Bedrock Geologic Map of the Central Part of Knife Lake, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Northern Minnesota

Abstract

This map of the central Knife Lake area in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW, Fig. 1) is the result of six days of bedrock mapping in August, 2014 by PRC Field Camp students under the guidance of Mark Jirsa, Minnesota Geological Survey, along with information gathered from Jirsa and Miller (2004), Gruner (1941), and Mulcahy and others (2013). The geology in this area has not been mapped in detail due to its remote location. The authors conducted extensive canoe shoreline mapping and inland traverses in an attempt to better define geologic contacts, structural features, and depositional facies for an improved understanding of the region. The relationships between mafic metavolcanic rocks, diverse metasedimentary units, and various intrusions were better characterized. Mineralized shear zones and locally intense sulfide mineralization may be indicators of economic significance within this complex Neoarchean terrane. Field mapping was conducted using 1:24,000 scale maps, and digitally compiled at 1:12,000 scale.