Geologic and Geomorphologic survey of coastal islands of

the Tawich National (Marine) Conservation Area, Eastern James Bay

(2009)

Prepared for Parks Canada December 2009

George McCourt1, Youcef Larbi2, Henry Stewart3

1McGill School of Environment, Rowles House, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue (QC) Email: george.mccourt@mcgill.ca 2Cree Mineral Exploration Board 16 Beaver Road, Wemindji, (QC) Email: laryou@creenet.com 3Wemindji, (QC) Email: hg.stewart@hotmail.com

Introduction This report will present the results of a brief geologic and geomorphologic survey of a number of the coastal islands that are part of the proposed Tawich National (Marine) Conservation Area, eastern James Bay. This island survey, which was carried out between July 27th and August 1st, 2009, was done primarily by using chartered helicopter. Additional island survey information was obtained by boat. Because of time constraints the survey focused on the coastal islands situated between the Cree community of Wemindji to the north and the Cape Hope Islands to the south. Fifteen islands within the conservation area were surveyed. These included the Cape Hope Islands (Figure 1), the outer Old Factory Islands, Weston Island, the Solomon’s Temple Islands, and the Paint Hills Islands. This report also contains a brief discussion on the hydrocarbon and mineral resource potential of the surveyed area. The information presented in this report will hopefully augment information being gathered by Parks Canada and the Wemindji-McGill Protected Areas Project within the study area for the proposed Tawich National Marine Conservation Area in eastern James Bay (See MAP 1). The Tawich Protected Area is part of the Paakumshumwaau-Wemindji Protected Area Project, which aims to create a culturally appropriate, integrated marine and terrestrial protected area in the Old Factory (Paakumshumwaau) and Poplar River (Maatuskaau) watersheds and the adjacent extended offshore area. (Mulrennan et al, 2009)

Figure 1: Wiipichiinikw (Cape Hope Island), north side (from Mulrennan et al, 2009)

Figure 2: Map: Extended Area for Protection (Provisional)

Map 1: Provisional boundaries for proposed Tawich National (Marine) Conservation Area (from Mulrennan et al, 2009)

Map 2: Map showing many of the islands that are discussed in this report. The localities of Weston Island and the Cape Hope islands can be seen in the bottom section of this map. Solomon’s Temple Island and Pebble Island are visible in the central part of the map. The outer Old Factory Islands form the cluster of islands located half-way between Weston and Cape Hope Islands. The Paint Hills Islands form the group of islands to the south of Paint Hills Bay. Pointe-des-Oblats marks the northern most location that was visited by the authors. The Cree Community of Wemindji can be seen in the north eastern section of the map. (adapted fromMulrennan et al, 2009)

General Geologic Setting An understanding of the general geology of James Bay is important because the topography of the islands within the proposed marine conservation area is controlled in large part by the bedrock geology. The bedrock geology of James Bay has been discussed by many authors including Donaldson (1986), Mortensen and Ciesielski (1987) and Norris (1986). The bay is underlain by bedrock that is part of two of Canada’s geologic provinces; the Superior Province and the Hudson Platform Province (Figure 2). The Superior Province, which contains rocks that are dated from the Archaean Eon, generally underlies the eastern regions of James Bay and forms the bedrock that is exposed along the eastern James Bay coastline (Figure 2). This bedrock has undergone broad regional metamorphism and many localities along the eastern shoreline have experienced strong structural deformation. The hard, crystalline-textured bedrock is composed primarily of granodiorites and monzonites many of which exhibit a gneissic texture (Dionne, 1980). The central and western portions of James Bay are underlain by flat-lying, carbonate-dominated sedimentary rocks that were deposited during the Palaeozoic Era (Figure 2). These rocks are characteristic of the Hudson Platform Province and are exposed along the south western and southern coastlines of James Bay (Norris, 1986). General Geomorphic Setting The coastal geomorphic setting of James Bay is directly linked to the type of bedrock present. The southern and south western coastlines of James Bay tend to form unbroken, low gradient shorelines that are characterized by wide tidal flats and extensive salt marshes (Martini et al, 1980). The area is classified as an emerging coastline and is underlain by the flat-lying Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks of the Hudson Platform (ibid.). The mineral composition, relative softness and flat-lying nature of these rocks greatly contribute to the unbroken nature of the shoreline in this part of James Bay. The eastern coastline, which is underlain by rocks of the Superior Province, is more irregular and is characterized by many small bays. The irregular nature of the coastline can be attributed to the crystalline-texture, relative hardness and structural deformation associated with these rocks. The low relief, emerging shoreline is fringed by numerous small islands and shoals (Dionne, 1980). There are a few isolated rocky hills and islands that stand out above the surrounding area. These include the main Cape Hope Island and the Paint Hills Islands both of which are located within the study site. The relatively recent continental-scale glaciation has played a dramatic role in creating many of the geomorphologic features of James Bay and the dynamics of the de-glaciation process continues to influence the constantly changing landscapes of the region (Dionne, 1980). The emerging coastlines that are characteristic of all James Bay shorelines are the result of isostatic or continental rebound that has taken place since the retreat of the last continental ice sheets (Martini, 1980). Evidence for this constantly changing landscape

can be seen in the numerous raised beaches that are a common feature of many of the islands found within the study area, including Weston Island, Solomon’s Temple Island and the outer Old Factory Islands.

Figure 2: Geological Provinces (from Douglas, 1973)

Eastern James Bay Offshore Islands As mentioned above a number of offshore islands can be found within close proximity to the eastern James Bay shoreline. These offshore islands, all of which have a general southeast-northwest orientation, can be divided into two groups based on differences in their topography and their bedrock geology. Examples of both groups of offshore islands can be found within the proposed Tawich Marine Conservation area. An unexpected result of this survey was the authors were able to use the topographical and bedrock differences between these groups of islands to better define the boundary between the Archaean aged crystalline rocks of the Superior Province and the Palaeozoic aged Hudson Platform carbonates. This boundary is often given an approximate location due to the lack of field data. (a) Archaean Aged Crystalline Rock Islands This first group of islands are generally found within 30 km of the eastern coastline of James Bay and all are comprised of the hard, crystalline Archaean-aged rocks that are common within the Superior Geological Province (Card and Ciesielski, 1985). This group of islands includes Solomon’s Temple, Walrus, Bourlamaque, Blackstone, Monkey, Cape Pebble, Kaawepinikash, Sheppard, Paint Hills, High Rock and the Cape Hope islands (see Map 2). These islands usually exhibit low relief (less than 30 m in elevation) and are relatively small in surface area. The High Rock, Cape Hope and Paint Hills islands are an exception to this and some parts of these islands attain a relief that reaches between 60 and 90 m above sea-level. Many of these islands can be described as having a ridge and swale appearance that is the result of being sculpted by glacial activity. Another feature of these islands is the presence of glacial drop stones that can be found in the swale areas that occur between the ridge highs. A number of these islands appear to have been scraped clean by the last glaciation and there is little, if any, glacial till deposits present on the surface of these islands. The Archaean aged islands can be further divided into two subset groups based on the predominant rock outcropping on an individual island. The first subset of islands can be characterized by rock outcrops consisting almost exclusively of granodiorites or monzonites. Walrus, Bourlamaque, Sheppard, Monkey, Blackstone Island and High Rock Islands all have excellent examples of these rock types. Many of these outcrops exhibit gneissic or pegmatitic textures (Figure 3a) and they are often cut by felsic or mafic dikes (Figure 3a). The felsic dikes, such as those found on Bourlamaque Island, are often aplitic in texture and composition. Dikes similar to those found on Blackstone Island are usually mafic in composition and can be classified as either basalts or amphibolites. A number of the islands including Walrus, Bourlamaque and Cape Pebble Islands have abundant quartz veins that ranged in size from a few centimetres to a few meters in width (Figure 3b). Another common feature on these islands is the abundance of mafic enclaves embedded in the granodiorite or monzonite outcrops. In addition, a few islands such as Walrus and Kaawepinikash contain very well defined geological structures that attest to strong deformational processes (Figure 3c). None of this subset of islands shows any degree of mineralization either within the structures or along the dike-bedrock contacts.

Figure 3a: Mafic dike cutting through bedrock on Cape Pebble Island. The bedrock is a granodiorite that contains structurally squeezed pegmatite veins.

Figure 3b: Meter sized quartz veins on Walrus Island. Note centimetre sized quartz vein swarms in the background. (courtesy of Kristen Whitbeck)

Figure 3c: Synclinal structure on Walrus Island. Similar structures are also observed on Bourlamaque Island

The second subset of Archaean aged islands consists of the islands that contain significant rock outcrops that are mafic in composition. This group of islands, which includes the Cape Hope Islands, Solomon’s Temple Island and the southern islands of the Paint Hills Islands, are characterized by abundant basalts and amphibolites that form anywhere from twenty-five to fifty percent of the observed outcrops. Two of the islands within this group, the main Cape Hope Island and the Paint Hills Islands, can also be distinguished by having the highest elevations of any of the offshore islands within the proposed conservation site. The basalt and amphibolite outcrops that are visible on this set of islands maybe part of a series of narrow east-west trending volcanic (basalts) and amphibolite outcrops that exist near the community of Wemindji and in an area to the east and inland of the Cree community of Eastmain that is commonly referred to as the Eastmain greenstone belt (Appendix A). The presence of basalt-amphibolite facies rocks on some of the islands within the study site requires more detailed discussion because some of the mafic complexes that occur inland have been associated with a variety of mineral deposits including copper, gold, iron and zinc (Appendix A). Some of these deposits are currently being worked, while other deposits are being examined for their future exploitation potential. The mafic rock complex that outcrops around the community of Wemindji is described as an isolated greenstone belt that is characterized by massive, foliated basalts. These basalts show no evidence of any form of mineralization and there is no potential for future mineral exploitation. Further inland from the Wemindji mafic complex, mineral-rich felsic paragneissic rocks have been found but these rock types are quite different from the non-mineral-bearing mafic rock outcrops that have been observed around the Wemindji area. The Eastmain greenstone belt, on the other hand, is more geologically complex and does contain a large variety of mineral-bearing rocks. This greenstone belt is thought to have the most promising mineral exploration potential in this area (Moukhsil and Legault, 2002). Given the mineral exploration potential that maybe associated with the mafic rock complexes on the mainland, the subset of mafic rock complex islands that are situated within the proposed conservation site will be discussed individually in order to ascertain their mineral exploration potential.

(i) Solomon’s Temple Island Group (Map 2 and Figure 4) This group of islands is dominated by the presence of mafic volcanic rocks (Figure 4a). On first glance these volcanic outcrops would appear to be an extension of the mafic outcrops that can be found inland along the coastal outcrops of Paint Hills Bay towards the community of Wemindji. However, a number of well developed pillow basalt structures (Figure 4b) were found on the largest centrally-located island within this group suggesting these island basalts maybe similar to the pillow basalts of Cape Hope Island. The Cape Hope basalts will be discussed later on in this report. These pillow structures occasionally presented very small quantities of disseminated pyrite (less than 1%). It is

important to note that no other evidence of mineralization was seen in the mafic volcanics even in the areas that were dissected by felsic dykes or the occasional small-scale quartz veins. One feature that was of interest in the Solomon’s Temple Islands was the presence of raised beaches along the shores of the largest island within the Solomon’s Temple Islands Group. These raised beaches are evidence of the emerging shorelines that are characteristic of the other islands and coastal regions of this area. The well-developed ancient raised beaches can be identified by the presence of rounded pebble deposits that are indicative of earlier still-stands (Figure 4c). At least ten separate ancient raised beaches were observed along the south side of the island.

Figure 4a: Solomon’s Temple Island. Volcanic rocks here are similar to those found to the north-east of Wemindji. There is no evidence of mineralization. (Photo courtesy Sylvain Archambault)

Figure 4b: Pillow basalt structures. These structures were found on Solomon’s Temple Island, the Paint Hills Islands and the Cape Hope Islands.

Figure 4c: Rounded pebbles deposits on Solomon’s Temple. These deposits are evidence of the many raised beaches that are found throughout the proposed conservation area. (Photo courtesy Sylvain Archambault)

(ii) Paint Hills Islands (Map 2) The Paint Hills Islands are characterized by the presence of both felsic and mafic volcanic rock outcrops. The islands can be divided into a northern group characterized by gneissic granodiorites and a southern group that contain extensive mafic rock outcrops classified as basalts. The northern islands exhibit the typical ridge and swale topography that is commonly found on other felsic rock islands in the study site. The east-west trending contact between the felsic and mafic rock outcrops can be traced out in a pronounced low-lying area located on the eastern-most island within this group. The southern group of islands that contain extensive basalt outcroppings can be correlated to the basalt outcrops located around and to the east of the community of Wemindji. As with the Solomon’s Temple Islands, the basalts often contain pillow structures but unlike Solomon’s Temple these pillow structures exhibit a north-south trending foliation. This foliation appears to have been created during a structural compressional event that took place after the basalts were deposited. These pillow lavas are also dissected by numerous small scale felsic dykes and quartz veins. Again, unlike the mafic volcanic outcrops observed on Solomon’s Temple, a few iron-stained zones were observed within the Paint Hills Island basalts. These iron-stained zones occur primarily along the foliated edges of the pillow lava structures or at the contact zones between the quartz veins and the basalt volcanics and appear to be related to weathering of the basalt outcrops. In addition, some very minor disseminated occurrences of pyrite mineralization were observed in the quartz veins or in the foliated pillow structures. However, no other evidence of mineralization was observed on these islands.

(iii) Cape Hope Islands (Map 3) The Cape Hope Islands are the largest group of islands with Archaean bedrock. The islands are made up predominantly of granodiorite although extensive basaltic outcrops can be found along the northern and eastern coastlines of the main island and the three smaller islands located to the north-east of the main island (Map 3). The prominently elevated core of the main island is made up of granodiorite and reaches elevations of up to 90 meters (Map 3).

http://www.canmaps.com/topomaps/nts50/toporama/images/033d07.gif

Map 3: Topographic Map of Cape Hope Islands. The central and western sections of the main island are characterized by extensive granodiorites. The northern and eastern coastlines along with the three smaller islands located to the northeast are characterized by basalt volcanic outcrops. The basalt outcrops are characterized by elongate pillow structures that are remarkably well preserved. These pillow lavas exhibit an elongate, foliated texture that is very similar to the pillow structures found on the Solomon’s Temple Islands. The pillow basalts are commonly dissected by granitic, aplitic and felsic-pegmatitic intrusions with the pegmatite intrusions often measuring up to a meter in width. Many of these intrusions have been elongated and faulted and a few contain widely disseminated magnetite and sulphide (possibly arsenopyrite) deposits. The widely disseminated nature of these sulphide minerals deposits would indicate an area with little, if any, mining exploration interest.

(b) Palaeozoic Age Hudson Platform Islands This second group of islands is generally located between 40 to 65 kilometres from the eastern coastline of James Bay (Dionne, 1980). All of these islands are situated over a geologic high that forms the eastern edge of the Moose River Basin sedimentary structure (Figure 2) (Norris, 1986). The bedrock of this group of islands is composed of the Palaeozoic-aged sedimentary rocks that make up much of the Hudson Platform geological province (Norris, 1986). This group of islands includes North and South Twin Islands, Weston Island, Trodely Island and the outer Old Factory islands (Map 2). With the exception of Trodely Island all of these islands lie within the boundaries of the proposed Tawich Marine Conservation area. These islands tend to be low-lying with very little relief. Unlike the ridge and swale topography of the Archaean aged islands, most of these islands give the impression they have been planed off during the most recent glacial activity. Given the softer nature of the Palaeozoic rocks that form the bedrock of this group of islands this is not surprising. Again, unlike the relatively clean scraped Archaean bedrock islands, almost all of these islands are covered by a veneer of soft, unconsolidated sediments that are remnant glacial outwash and glacio-fluvial deposits left behind during the last glacial retreat. The one characteristic this group of islands shares with the Archaean bedrock islands is the presence of well developed ancient shoreline features. As we have previously mentioned the authors visit to the proposed marine conservation area this summer was very brief. For this reason Weston Island and the outer Old Factory islands were the only islands within the Palaeozoic-aged Hudson Platform group of islands that were visited. It should be mentioned that significant field work was carried out on North and South Twin Islands by another group of researchers during the 2008 summer field season (Bussières et al, 2008).

(i) Weston Island (Map 2) Weston Island is situated in the most southwestern corner of the proposed marine conservation area (Map 2). The surface deposits of this generally flat lying island consist of soft unconsolidated glacio-fluvial sediments (Figure 5a) that are relatively thin along the northern shoreline but get progressively thicker as you move towards the southern coast. The sedimentary deposits along the southern shoreline are thick enough to form a 20 to 30 meter high escarpment. This escarpment gives the island a somewhat unusual shape that resembles an upside down letter ‘T’ (Map 2). The escarpment runs in an east-west direction and has been described by Dionne (1980) as a set of spit deposits that extend eastward and westward from the central core of the island. The sediments at the surface of the escarpment are well laminated indicating water deposition. The escarpment grades steeply down into a very well developed sandy beach that runs the entire length of the southern coastline (Figure 5b). The underlying bedrock is not visible but is almost certainly part of the Palaeozoic sedimentary section that makes up the Hudson Platform. The bedrock has probably been significantly eroded by previous glacial activity. There is a well developed “star” dune system located at the southeast end of the island. The source of the sand sediments is almost certainly from the sandy glacio-fluvial deposits that cover

the entire length of the island. This would be particularly true for the very thick deposits at the south end of the island that would have acted as a good sediment supply for dune construction. The north end of the island has at least four well developed curvate raised beach deposits. As has been previously mentioned in other parts of this report raised beaches are a common phenomenon on all the islands within the proposed conservation site and act as evidence to support the post-glacial emerging topography that dominates much of the James Bay area.

Figure 5a: Weston Island glacio-fluvial deposits. This sediment source contributes to the ‘star’ dune system that exists in the south east corner of the island. (Photo courtesy of Sylvain Archambault)

Figure 5b: Weston Island south shore beach and escarpment. The escarpment is 20 to 30 meters high and has been formed by re-working of glacio-fluvial sediments through wind and wave action. (Photo courtesy of Sylvain Archambault)

(ii) Outer Old Factory Islands (Map 2) The outer Old Factory Islands are the group of islands located almost half-way between Weston Island to the west and the Cape Hope Islands to the east (Map 2). This group of very low-lying islands is covered by extensive re-worked glacial outwash and glacio-fluvial deposits (Figure 6a). This pattern of deposition appears to be consistent with islands that are underlain by Palaeozoic bedrock of the Hudson Platform. The largest island of this group has well-developed ancient beach deposits that are easily observed on the southern and western coastlines (Figure 6b). Otherwise this group of islands is fairly monotonous in terms of geologic or geomorphologic interest

Figure 6a: Outer Old Factory islands glacio-fluvial deposits (Photo courtesy of Sylvain Archambault)

Figure 6b: Well defined raised beaches on the largest island within the outer Old Factory Island Group (Photo courtesy of Sylvain Archambault)

Hydrocarbon potential The Palaeozoic-aged Hudson platform islands occur near the eastern edge of the Moose River sedimentary basin. This sedimentary basin lies unconformably over the underlying basement rocks of the pre-Cambrian Shield (Figure 7). Previous studies by Dionne (1980) have shown the boundary between the Archaean-aged rock islands and the Hudson Platform islands as being uncertain. The field work carried out by the authors this summer allowed us to place a more definitive position on this geological boundary.

Figure 7: Geological cross-section across the Hudson Bay and Moose River Basins. The Moose River Basin underlies James Bay. The rocks in these sedimentary basins overlie the Canadian Shield rocks. (Norris, 1986)

It is important to know the eastern extent of the Moose River Basin as this basin has been the recent subject of potential hydrocarbon exploration. In July, 2009, Vantex Resources Ltd acquired an oil and natural gas exploration permit in the Quebec portion of the Moose River Basin. The permit, which covers 25,000 ha of land, is located near the La Sarre-Abitibi region of Quebec. The hydrocarbon potential for both the Hudson Bay and James Bay area has been discussed by numerous authors (Norris, 1986; Hamblin, 2008; Sanford et al, 1993; Zhang, 2009). These studies outline possible hydrocarbon source rocks and reservoir rocks, as well as, the results of exploration wells drilled in the offshore regions of Hudson Bay. The similar geological setting of the Moose River Basin to the hydrocarbon producing reservoirs of the Williston and Michigan sedimentary basins has also been discussed by some of these authors (Sanford et al, 1993; Zhang, 2009). All of these studies suggest there are areas of interest for hydrocarbon exploration but it should be pointed out that all of these areas are located within the central regions of these sedimentary basins where the sedimentary rocks are the thickest. Using these studies and considering the evidence from this summer’s field study the authors feel that the proposed marine conservation site will have little or no potential for hydrocarbon exploration. There is no evidence of oil seeps similar to those found near La Sarre. In addition, the Hudson Platform rocks within the marine conservation site are located near the eastern edge of the Moose River Basin and thus contain some of the thinnest sedimentary rock sequences. The lack of obvious source rocks and potential rock reservoirs within the proposed marine conservation area strongly suggests little or no hydrocarbon exploration potential.

Summary and Conclusions The purpose of the field study carried out this summer was to carry out a brief geologic and geomorphologic survey of a number of the offshore islands within the proposed Tawich Marine Conservation area. Based on the authors work we can state the following observations.

1) The offshore islands can be divided into two large groups based on their bedrock geology. The first group of islands consist of Archaean-aged crystalline rock. All of these islands occur within 30 km of the east coast of James Bay. The second group are the Palaeozoic-aged sedimentary rock islands that are situated along a geologic high that is found 45 to 60 km from the eastern James Bay coastline.

2) Both groups of islands exhibit differing topographies because of their underlying bedrock. The Archaean-aged islands are characterized by ridge and swale topography and very little surface material overlying the bedrock. The Palaeozoic-aged islands are generally very flat lying with little if any topography. These islands are often covered with a veneer of glacio-fluvial sediments that are thick enough to cover the underlying bedrock.

3) The bedrock of the Archaean-aged islands is primarily made up of granodiorites and monzonites. However, some of these islands do contain significant outcrops of basalt (e.g. Cape Hope Islands). Quartz veins and felsic and mafic dikes are quite numerous throughout this group of islands. Some of the islands (e.g. Walrus) exhibit well developed structural features.

4) The outer Palaeozoic-aged islands often have well developed beach deposits and in some cases fairly large dune fields (e.g. Weston Island).

5) The mineral potential of the crystalline rock islands is thought to be of little interest or value. Our survey of these islands did not unearth any potential areas for future mineral exploitation within the marine conservation area.

6) Finally, the hydrocarbon potential of the outer Palaeozoic-aged islands appears to be extremely limited. Our survey led us to believe that there are no source rocks or potential reservoir rocks present within the proposed Tawich Marine Conservation area.

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Liam McCourt for his assistance in the field. The assistance and camaraderie of Jim Fyles, Katherine Scott, Kris Whitbeck, Veronique Bussières, Sylvain Archambault, Wren Nasr and Colin Scott was greatly appreciated. Funding for this field work was supplied by Parks Canada and by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program grant awarded to Colin Scott and Monica Mulrennan. This support is gratefully acknowledged. Finally the wonderful hospitality and kindness of the Wemindji Crees made this very brief trip an exceptional experience that will not be soon forgotten.

References

Bussières, V., Scott, K., Dolan, K., Stewart, H., Mulrennan, M. and C. Scott (2008) Wemindji Marine and Island Surveys 2008 Card, K.D. and A. Ciesielski (1985): Subdivisions of the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield; Geoscience Canada, Vol. 13, No.1, p.5-12

Dionne, J-C. (1980): An outline of the eastern James Bay coastal environments; IN The Coastline of Canada. S.B. McCann (Ed.). Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 80-10, p. 311-338

Donaldson, J.A. (1986): Precambrian Geology. Elsevier Oceanographic Series No. 44, p. 1-17

Douglas, R.J.W. (1973) Geological Provinces; Map 27-28, National Atlas of Canada, 4th Edition, Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department of Energy Mines and Resources, Ottawa,

Hamblin, A.P. (2008) Hydrocarbon Potential of the Palaeozoic succession of Hudson Bay/James Bay: Preliminary conceptual synthesis of background data. Geological Survey of Canada Open File 5731: 12 p.

Martini, I.P., Cowell D.W., and G.M. Wickware (1980) Geomorphology of southwestern James Bay: A low energy, emergent coast; IN The Coastline of Canada. S.B. McCann (Editor). Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 80-10, p. 293-301

Mortensen, J.K. and A. Ciesielski (1987) U-Pb and Sphene geochronology of Archaean plutonic and orthogneissic rocks of the James Bay Region and Bienville Region, Quebec; IN Radiogenic Age and Isotopic Studies, Report 1. Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 87-2, p. 129-134

Moukhsil A. - Legault, M., (2002) - Géologie de la région de la Basse-Eastmain occidentale (feuillets SNRC 33D/01, 33D/02, 33D/07, 33D/08). Ministère des Ressources naturelles, Québec; RG 2002-09, p. 5-10

Mulrennan, M.E., Bussières, V. and C.H. Scott (2009) Tawich (Marine) Conservation Area, Eastern James Bay. The Wemindji-McGill Protected Area Project. January 20. 54 pp.

Norris, A.W. (1986): Review of Hudson Platform Palaeozoic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy IN Canadian Inland Seas. I.P. Martini (Ed.) Elsevier, New York P.494-503

Sanford, B.V.; Norris, A.W. and A.R. Cameron (1993) Hudson Platform – Economic Geology IN Sedimentary Cover of the Craton in Canada: D.F. Stott and J.D. Aitken (Eds.) Geological Survey of Canada, Geology of Canada, No. 5, p701-707

Zhang, S. (2008): New insights into Ordovician oil shales in Hudson Bay; their number, stratigraphic position and petroleum potential. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, Vol. 56, No. 4, p. 300-324

APPENDIX A