STREAM SEDIMENT SAMPLING, ORIENTATION STUDIES AND GEOCHEMICAL ASSOCIATIONS FROM SELECTED DEPOSITS ON CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA.

Stream sediment samples were collected in orientation surveys at the Meat Cove and Coxheath deposits, Nova Scotia. Using non-parametric statistics it is possible to identify significant correlations at the deposit, local lithology and regional survey levels. Each deposit exhibits a characteristic geochemical association or fingerprint of various elements. The recalculation of threshold levels with respect to principal catchment area lithologies is recommended for Nova Scotia surveys. A stream sediment survey using field sieving and a linear sample spacing of 2 km on first, second or third order streams is able to detect deposits like Meat Cove and Coxheath. New analytical technology, the Inductively Coupled Plasma, with 'total' acid extraction yields larger element suites and is a method well suited to follow-up studies to locate mineralized areas. The use of partial acid extraction and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy is still suitable for regional-type surveys. Refs.