The nature and distribution of carbonate minerals in the upper Qu’Appelle basin in south-central Saskatchewan were investigated. The equivalent carbonate content and calcite:dolomite ratios of the deposits reflect the mechanisms of glacial deposition and some differences in the sources of the original parent material. The particle size analysis shows that the Qu’Appelle Lake sediments are more clayey than the surrounding soils and till deposits. Mg-bearing calcites occur only in the fine-sized fraction of the carbonate accumulation horizons. However, most of the upper Qu’Appelle Lake sediments contain appreciable amounts of sand-sized Mg-bearing calcites. The marked increase in carbonate content of the sediments relative to the adjacent soils and deposits is partially due to direct precipitation of calcite from the supersaturated lake waters. In this respect, a good correlation exists between the lake water ionic activity products for CaCO3 and the relative equivalent carbonatic mineral contents of the sediments. Key words: Mg-bearing calcite, dolomite, IAP, erosion