Barbara J. Tilley

B. Sc. Honours Thesis

Environmental Interpretation of the Upper 3C, the 4R, and the Lower 4E Member a of the Helikian-Aged Parry Bay Formation, Bathurst Inlet, N.W.T.

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A stromatolitic, clastic, dolomite-mudstone section, within the central portion of the Parry Bay Formation, Bathurst Inlet, N.W.T., is described. The section is divided into seven lithological units, each of which are described and interpreted using field and laboratory data. Laboratory data include rock slabs, thin sections, calcite staining, insoluble residues, wet chemical analyses, and x-ray diffraction.

Exclusive environmental interpretation is not possible, due to the lack of data, and the present knowledge of ancient stromatolites. Thus, several environments are discussed, with preference given to the one most easily fitting the data. The preferred environment is that of a shallow-sloping, tidal platform, with a northeast-southwest trending shoreline. A small regression is followed by gradual subsidence, at the edge of the platform, forming large stromatolitic bioherms.

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Pages: 130
Supervisors: F. H. A. Campbell