for more than a century, its precise correlation globally has not been constrained. Herein, a core from the Victor Mine in the Moose River Basin was examined for conodont biostratigraphy and carbonate carbon (δ13Ccarb) isotope chemostratigraphy to provide a detailed chronostratigraphic framework for the Silurian strata (Severn River, Ekwan River, and Attawapiskat formations) in the Moose River Basin. The recovery of Aspelundia expansa, Aspelundia fluegeli fluegeli, Distomodus staurognathoides, Ozarkodina polinclinata estonica, Pterospathodus eopennatus, and Aulacognathus bullatus, as well as the lower Aeronian, upper Aeronian, lower Telychian (Valgu), and ascending limb of the Sheinwoodian (Ireviken) positive carbonate carbon (δ13Ccarb) isotope excursions provide significantly improved chronostratigraphic correlation of Llandovery strata in the Moose River Basin.

Development of an adaptive monitoring framework for long-term programs: An example using indicators of fish health.

Detecting unwanted changes associated with localized human activities in aquatic ecosystems requires defining the value of an indicator expected at a site in the absence of development. Ideally, adequate and comparable baseline data will be collected at an exposure location before that development, but this is rarely done. Instead, comparisons are made using various designs to overcome the inadequate or missing baseline data. Commonly these comparisons are done over short periods, using information from local reference sites to estimate variability expected at the exposed site. Results of these truncated designs are often evaluated using p values that may have little bearing on ecologically relevant changes. To remedy the reliance of studies on small datasets collected at reference sites, other designs emphasize regional analyses, but these may be insensitive to site-specific changes. Some designs also may forego discussing the consequences of detecting any differences. A new monitoring framework has been proposed to use existing solutions, simplify analysis, and focus on the detection of meaningful changes. It is illustrated here by using data on fish health from a large-scale, long-term program in the Moose River basin in northern Ontario. This framework advocates interpretation of data at multiple scales: within-site, locally, and regionally. The primary focus is on estimating a range from a probability distribution of historical data collected at a specific location where 95% of future observations are predicted to occur. Changes at the exposed site are also compared with historical and contemporary expectations from proximate and regional reference sites. Critical effect sizes also can be derived from regional reference data to evaluate the magnitude of differences observed between any 2 sites. Any unexpected changes inform future monitoring decisions provided by a priori guidance. Adoption of this framework extends the utility of monitoring programs in which commitments to long-term collections have been made, advocates harmonization of studies over time and space, and focuses attention on unusual observations.

Paleoecology of Organic Deposits of Probable Last Interglacial Age in Northern Ontario

Nonglacial deposits in northern Ontario that may date to the last interglacial interval are well known from the Hudson Bay Lowlands where they have been described in sections along several river valleys. Soil horizons, peat beds and other organic sediment sequences comprise the Missinaibi Formation of the Moose River Basin studied for pollen and macrofossils. Results suggest that the climate was as warm or warmer than present, and spruce woodlands prevailed among broad expanses of bog and fen. The Beaver River peat records conditions similar to the present in the Fort Severn area with open spruce woodlands dispersed in peatlands. South of the Lowlands in the Timmins area, a widespread organic-silt horizon termed the Owl Creek beds is stratigraphically equivalent to the Missinaibi Formation. The waning phase of a warm interval is represented, with early climate possibly similar to the present and the later climate much cooler. Correlation of the Missinaibi Formation with substage 5e of the deep-sea oxygen isotope record is corroborated by amino acid results on marine shells from some associated units. Analysis of shells from beneath the Beaver River peat bed indicate that this interval may be considerably younger, possibly substage 5c or, more likely, 5a. The Owl Creek beds may relate to sub-stage 5e, or to one of the younger intervals, 5c or 5a.

REEF-DWELLING GYPIDULOID BRACHIOPODS IN THE LOWER SILURIAN ATTAWAPISKAT FORMATION, HUDSON BAY REGION

Gypidula was a common pentameride brachiopod in the Silurian and Devonian periods and its oldest-known form, Gypidula akimiskiformis new species, occurs as a common component of a distinct Gypidula Association of the rich and diverse reef-dwelling brachiopod fauna in the Lower Silurian (upper Telychian) Attawapiskat Formation of the Hudson Bay Basin. This pioneer species has a high degree of morphological plasticity, with several infraspecific variations significant for the study of gypiduloid taxonomy and early evolution: 1) the sparsely costate shells may have strong to faint medial ribs, with some shells being quasi-smooth and 2) the inner hinge plates are commonly basomedially inclined toward the dorsal valve floor (not united to form a cruralium), but may also be subparallel or slightly basolaterally divergent toward the valve floor (similar to those in Clorinda). This implies that the basomedially inclined inner hinge plates were not a stable character at the initial stage of evolution of Gypidula during the late Telychian. Another gypiduloid from the Attawapiskat Formation, Erilevigatella euthylomatanew genus and species, is characterized by a shell lacking fold or sulcus but having Clorinda-type, basolaterally divergent inner hinge plates and double-flanged crura. Compared to Levigatella, which has been regarded as an intermediate between Clorinda and Gypidula because of its Gypidula-type dorsal sulcus and Clorinda-type inner hinge plates, the rectimarginate shells of Erilevigatella make the distinction between Clorinda and Gypidula even more blurred at the early stage of their evolution. features of the Attawapiskat gypiduloids and to explore their implications for the classification, early evolution, and paleo- ecology of the superfamily Gypiduloidea. STRATIGRAPHIC SETTING From the Late Ordovician to Late Devonian, the Hudson Bay Basin was a large intracratonic basin, with a predominantly car- bonate depositional environment over an area of nearly one mil- lion square kilometers. It is separated from the Michigan Basin to the south by the Fraserdale Arch and from the Williston Basin to the southwest by the Severn Arch. The Hudson Bay Basin (sensu lato) comprises the basin proper and a considerably smaller Moose River Basin at its southern end, with the two sub-basins separated by the Cape Henrietta Maria Arch, which is marked today by the Precambrian inliers in the Sutton Ridges area (Fig. 1). The Lower Silurian succession of the Hudson Bay region con- sists of three formations of carbonates, with the Severn River, Ekwan River, and Attawapiskat Formations spanning the upper Rhuddanian-uppermost Telychian (possibly extending to the low- ermost Wenlock) interval (Fig. 2).

CONODONTS OF THE WILLIAMS ISLAND AND LONG RAPIDS FORMATIONS (UPPER DEVONIAN, FRASNIAN-FAMENNIAN) OF THE ONAKAWANA B DRILLHOLE, MOOSE RIVER BASIN, NORTHERN ONTARIO, WITH A REVISION OF LOWER FAMENNIAN SPECIES

The upper part of cores of the Onakawana B Drillhole in the Moose River Basin in northern Ontario includes the upper part of the upper member of the Williams Island Formation (22.5 m, 16 samples), and the entire overlying Long Rapids Formation (75.1 m, 49 samples). The sequence of conodonts from the drillhole was analyzed by graphic correlation as well as conventional zonation.The upper carbonate member of the Williams Island Formation correlates with lower Frasnian zones 2 to 5. Below this, mixed Frasnian and Famennian conodont faunas occur partly in a brecciated interval within the member and represent stratigraphic leak below the Frasnian. The lower member of the Long Rapids Formation correlates in its lowest part with Zone 5, followed by a hiatus of zones 6 to 8. This is succeeded by zones 9 and 10. Zone 11 is missing, followed by an interval that correlates with upper Frasnian zones 12 and 13 to within the lower Famennian Middle triangularis Zone. The Frasnian-Famennian boundary occurs within a narrow interval in the lower member. The Upper triangularis Zone and perhaps part of the Middle triangularis Zone are missing.The middle member of the Long Rapids Formation correlates with the Lower to Uppermost crepida zones. A sequence from high in the rhomboidea Zone to within the Lower marginifera to perhaps slightly into the Upper marginifera Zone occurs in the upper member of the formation.Sixteen species are described, of which seven are new: Palmatolepis angularis, P. angusta, P. mystica, P. nodosa, P. parva, Palmatolepis n. sp. A, and Mehlina? unica. Two species that affect definition and identification of the Frasnian-Famennian boundary, P. triangularis and P. ultima (=P. praetriangularis), are revised.

Oxidative stress and bioindicators of reproductive function in pulp and paper mill effluent exposed white sucker.

This study investigates oxidative stress and bioindicators of reproductive function in wild white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) collected from environments receiving pulp and paper mill effluent discharges in northern Ontario. Samples were collected over an eight-year period adjacent to three pulp and paper mills using a variety of processing and bleaching techniques. Fish collected downstream of pulp and paper mills within the Moose River basin exhibited elevated hepatic and gonadal 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the presence of which is indicative of oxidative stress in these tissues. Within the Jackfish Bay system, exposure to pulp and paper mill effluent did not elevate hepatic or gonadal TBARS. Hepatic cytochrome P4501A activity (CYP1A) and fatty acyl-CoA oxidase (FAO) activities were frequently increased in livers of Moose River basin fish exposed to pulp and paper mill effluent, while lower activities of both enzymes were found within fish from the Jackfish Bay system. This suggests that oxidative stress may be related to CYP1A and FAO activities. Within the Moose River system, increases in measures of oxidative stress (TBARS, FAO) were generally coincident with decreased levels of 17 beta-estradiol; however, testosterone was often lower in Jackfish Bay system fish without any commensurate changes in oxidative stress. The suite of reproductive and oxidative stress parameters measured in this study varied between seasons and mills suggesting responses to effluent are dynamic and effects are complicated by different receiving environments. The relationship between gonad size, gonadal oxidative stress, and circulating plasma steroids remains unclear.

Precipitation data quality and long‐term water balances within the Moose River Basin, east‐central Canada

Annual water balance time series (precipitation, runoff, evaporation) for sub‐basins in the southern portion of the Moose River Basin (MRB) of northeastern Ontario and western Quebec previously suggested that both annual evaporation and precipitation increased by ∼2 mm y−1 during the 1918 ‐1994 period. However, summer air temperature data were not consistent with evaporation increases of that magnitude. Suspected inhomogeneities (i.e., non‐climatic steps or trends associated with changes in measurement procedure or site exposure) in precipitation records for the MRB region indicated significant underestimation of annual precipitation prior to 1950. Temporal trends in rehabilitated precipitation datasets obtained from the Meteorological Service of Canada revealed that annual precipitation was essentially constant during the 1918 ‐ 1994 period in the MRB, after several inhomogeneities were accounted for. This contradicts previously reported increases in precipitation for the region, and results indicate that stream/low time series from large river basins can assist assessment of the validity of apparent precipitation trends. Although there were no trends in long‐term annual precipitation and runoff records, preliminary analyses revealed trends at the seasonal scale. In particular, decreased annual snowfall was offset by increased annual rainfall, which is broadly consistent with predicted impacts of climate warming. Annual evaporation appears to have been relatively constant in the southern MRB during the 1918 – 1994 period, despite changes in the partitioning of precipitation between rain and snow and the seasonal timing of precipitation, and slight increases in summer daytime air temperatures.

Evidence for an Albian Hudson arm connection between the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America and the Labrador Sea

Numerous researchers have alluded to the existence of a Cretaceous Hudson Arm connection between the Labrador Sea and the Western Interior Seaway of North America. However, the evidence for this marine connection has been circumstantial. In this paper we present sedimentary geochemical data that indicate a marine influence in the Albian Mattagami Formation of the Moose River basin, James Bay Lowlands, Ontario. The facies associations between dinoflagellate-bearing laminated mudstones, fluvial sandstones, and early pyrite mineralization are interpreted to indicate deposition in the central basin of an estuary. We use the facies association between the estuarine fill and coeval kaolinitic paleosols in the Moose River basin, and in similar deposits in Quebec and Labrador, to reconstruct a southern shoreline of the Albian Hudson Arm to the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. We suggest that development of the Hudson Arm connection between the Labrador Sea and the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway may be related to a regional extensional regime associated with rifting between Labrador and Greenland, and the passage of eastern North America over Cretaceous hotspots.

Cretaceous fluvial strata in the Moose River Basin of Ontario, Canada, as a source of kaolin for paper and ceramic industries

Poorly consolidated kaolin-bearing fluvial strata of the Cretaceous Mattagami Formation, underlie 7000 km 2 of the Moose River Basin of Northern Ontario. Analysis of core and logs from 95 closely spaced holes from a 1.8×1.8-km block of claims in Kipling Township confirm that the sequence is a product of deposition from low gradient anastomosed rivers in which bank stability was maintained by dense vegetation. Statistical analysis indicates a close correlation of both modal grain size and depositional facies, with chemical and physical properties. Kaolin content is highest in grey (average 60%) and light brown to white mudrocks (56%) of distal flood plain facies which were subject to a fluctuating water table. Illite content is higher in grey, black and dark brown mudrocks (ball clays) which accumulated in areas of the floodplain with more stable seasonal water levels. Medium to fine sands of levee origin contain about 14% kaolin. Channel sands and gravels, have the lowest concentration of kaolin (9%), produced by in situ diagenetic alteration of feldspars by acidic oxygenated ground water in a tropical to sub-tropical climatic setting. The high reflectance of kaolin in the channel facies makes it highly suitable as a filler in the production of fine paper. The claim block examined contains the only known area in the Moose River Basin which is underlain by kaolin bearing strata, which is both near to an existing road and more than 120 m away from a major river, and has an overburden thickness of less than 30 m. Based on these constraints, the southeast part of the claim block is estimated to contain about 73 million tonnes of surface minable kaolinitic ore within about 57 m of the surface, with a stripping ratio of 0.5:1. The ore contains about 19 million tonnes of kaolin of which 5.5 Mt is suitable for use as filler in the paper industry, while the remaining 13.3 Mt could be utilized in the production of ball clays. While the ultimate scientific reserves in the basin may be in the order of 7.9×10 11 tonnes, most of this is too deeply buried and inaccessible to be extracted at this time.

Sustainability and Historical Injustice: Lessons from the Moose River Basin

Our paper examines the role of distributive justice in the pursuit of sustainable development. One goal of the paper is to challenge the assumption that sustainability is an exclusively forward looking idea. The tool of analysis is a case study of a proposed hydro electric development on the Mattagami River in Northern Ontario. We look at the conflicts the project has generated as arising in large measure from historical injustices inflicted on aboriginal project stakeholders. Two principles of distributive justice are identified and then used to evaluate three proposals for resolving those conflicts advanced by the principal stakeholders, Ontario Hydro, the First Nations affected and the provincial government. We conclude that sustainability has moral structure, and go on to evaluate the distributive justice dimension of that structure and its implications for sustainable resource development.

Aboriginal Harvesting in the Moose River Basin: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis

Les territoires traditionnels de chasse et de trappe des Cris dans les régions méridionales du bassin de Moose River ont été infiltrés au début du XXe siècle, par les colons euro‐canadiens et l'exploitation des ressources qui s'est ensuivie, avec l'encouragement actif du gouvernement provincial. Après la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, ces tendances se sont également propagées au nord du bassin. Selon de nombreux contemporains, l'économie basée sur la chasse et la trappe des Cris s'était désintégrée face à la concurrence des Euro‐Canadiens et l'appât du travail rémunéré et de la vie villageoise. Cependant, de récentes études sur le terrain démontrent l'importance continue et la viabilité de l'économie autochtone traditionnelle du bassin de Moose River.The traditional hunting and trapping territories of the Cree in the southern reaches of the Moose River Basin were infiltrated by Euro‐Canadian settlement and resource‐based development early in the 20th century, with the active encouragement of the provincial government. After the Second World War, these trends were also evident in the northern part of the Basin. Many contemporaries believed that the Cree hunting and trapping economy had disintegrated in the face of Euro‐Canadian competition and the lure of wage labour and village life. However, recent field studies document the continuing importance and viability of the traditional aboriginal economy of the Moose River Basin.

Distribution of mitochondrial DNA variation in lake sturgeon (Adpenser fulvescens) from the Moose River basin, Ontario, Canada

We analysed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation of lake sturgeon (Adpenser fulvescens) from the Moose River basin. Our objective was to address various proximate and ultimate factors which may influence the distribution of lake sturgeon mtDNA haplotype lineages in this watershed. The lake sturgeon sampled were characterized by only two mtDNA hapiotypes based on a restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with 40 restriction endonucleases and direct sequencing of 275 nucleotides in the mtDNA control region. We detected no heterogeneity in the mtDNA haplotype frequencies of lake sturgeon captured from different sites within rivers including those separated by major hydroelectric installations. However, lake sturgeon from one tributary had significantly different haplotype frequencies than those from other tributaries suggesting that they composed a discrete genetic stock. These results suggest that gene flow among most sites is significant and is an important factor affecting the distribution of mtDNA variation in this species. The genetic structuring and diversity are discussed in relation to lake sturgeon management and conservation.

Distribution of mitochondrial DNA variation in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) from the Moose River basin, Ontario, Canada

Distribution of mitochondrial DNA variation in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) from the Moose River basin, Ontario, Canada

The Long Rapids Formation: an Upper Devonian black shale in the Moose River Basin, northern Ontario

The Long Rapids Formation, a sequence of interbedded black shales, green–grey mudstones, and carbonates in the Moose River Basin of northern Ontario, is Late Devonian in age and has counterpart equivalents in the Michigan, Appalachian, and Illinois basins. The Long Rapids Formation has a maximum known thickness of 85 m and can be divided into three informal members. Based on conodont studies, the formation spans the Frasnian–Famennian age boundary.The Long Rapids Formation is an organic-rich, laminated, marine black-shale sequence interbedded with green–grey mudstones and concretionary carbonate interbeds and nodules. The environment of deposition was principally reducing, allowing for preservation of large amounts of organic matter both originating in the overlying water column and derived from terrestrial sources. The depositional basin was stratified, and anoxic bottom waters and oxic surface waters were separated by a pycnocline. The position of the pycnocline (or the absence of it) dictated the type of sediment facies deposited.The Moose River Basin in the Late Devonian was located on the Laurasian Continent, proximal to the equator, in an area where tropical weather conditions prevailed. Conditions were warm and wet along the Appalachian highlands, and farther inland they were warm and dry as a result of the rain-shadow effect. The black shales in the Long Rapids Formation represent a period of transgression of the large epicontinental Catskill Sea, and the green–grey mudstones and carbonates represent periods of minor eustatic or tectonic perturbations.Dark-coloured, organic-rich shale facies (sometimes with abundant bioturbation) are succeeded by lighter coloured shale or mudstone facies and carbonate facies in a repetitive fashion. The facies sequences appear to represent a three-part sedimentary package, or "rhythm", that is very common in the lower two members of the Long Rapids Formation. Bioturbation and total organic carbon content are less in the green–grey shales or mudstones, as well as in the carbonate facies, than in the darker shale facies.

Geochemistry of two Cretaceous coal-bearing sequences: James Bay lowlands, northern Ontario, and Peace River basin, northeast British Columbia

Cretaceous coal-bearing sequences from the Moose River basin in northern Ontario and the Peace River basin in northeast British Columbia were analysed for trace- and major-element contents. Modes of occurrence of the trace elements are proposed on the basis of Pearson correlation coefficients and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis.The Moose River basin lignite was deposited in an alluvial floodplain environment, and the restricted mineralogy, dominated by quartz and kaolinite, reflects derivation from a highly weathered terrain. The bituminous coal from the Peace River basin was deposited in an alluvial to deltaic environment, with a dominant mineralogy including quartz, illite, kaolinite, mixed-layer clays, carbonates, barite, feldspar, and pyrite.Trace-element contents in both deposits are comparable to the average concentration in United States coals. Modes of occurrence of trace elements in the coals are extremely variable and depend on local conditions both during deposition and subsequently. Association with the organic matter is the most common mode of occurrence of trace elements in the Moose River basin lignites, whereas clay minerals are important trace-element sites in the Peace River basin coal.Factors including coal rank, clay mineralogy, nature of the surrounding rocks, and composition of the groundwaters appear to have important influences on the concentrations of the trace elements and their siting in the coals.

Fish species distribution in relation to water quality gradients in the North Branch of the Moose River Basin

The distribution of fish species in the North Branch of the Moose River (Lake Rondaxe to headwaters of Big Moose Lake) was determined by intensive netting and electrofishing surveys of lakes and streams in the watershed during 1982–83. A chronology of changes in fish species occurrence in the drainage system was reconstructed from earlier published surveys conducted in 1882 and 1931 and unpublished survey data obtained by the NYSDEC during the period 1948–1975. Native species present in 1882 were also collected in 1931. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) were introduced in the early 1900's and were present in collections made in 1931. Major changes in the fish community have taken place since 1931. The smallmouth bass and many of the native species found in the earlier surveys were either absent or restricted in occurrence to downstream sites (eg. L. Rondaxe and Moss L. sub-drainage) in 1982. Non-native species introduced after 1931 (yellow perch,Perca flavescens; central mudminnow,Umbra limi; banded killifish,Fundulus diaphanus) are currently widely distributed throughout the drainage system. In particular, the yellow perch is now a dominant species in the larger lakes of the basin. Comparisons of survival rates for caged fish transferred from high to low pH sites in the Big Moose drainage system demonstrated relatively greater acid tolerane of non-native species (yellow perch, mudminnow, killifish) than native cyprinids. Watershed acidity gradients (pH and aluminum concentrations) and relative physiological acid tolerance are major determinants of currently observed fish species distribution patterns in the North Branch of the Moose River. Differences in age and size structure of fish populations inhabiting acidic and non-acidic lakes of the drainage system were apparent, but difficult to interpret without additional information onpopulation size and potential density dependent parameters such as age specific growth and survival rates. Differential hatching success was observed for yellow perch eggs reciprocally transferred between acid (Big Moose) and neutral (Moss L.) lakes. Eggs transferred from Moss L. to Big Moose L. exhibited poor hatching success as a result of alterations in egg membrane structure that inhibited normal egg expansion and the hatching process. This effect was not evident in eggs from the same parents reared in Moss Lake nor in eggs from the Big Moose parents reared in both lakes. These experimental observations suggested possible genetic adaptation to acid stress by the yellow perch population inhabiting Big Moose Lake.

Organochlorine Contaminants in Headwater Peatlands, and Selected Estuary Sites of the Moose River

Abstract Peatland waters of the Moose River basin, as well as surficial sediments and vascular plants of the estuary were sampled in 1982. Elevated levels of PCBs were found at all five peatland sites; concentrations ranged from 28 to 65 ng/L. Of the seventeen organochlorine pesticides investigated, the hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (a-and y-BHC) were the most prominent with total BHC concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 13.7 ng/L. The presence of these contaminants in ombrotrophic bogs indicated that there was atmospheric deposition of organochlorine contaminants in the basin. Analyses of surficial sediments, collected from tidal flats and coastal marshes, showed that PCBs and organochlorine pesticides were not present. Samples of Triglochin maritima L. seed heads and Typha latifolia L. roots were also free of PCBs.

Precambrian Shield and Basement Tectonics in Sedimentary Basin Analysis: ABSTRACT

This study focused on the use of (1) regional structural analysis of basement and Precambrian rocks surrounding a sedimentary basin, and (2) tracing basement structures into the sedimentary basin. A large-scale regional study (supported by the Geological Survey of Canada) was carried out in Ontario and parts of Manitoba and Quebec using Landsat imagery analysis as a geologic mapping tool. One hundred Landsat images at a scale of 1:500,000 covering the greater parts of the Archean Superior-Proterozoic, Churchill, Grenville, and Keeweenawan plates and the Paleozoic Hudson's Bay and Williston platforms were analyzed for geologic structure and lithology with the following techniques: (1) Detailed lineament mapping using visual analysis of multiseasonal and multispectral imagery. In particular, low sun illumination and light snow covered scenes permit delineation of subtle structures in heavy forest cover, and burned and glaciated terrains. (2) Using published geologic maps as a base, the integration and correlation of the lineament data with aeromagnetic and gravity trends. Within the complexly deformed and reworked Precambrian shield, such analysis permits reconstruction of the outcrop pattern and delineation of major fold, fault, dyke, and other intrusive structures. The structural analysis of the Precambrian shield has a fundamental bearing on interpretation of overlying sedimentary cover rocks. This is expressed in the southern part of the Hudson's Bay basin and its southeastern arm, the Moose River basin. For instance, the rims of both basins are controlled by faults or graben structures. Approximately 13 major fault systems with strike lengths of 200-300 km (125-186 mi) or more can be traced from the exposed Precambrian shield into the basin in terms of lineament arrays and/or aeromagnetic and/or gravity signature. The data suggest reactivation of faults during basin sedimentation. This type of basement structural analysis in areas adjacent to sedimentary basins can provide a valuable interpretation base for subsequent seismic surveys and basin evaluation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 535------------

Palynological evidence for recycling of Upper Devonian into Lower Cretaceous of the Moose River Basin, James Bay Lowland, Ontario

Cored drill hole on a high electromagnetic conductivity anomaly near the Onakawana lignite field penetrated 50.3 m of Pleistocene, Cretaceous, and Devonian strata. Spore–pollen floras from the Cretaceous interval indicate an early middle Albian age and a correlation with the lower part of the Mattagami Formation. Spores, acritarchs, and tasmanitids from the Devonian interval indicate that the upper part of the Long Rapids Formation is marine and is Frasnian–Famennian in age. Multiple recycling events are documented between the Devonian and Cretaceous and between the Cretaceous and Pleistocene, provenances being local near the margins of the basin.

A Late Pleistocene plant-bearing deposit in Currie Township, near Matheson, Ontario

Two overburden test holes drilled to bedrock in Currie Township, southwest of Matheson, Ontario, penetrated stratified beds containing fossil plant detritus resting on an oxidized substrate, which are between two till sheets underlying glacial Lake Ojibway-Barlow varved clays. The fossil plants, chiefly mosses, represent an environment that is common in the region today, and are radiocarbon dated (GSC-2148) as older than 37000 years. The interglacial deposit is tentatively correlated with the Missinaibi Formation in the Moose River basin of the James Bay lowlands, probably of Sangamon age.