Program planned for Darnley Bay gravity anomaly

A newly formed junior company will explore the Darnley Bay gravity anomaly, on the Arctic coast, 250 miles east of Inuvik, N.W.T.

Darnley Bay Resources has secured the exclusive right to explore a land package covering the anomaly, which includes its own prospecting permits and ground held by the Inuvialuit, a native corporation.

Darnley Bay President Leon LaPrairie says the project “marks the first time that the Inuvialuit will have ownership and direct participation in a mineral resource project of this potential magnitude.”

Under an agreement with the Inuvialuit and the federal government, Darnley Bay plans to spend up to $8 million over four years.

The anomaly consists of a strong gravitational response, with a nearly coincident magnetic anomaly. It was discovered by government geologists in 1969, and has been described as “the strongest isolated gravity anomaly in North America.”

The source of the anomaly has been interpreted as a huge mafic or ultramafic intrusion, similar to those at Bushveld (in South Africa) and Ontario’s Sudbury Basin.