Ontario Geological Survey (author)

A total of 1,855 ground gravity measurements were collected under contract during the winter of 2001 under the Timmins Collaborative Gravity Survey Project (TCGSP). This project was led by Placer Dome (CLA) Limited and also involved the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, Natural Resources Canada - Geomatics Canada and Explorers Alliance Corporation. The contract work was carried out by Abitibi Geophysics Inc. of Val d¿Or, Quebec.

The geology in the Timmins area has yielded very significant mineral deposits. Prospecting and geological mapping in regions such as this are often hampered by inaccessibility and extensive areas of thick glacial overburden. The value of gravity data in such areas has been recognized for some time and systematic coverage of these prospective areas has been ongoing in the Province of Ontario since 1970. The results of the surveys have been used to outline areas warranting detailed follow-up exploration, and have proved an effective aid to geological mapping and structural interpretations.

These systematic detailed gravity surveys have helped to constrain the deeper geological and geophysical characteristics of the Precambrian Shield of Ontario. Gravity interpretation and modelling have constrained the third dimension of the metavolcanic-metasedimentary belts, and have contributed to a better understanding of their evolution and associated mineral deposits.

This data is to accompany Geophysical/Geochemical Series Maps 81670 and 81671.

The purpose of the survey was to establish a regional gravity data set in order to facilitate the interpretation of deep, large-scale structures that could shed new light on the geology of the Timmins area.