The results of an investigation of lands immediately west of Prince George for mineral deposits and geothermal hotspots were in the provincial energy and mines spotlight on Monday.
During the annual Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver, one of the largest mining conferences in the world, Geoscience B.C. disclosed its technical report on the Northern Interior Plateau.
Two major surveys were flown over the plateau during 2013, and that data was also merged with some previous studies. Some of the information was gathered using magnetic sensors attached to aircraft and some was gathered by scientists on the ground. The technical data will now be further mined for potential sites of development, which might lead industrial, environmental, First Nations and governmental interests to undergo further exploration in the area.
The focus area ranged from Cluculz Lake to the middle of Francios Lake at the north edge, between Charlotte Lake, near the southern tip of Tweedsmuir Park, and Nazko Lake Provincial Park at the southern edge, and all terrain in between.
"[This] area is under-explored for these resources due to complicated and poorly understood bedrock geology and overburden," said a Geoscience B.C. statement.
The research was part of a larger initiative called TREK, short for Targeting Resources through Exploration and Knowledge. It is hoped that the $4 million overall project will trigger major investment from mining and energy interests.
"This survey will help to make this area of the province more attractive for mineral explorers to dig into," said Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett. "We've seen how Geoscience BC projects have encouraged mineral exploration and investment to B.C. in the past and I am looking forward to seeing the economic potential that will be uncovered by TREK data in the future."
Project partners include the Nazko First Nation, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (BC Geological Survey), the Mineral Deposits Research Unit at the University of British Columbia, PK Geophysics, Noble Exploration Services Ltd. and Aeroquest Airborne Ltd.
We are supportive of the new TREK project and excited about the new information it will generate in our area, said Nazko First Nation councillor Stuart Alec. We believe that the TREK data will bring economic benefits and reveal the potential for renewable energy, which will enhance our social and environmental conditions.
