Manitoba Energy and Mines Geological Services Geological Report GR80-7 Surficial Geology of the Swan River Area By E. Nielsen Winnipeg, 1988 Energy and Mines Minerals Division Hon. Harold J. Neufeld Sobhararn Singh Minister Assistant Deputy Minister Charles S. Kang Geological Services Branch Deputy Minister W. David McRitchie Director Electronic Capture, 2004 The PDF file from which this document was printed was generated by scanning an original copy of the publication. Although the file has been proofread to correct errors resulting from the scanning process, users should still verify critical information in an original copy of the publication. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................. 1 METHODS OF INVESTIGATION .............................................................................. 1 PREVIOUS WORK ......................................................................................... 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... 1 BEDROCK GEOLOGY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY ........................................................................... 3 BEDROCK GEOLOGY ...................................................................................... 3 PHYSIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 4 DRAINAGE ................................................................................................ 4 QUATERNARY GEOLOGY 8 GENERAL STRATIGRAPHY .................................................................................. 8 Largs Formation ........................................................................................ 8 Tee Lakes Formation .................................................................................... 8 Shell Formation ......................................................................................... 8 Minnedosa Formation .................................................................................... 8 Zelena Formation ....................................................................................... 8 Arran Formation ........................................................................................ 8 Late glacial sediments ................................................................................... 8 Postglacial sediments .................................................................................... 9 GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY OF PHYSIOGRAPHIC AREAS ......................................................... 10 DUCK MOUNTAIN UPLAND .................................................................................. 10 Drift thickness .......................................................................................... 10 Till stratigraphy ......................................................................................... 10 Glacial features ......................................................................................... 11 Hummocky moraine .................................................................................. 11 Morainic ridges ...................................................................................... 13 Outwash and glaciolacustrine deposits................................................................ 13 Glacial spillways and buried channels................................................................. 18 Recent deposits ........................................................................................ 19 PORCUPINE HILLS UPLAND ................................................................................. 20 Drift thickness .......................................................................................... 20 Till stratigraphy ......................................................................................... 20 Glacial features ........................................................................................ 20 Hummocky moraine .................................................................................. 20 Morainic ridges ...................................................................................... 21 Outwash and glaciolacustrine deposits ................................................................... 22 Recent deposits ........................................................................................ 22 WESTLAKE PLAIN ......................................................................................... 23 Drift thickness .......................................................................................... 23 Till stratigraphy ......................................................................................... 23 Glacial features ......................................................................................... 23 Fluted till ........................................................................................... 23 Till plain ........................................................................................... 24 Deltas ............................................................................................. 24 Moraines ............................................................................ 24 Lacustrine sediments and abandoned beaches ............................................................... 27 Postglacial deposits ..................................................................................... 28 Alluvial fans ........................................................................................ 28 Sand dunes ........................................................................................ 30 Landslides ......................................................................................... 30 SWAN RIVER PLAIN ........................................................................................ 31 Drift thickness .......................................................................................... 31 Till stratigraphy ......................................................................................... 32 Glacial features ......................................................................................... 33 Till plain ........................................................................................... 33 Iceflow indicators ................................................................................... 33 Ice marginal features ................................................................................. 34 iii Page Outwash and glaciolacustrine deposits ................................................................... 34 Glaciolacustrine plains and abandoned beaches ........................................................... 35 Postglacial features ..................................................................................... 40 Alluvium ........................................................................................... 40 Sand dunes ........................................................................................ 43 QUATERNARY HISTORY ............................................................................................ PRE-LATE WISCONSINAN ................................................................................... LATE WISCONSINAN ....................................................................................... HOLOCENE ............................................................................................... REFERENCES ............................................................................................ FIGURES Figure 1: Location map and sampling sites ......................................................................... Figure 2: Bedrock geology ...................................................................................... Figure 3: "Kettle" concretion in the Swan River sandstone on the north side of Kettle Hills ................................... Figure 4: Pre-Quaternary stratigraphy of the Swan River area .......................................................... Figure 5: Dark grey shale and bentonite beds of the Favel Formation outcropping west of Birch River .......................... Figure 6: A Tertiary gravel clast derived from quartzite of the Rocky Mountains showing numerous percussion cones ............. Figure 7: Topography of the Swan River area ....................................................................... Figure 8: Physiographic regions and major topographic elements ....................................................... Figure 9: Correlation of Pleistocene formations (after Klassen 1979) ..................................................... Figure 10: Stratigraphy and carbonate content of the sediments from borehole DM31 south of Benito ........................... Figure 11: Grain size distribution and pebble composition of tills from sections on Duck Mountain with multiple tills ................ Figure 12: Zelena Till overlying Minnedosa Till along the Shell River (site 145) .............................................. Figure 13: Brown clay till (?) overlying sandy till at site 163. Deformation is due to ice stagnation and collapse .................... Figure 14: Zelena Till and interbedded gravel overlying flow till and gravel at site 168 ........................................ Figure 15: Stereopair showing hummocky stagnation moraine in