A Geoscience BC helicopter flew all the way around the world to uncover mineral data for northern B.C., and they never left the local forest to do so.
Geoscience BC is the open-source public information agency that seeks out new information about what lies beneath the surface dirt in British Columbia. They seek out baseline data about the composition of the subterranean earth in this province. That information is then used by mining companies, petroleum companies, and other industrial interests who want to make the most educated guesses possible about where to concentrate their expensive investment efforts.
But the data is also just as available to environmental groups, local governments, First Nations, and anyone else with an interest in land-use planning.
This week, Geoscience BC disclosed the findings of an exhaustive scan of the land in the general vicinity of Williston Lake north of Prince George and Mackenzie. It is already home to the Kemess Mine, so valuable mineralization was empirically known to be located in that area. The new high-tech report will give a better subsurface view of what's around it.
This science mission was known as the Search Phase III Project (SP3), as it was an extension of two similar scans done in other nearby plots of land. Although the SP3 parcel covered a space about 9,600 square kilometres in area, the helicopter carrying the scanner had to fly a course more than 40,000 kms long (at a constant height of 80 metres), which is equal to the entire circumference of the planet.
"Now that results are published, Geoscience BC will continue to work with First Nations and other communities in the project area to demonstrate how they can best use the new data," said a Geoscience BC statement. "All results - from raw data to a series of summary maps - are available publicly for free."
The SP3 operation cost about $1.7-million but "projects like these are proven to bring new investment to the province," said Geoscience BC.
Agreed, said Joel Mackay, CEO of Northern Development Initiative Trust which invested some of the money in the research program.
"The mining sector in British Columbia is gaining as commodity prices recover, creating new potential investment opportunities that will benefit communities across northern B.C.," Mackay said. "This data is critically important to informing mineral exploration decisions, and helping our region capitalize on global trends. We continue to value our partnership with Geoscience BC and commend them for their work on Search Phase III."
The portion of the mining industry most affected by research like this is the exploration sector. Small "junior" mining companies - sometimes just mom-and-pop operations and sometimes affiliates of major companies - are the ones who typically go out into the wilderness and put the geological pieces together that eventually lead to major deposit discoveries and become mines.
This kind of work usually takes many years. Data like the SP3 information helps to speed that exploration work up and be more accurate.
"(This is) just the sort regional data set that is most useful to the mineral exploration industry in the search for new mineral deposits in the province," said David Moore, president and CEO of Serengeti Resources, an emblematic junior mineral exploration company. "The scale of this new survey provides plenty of opportunities for future discovery and is exactly the type of activity that organizations like Geoscience BC should be undertaking."
Edie Thome, president and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration, added agreement saying "(Our members) recognize public geoscience gives B.C. a competitive advantage. Data from Geoscience BC surveys like Search Phase III are proven to bring investment and lead to discoveries in British Columbia."
As a three-project group, said Geoscience BC, their scans of the area just north of Prince George "provide high quality and up-to-date data on potential mineral deposits" within a footprint about 65,100 square kms over the past four years.
