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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The NWT Mining Heritage Society, with the assistance of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, has given out a copy of the CBC-produced DVD Geologic Journey to every school in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Yellowknife prospector Mark Brown shows off a piece of Acasta River rock – some of the world's oldest at 4.5 billion years. The NWT Mining Heritage Society is distributing a DVD called Geologic Journey to every school in the NWT in an effort to raise awareness of Northern geology. - NNSL file photo

The Mining Heritage Society had access to funds left in the Walter Gibbons Memorial Fund to increase the awareness of geology among the people of the North. Gibbons was a mine geologist in the North. The fund is currently being administered by the Yellowknife Community Foundation.

Mike Vaydik, vice-president of the NWT Mining Heritage Society, said the DVD covers Canada from east to west, north to south and is more about the science of geology but there is some mining information as well.

"It really has some stunning images of geologic formations and does a pretty good job of describing the different geologic regions in Canada, including the North. It's mostly about the geology rather than about mining activity, but it is geology that makes the mines so we think they are very closely related. This is more the scientific side, it does make for some discussions and tour of the mines but it is mostly the science of geology and how the various regions in Canada were formed," said Vaydik.

In the world-wide geologic community, there is some controversy of where the oldest rocks can be found and some geologist believe they have been found in the NWT.

"The oldest rocks in the world are thought to be in the Northwest Territories and are four and a half billion years old. About 400 km north of Yellowknife near the Acasta River, there have been rocks found that are 4.1 billion years old," said Vaydik.

"The rocks around Yellowknife are 2.5 billion years old so we are dealing with an area that has seen most of the world's history, figuring that the world is 4.5 billion years old. We also have some very young rocks that are recent sedimentary rocks."

Vaydik explains kimberlite is also an important rock, especially in the North since it is where diamonds are found, making up one of the NWT's main industries.

"The kimberlite is not that old, only 100 million years, but it is normally found under the world's oldest rocks. The areas of rock are called cratons and the slave cratons are what we are on. They are also found in Australia, Africa and Russia. That is why why when people realized the age of our rocks, they came looking for diamonds here," said Vaydik.

Walt Humphries, president of the NWT Mine Heritage Society said Gibbons was an extremely well-known and well-liked person.

"He was like one of those absent-minded professors in a way. He had one of the most incredible memories of anyone I ever met. He taught courses up in the various communities including the high Arctic on soapstone, geology and prospecting courses," said Humphries.

The mandate of the Walter Gibbons Memorial Fund is to look after Gibbons' mineral collection and to spread geological awareness in the North.

"Rather than a text book that can be pretty dry, this is more visual and we thought the kids would enjoy it more," said Humphries of the Geologic Journey DVD.

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