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TREASURES OF THE ARCTIC Polished agates and chert from Paulatuk.
A REGION ABUNDANT IN SEMIPRECIOUS STONES
F
orgive me, for my entire goal as editor-in-chief of Tusaayaksat Magazine was not to make the magazine about myself. That’s why I kept my name off the pages and photos during my time here. I’ve had an incredible experience chronicling the people, land and culture of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. But there’s one thing that stood out and still calls to me, and for that I do have to make a brief article about my own interests. You’ve got some great rocks up here. I’ve been a rockhound for several years, which means I enjoy looking for special rocks, collecting them and getting them polished. I have many pendants, cabochons, slabs and other pieces of jewelry from rocks I’ve found. Most of my time has been spent hounding Dallasite on Vancouver Island, but I’m always on the lookout wherever I go.
WORDS BY STEWART BURNETT
I had a trip to Paulatuk last fall, when snow did not quite cover the beach yet. I took a stroll down to the water for pictures and was immediately enthralled. The whole community is full of agate and chert material. In fact, the roads are essentially paved with it. Agate is the name for translucent or semi-translucent microcrystalline quartz. It is usually best identified in the translucent banding shown in the photo on the opposite page, which is known as fortifications. This is a semiprecious stone, meaning it’s not quite up there like emerald or topaz, but it’s more special than your average rock. You know, ‘semi’-precious. Paulatuk agates appear to be a mix of blues, purples and greys. They are absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t fit enough in my bag. I was bashing the permafrost beach until my hands were frozen trying to get my favourite ones out. And I only had access to a small strip of bare land. Clearly, the region is stuffed with geological treasures. I’ve seen amber and petrified wood from the area before.
DID YOU KNOW? A Roadmap to Mineral Exploration & Development in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region is now being printed, soon to be presented to ISR communities.
