Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
A new report details subpar investor returns in the mining industry over the last decade, particularly big cap diversified companies which have not adapted to new realities.
First results from Geoscience BC’s Central Interior Copper-Gold Research (CICGR) program have been published, and the new maps and geochemical reanalysis of more than 1,000 till samples will help to focus mineral exploration between Prince George and Mackenzie.
CICGR is a program of collaborative minerals earth science projects designed to highlight potential mineral deposits buried under glacial deposits between the Gibraltar (near Williams Lake) mine in B.C.’s south-central region and northwest of the Mount Milligan (near Mackenzie) mine in the north-central region.
The first report, Geochemical Reanalysis of Archived Till Samples CICGR Project Interior Plateau, Central BC), includes analytical results for over 1,000 till samples collected in the 1990s and 2000s from sites in the northern part of the CICGR area and stored in Geological Survey of Canada and the B.C. Geological Survey archives.
The surface geology interpretations help locate till for sampling and distinguish areas that are more suited to other exploration methods, said project researcher and Palmer Senior Surficial Exploration Specialist Dave Sacco.
The second report includes surficial geology, till sampling suitability and drift thicknessmaps for six map sheets between Mackenzie and Prince George. The maps inventory and characterize surficial materials and landforms in the region, which in turn can inform the interpretation of the new geochemical data and mineral exploration.
Additional maps for the area between Prince George and Williams Lake, new digital data and updates including results of fieldwork across the entire project area, are expected in early 2022.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
