The 2024 field trip focused on the geological setting and mineralization of the Western White Bay region in Newfoundland. It was led by Hamish Sandeman and Alana Hinchey of the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador, both of which possess extensive knowledge of the area. The White Bay region has a long history of geological investigation and mineral exploration by many geologists, including Alexander Murray, Newfoundland’s pioneering geologist, and his successor, James P. Howley, and is also the site of the short-lived Browning mine, the first gold mining venture and gold mine in Newfoundland. The trip included a segment on surficial sampling for mineral exploration by Sarah Hashmi. It was the third field trip to be organized in the area by GAC-NL, with the first one occurring in 1987 and led by John Tuach, followed by one in 2004 led by Andrew Kerr, Ian Knight, and Shirley McCuaig.

The faults and associated subsidiaries must have been active after Ordovician accretion to form Late Silurian to Middle Devonian vein-hosted gold mineralization in the region (Dubé et al., 1995; Poulsen et al., 2000; Minette et al., 2010, 2012; Sandeman et al., 2022). Southwards, all of these fault systems merge with the Baie Verte–Brompton Line (Figure 1; Waldron and van Staal, 2001). You can find more details about the geology of the region here:

You can learn more about the geology of the region by downloading the 2024 White Bay field trip guide here:

And so on September 12th 2024, a bunch of happy geologists composed of students and professionals drove the 7h drive from St John’s to Pollards Point to see and talk about some rocks for 4 days and to have a grand old time while experiencing first hand the beautiful region of White Bay. During our visit we were comfortably lodged at the Riversea Motel and Lounge where the owners Rob and Lorraine took great care of us, providing us with food and a great place to meet and greet.

The White Bay area occurs at the eastern margin of the exposed Grenvillian basement of the Long Range Inlier (Humber Zone) and the western margin of the Dashwoods terrane in northwestern Newfoundland (see rectangle on figure where it says Fig 2). The region is transected by three major north south-trending, steeply dipping fault systems termed the Cabot, Birchy Ridge and Doucers Valley faults (Smyth and Schillereff 1982; Tuach, 1987). These faults are long-lived structures that may have formed as extensional faults during Ediacaran opening of the Taconic Seaway and were characterized by episodic, strike-slip and dip-slip motion throughout their protracted histories (Smyth and Schillereff 1982; Tuach 1987; Hyde et al. 1988).

Said bunch of happy geos

Below are some photos taken during the field trip