Azimuthal resistivity was performed at the King site, near Birsay, Saskatchewan to characterize the orientation and extent of fracturing in a glacial till. The target consisted of shallow (less than 4m deep) fractures in the upper oxidized portion of the Battleford Formation.<p> The fractures were visible in soil cores, but their orientation and extent were not known at the time of investigation. It was hoped that if the azimuthal resistivity method could be successfully applied at this site it could be used as an in situ fracture mapping tool at other sites. <p> Preliminary azimuthal resistivity surveys failed to detect a consistent anisotropic pattern that could be attributed to fracturing. A refined method of azimuthal resistivity was developed that built a 3D resistivity model of the site assuming a heterogeneous, isotropic earth. This model was used to predict and remove the effect of heterogeneity on the azimuthal resitivity observations. The results from the refined method also failed to detect a consistent anisotropic pattern. <p>Any single azimuthal resistivity observation from either the preliminary or refined surveys would have provided data that could have been interpreted as anisotropy due to fractures. It was only by comparing many azimuthal observations across the site that the lack of consistent azimuthal pattern became apparent. <p>It is recomended that an analysis of several observations be made before any interpretation of anisotropy is made for azimuthal resistivity sureveys in general.

Azimuthal resistivity was performed at the King site, near Birsay, Saskatchewan to characterize the orientation and extent of fracturing in a glacial till. The target consisted of shallow (less than 4m deep) fractures in the upper oxidized portion of the Battleford Formation.<p> The fractures were visible in soil cores, but their orientation and extent were not known at the time of investigation. It was hoped that if the azimuthal resistivity method could be successfully applied at this site it could be used as an in situ fracture mapping tool at other sites. <p> Preliminary azimuthal resistivity surveys failed to detect a consistent anisotropic pattern that could be attributed to fracturing. A refined method of azimuthal resistivity was developed that built a 3D resistivity model of the site assuming a heterogeneous, isotropic earth. This model was used to predict and remove the effect of heterogeneity on the azimuthal resitivity observations. The results from the refined method also failed to detect a consistent anisotropic pattern. <p>Any single azimuthal resistivity observation from either the preliminary or refined surveys would have provided data that could have been interpreted as anisotropy due to fractures. It was only by comparing many azimuthal observations across the site that the lack of consistent azimuthal pattern became apparent. <p>It is recomended that an analysis of several observations be made before any interpretation of anisotropy is made for azimuthal resistivity sureveys in general.

In the fall of 1999, human skeletal remains and historic artifacts were discovered on private farmland approximately two kilometres south of the Town of Battleford, Saskatchewan. Document searches and a ground-penetrating radar survey of the property resulted in the discovery that the land was once used as a cemetery for the Catholic Church of St. Vital during the years of 1879 to 1885. Numerous interest groups were brought together in the process of handling this sensitive situation, including the landowners, the Heritage Resource Branch of the Department of Saskatchewan Culture, Youth and Recreation, the Rural Municipality of Battle River, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert, and the Battleford Tribal Council. A decision was made to relocate the burials to the current town cemetery. In the meantime, permission was granted for the University of Saskatchewan to play the lead role in the excavation and analysis process. The partial and complete skeletal remains of thirty individuals were recovered, and in addition to a basic osteological analysis of the individuals that included sex determination, age at death and population affinity, a detailed assessment of the pathological conditions was also undertaken. The document and artifact analyses will be the subject of a separate thesis by Colette Hopkins.

In the fall of 1999, human skeletal remains and historic artifacts were discovered on private farmland approximately two kilometres south of the Town of Battleford, Saskatchewan. Document searches and a ground-penetrating radar survey of the property resulted in the discovery that the land was once used as a cemetery for the Catholic Church of St. Vital during the years of 1879 to 1885. Numerous interest groups were brought together in the process of handling this sensitive situation, including the landowners, the Heritage Resource Branch of the Department of Saskatchewan Culture, Youth and Recreation, the Rural Municipality of Battle River, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert, and the Battleford Tribal Council. A decision was made to relocate the burials to the current town cemetery. In the meantime, permission was granted for the University of Saskatchewan to play the lead role in the excavation and analysis process. The partial and complete skeletal remains of thirty individuals were recovered, and in addition to a basic osteological analysis of the individuals that included sex determination, age at death and population affinity, a detailed assessment of the pathological conditions was also undertaken. The document and artifact analyses will be the subject of a separate thesis by Colette Hopkins.