Quaternary geology of Howard’s Pass and applications to drift prospecting

The Quaternary geology of Howard’s Pass was studied by creating a 1:50 000-scale terrain inventory map and by examining the ice-flow history. Four stages of ice-flow occurred in Howard’s Pass during the late Wisconsinan. Ice growth from local cirques was followed by the development of an ice divide to the east. With continued ice sheet growth, the ice divide either migrated or a second divide grew to the southwest. Deglaciation occurred in two phases, with initial thinning before stagnation. This last phase of ice-flow is important for drift prospecting in the valley bottoms. Conversely, drift transport directions at higher elevation are controlled by earlier ice-flow stages. The potential of till and mobile-metal-ion geochemistry for drift prospecting in Howard’s Pass was examined by conducting a survey over a known deposit. Promising results from this survey support these methods as possible tools for future exploration in other areas of Howard’s Pass.