Future Exploration Success in Ontario Needed: Technology and People

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Future Exploration Success in Ontario Needed
Technology and People

• Jim Franklin
• for
• Wally Rayner, Richard Moore and Tom Lane
• Outcomes
• of the
• OMET - CRESTech
• MINERAL INDUSTRY EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP

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Workshop Objectives

• Develop proposals to solve technical problems
  facing the mineral exploration industry in
  Ontario through
• OMET Renewal New research partnerships with
  industry, governments and universities
• Industry Investment Direct and In-Kind
• University training and research Continuous
  learning and new graduate and research programs
• Government Investment Provision of new
  geoscience data, and funding of new knowledge
  through research
• Ensure that education and research can underpin
  the development and use of new technology

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So What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Learn
and Develop?

• Ontario has
• About 45 of the 62 deposit types described in
  the Geology of Canadian Mineral Deposit Types
  (DNAG 8)
• Over 31,000 occurrences, prospects, mines

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World Class Deposits

• Ontario has
• Orogenic and Intrusion-related gold 55 billion
• VMS 60 billion
• Magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE gt200 billion
• Magmatic - hydrothermal PGE gt1 billion in 1 mine
• Paleoplacer Uranium 6 billion
• These contribute 5.5billion / year to Ontario's
  economy.

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In Ontario

• Mineral production 5.5 billion a year
• Mining economy creating 90,000 jobs
• 1.8 billion in exports
• 300 million in government revenue
• 23,500 Ontarians work in mines, mills, smelters
  and refineries
• 65,000 work in metal production
• Ontario mines also spend 1.1 billion a year on
  goods  and services
• Mining exports bring 1.8 billion into our
  Ontario economy.
• A typical base metal mine pumps 50 million a
  year into the economy of Ontario. Most last 10-15
  years.
• Mines with exceptional ore bodies such as
  Falconbridge Limited s Kidd Creek Mine in
  Timmins contribute more than 500 million a year
  to the provincial economy.
• If we dont find it, we cant mine it!!

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• Mines are getting harder to find
• Glacial cover gt 90 New discoveries can be made
  near established communities
• Easy deposits have been found in mature
  districts need to look deeper
• Far north untapped, little prospected, poorly
  mapped
• We are data rich, but knowledge poor !
• Good opportunity for new mines We must improve
  exploration efficiency through research and
  training
• Do we need
• More well-educated professionals ?
• New geophysical and geochemical technology ?
• Better data management, data mining and
  visualization/interpretation techniques on the
  desktop and in the field ?
• Continuous renewal of the mapping database?
  Integrating mapping with mineral deposits
  knowledge

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Will Mapping Support Discovery?

• Its the most important information, but future
  mapping of bedrock and surficial material must
  use the latest knowledge (deposit models) and
  apply modern technology (e.g. geochronology,
  petrochemistry, geophysics, ground penetrating
  radar) to see below cover.
• Move from 2D to 3D mapping
• Mappers require continuous learning
• Re-mapping on a 20-year cycle is essential
• Mapping has both social and economic value Its
  needed in all parts of Ontario

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New Technology Leads to Discovery

• Geophysics
• Magnetometer in the 1950s
• EM in the 1960s and 1970s
• Airborne scintillometer in the 1980s
• Airborne gravity in the late 1990s
• Geochemistry
• Stream sediments in the 1960s
• Lake Sediments in the 1980s
• Overburden drilling in the 1980-90s
• Leach soil gas technology in the 2000s
• Data Integration and Visualization
• 2D GIS in the 1990s
• 3D GIS only beginning
• Digital geology available and affordable only
  for 5 years

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What We Do

• Skilled professionals and highly trained
  technicians find orebodies through collection
  synthesis of geological and remote detection data
  with knowledge of how deposits formed (mineral
  deposits models)
• Technology helps see
• In 3 D
• Deeper
• Beneath cover
• Over large areas with high precision
• Technology development is a high tech-industry
• Ontario exploration technology industry is a
  world leader
• Innovation by geologists, physicists, chemists,
  and information technology specialists leads to
  new remote-sensing technology, sold to expanding
  world markets
• Highly trained people interpret its results
  through integration, synthesis of
  multi-dimensional data sets
• Data mining Over 500 geologists and prospectors
  used the assessment files in one year in Thunder
  Bay alone.

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Advances in Geophysics

• New advances
• EM - seeing deeper-50m in the early 1990s, 200m
  in the late 1990s using IP-MT, 750m in 2005
• Airborne Gravity from Sub Hunting to Mine
  Hunting
• Seeing in 3D
• Tomography
• Drill hole measurement
• Inversions
• 3D presentations based on mag and gravity

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Exploration Geophysics Has it Helped?

• Discoveries of mines following airborne surveys
  have declined mainly in established districts, a
  few in covered areas
• Discoveries using deep-penetrating ground surveys
  more common La Ronde, Sudbury
• Improvements have been mainly in data processing
  and new algorithms, seeing signals through
  noise, looking deeper in known areas

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Seeing Deeper in New and Established Districts
CAT-Scanning the Crust

• 3-dimensional imaging using
• seismic tomography
• -3-D arrays
• Borehole (hole-to-hole) seismic radar
• 3-dimensional electrical mapping
• controlled source mapping
• borehole electrical tomography
• Deep sounding with precision
• Can we see to 3km and in 3D?
• EM inversions that match mag and gravity
  inversions in precision
• Lots of excellent technology, need for better
  interpretation techniques (e.g. EM inversion
  visualization)

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Exploration Geochemistry

• Since the early 1960s geological surveys have
  been gathering stream, lake and till geochemical
  data
• National standards have guaranteed consistent
  quality
• Analytical improvements have lowered detection
  limits, made inexpensive, quality data easily
  available.
• Millions of samples, 100s of millions of data
  points
• Archiving ensures legacy samples can be
  re-analyzed
• But
• How do we interpret these data
• Is process research keeping pace with analytical
  abilities?

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Surficial Geochemistry

• A typical OGS survey yields 75,000 data points
  (1500 sites, 50elements)
• Few research programs dedicated to understanding
  the meaning of the results (GSC, OGS)
• No university Prof in Canada with expertise and
  research in surficial geochem

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For 75 we can analyze rocks or soils for 60
elements to 1ppm or less A typical exploration
program will generate 30,000 data points on
rocks alone But how do we reduce this to
something meaningful?
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What Could be Done with Surficial Geochemical Data

• Surficial geology knowledge, digital elevation
  data, and glacial history could be combined with
  geochem data to establish scaled vectors to
  source
• More could be done with surficial materials
• Use isotopes to refine targets
• Continuing research leach-approach and soil gas
  geochemistry
• Dynamic GIS-based glacial and hydrogeology
  transport models that account for climatic
  variability
• Better methods for work in permafrost
• More work on clay mineral speciation and
  adsorption combining PIMA with chemistry?
• Understanding speciation
• Do soil conditions affect metal transport (e.g.
  reduced bogs)
• Much better understanding of organo-metallic
  complexing as a metal transport medium can we
  use GC-MS to discriminate anomalies
• Integration with bedrock, geophysical signals

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Are We Succeeding?

• No!!!
• Declining discovery rates
• Critical shortage of trained professionals
• Little to no research in critical areas
• Mapping programs severely cut

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Technology Helps
Input AEM system -Airborne ?-ray
Airborne EM and Mag
High precision AEM
It helps but its not sufficient!
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How Are We Succeeding?

• Recent Discoveries are attributed to
• Training (Voiseys Bay)
• Research (Ekati)
• Geological Knowledge and Interpretation (Sudbury,
  Bousquet, Val DOr, Flin Flon)
• Data mining and proper technology application
  (Thunder Bay)
• Its well-trained people, using new and old data
  effectively, and not technology alone, that led
  to recent successes!

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In the Next Five Years We Need

• A Four-Part Approach
• 1 New technology
• Public-private partnerships to develop new tools
• Renewal in exploration geochemistry
  universities, government agencies must resume
  teaching and research
• New interpretation tools in geophysics
• 2 New Information
• Remapping (basic and thematic) on a 20 year cycle
• Broader access to information
• Regional libraries/ OGS Offices must access
  electronic publications
• Government offices should be the portals for all
  types of information
• Online access to all forms of spatial data
• 3 Continuous Learning and Professional
  Development
• Applied field geology training
• Education in the business of exploration, as well
  as the technology
• 4 More (and better trained) Professionals
• Strengthen graduate programs with an innovative
  cooperative inter-university curriculum

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Training New Professionals An Urgent Need

• Universities and colleges provide excellent
  education in the basics.but
• Little education in applied geology
• Wanted Added value education in exploration
  science
• Field training and experience Where to get it,
  and whats needed?
• Field mapping need a formal mentoring program
• Government is the traditional (and only)
  provider The OGS and GSC finishing schools
  have many fewer available positions
• Field science Need modular programs in
  structural geology, volcanology, field petrology,
  geophysical and geochemical data collection

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Suppliers of Education
n 19 (33)
Area of interest
Primary area of interest
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Products of Education
n 230 of 620 70 graduates / year 20 for
exploration industry
Geology programs APGO eligible
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Field Training Where to Get It

• Without add-on programs, OGS hires five 4th
  year students, 16 from years 1-3
• GSC hires only 70 nationally (cf 250 in the early
  90s) 1-2 from Ontario for field work
• 12 University geoscience departments, 3 community
  colleges in Ontario 2 students from each
  school not enough !!

• Field training must be part of the regular
  curriculum
• Advanced training needed for professionals as
  well

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Business and Professional Skills

• Required Continuous Learning Program for New
  Professionals
• Modern Professional must gain experience in
• Systematic geological mapping
• GIS applications for exploration
• Mineral economics From Discovery to Mining to
  Remediation
• Data management, advanced computer skills
• Advances in mineral deposits science, geochemical
  and geophysical techniques and interpretation
• Professional Certification, Upgrading and
  Management Training
• Business Ethics and Business Law
• Securities Regulations and Processes
• Environmental law, regulations, legal processes

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A Two-Pronged Approach to Minerals-Related
Enhancing Education and Research in Ontario

• 1 New Integrated Graduate Studies Program in
  Exploration Geoscience for Ontario Universities
• Graduate programs in exploration-related science
  now provided at 10 Ontario universities
• Each university typically has 2 minerals-related
  specialists (largest has 4)
• Together, they encompass the broad range of
  specializations (except exploration geochemistry)
• By organizing a modular course curriculum
  (typically 1-2 week modules) , with a sufficient
  budget to bring students to the courses, a
  world-class applied graduate program could be
  provided.
• This would permit industry professionals to
  upgrade with minimal disruption, provide a
  highly attractive graduate program, and ensure a
  supply of highly trained geoscientists
• Research undertaken by these students would
  address key scientific problems facing the
  industry. The research results would enhance
  exploration efficacy.

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A Two-Pronged Approach to Minerals-Related
Enhancing Education and Research in Ontario

• 2 Post graduation finishing school for
  exploration science - a continuing education
  approach
• Program should provide opportunities for about 10
  students per year to gain advanced knowledge in
  exploration-related fields
• Mineral deposits geology, structure, volcanology,
  GIS, business ethics and mineral economics
  modules are needed
• Some must be primarily field-based, others
  classroom-based
• A combination of 1 year full time opportunities
  in field geology (with government surveys) and
  10-20 day modular courses

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Who Will Provide This?

• Universities and Colleges
• Modular field courses 10-20 each days for
• Volcanology
• Structural Geology
• Advanced field mapping
• Modular Campus Courses 5-10 days each
• Mineral Economics
• Business Management for the Junior Exploration
  environment
• Securities Law
• Professional Registration
• Government Geological Surveys
• Enhanced hiring of trainees- recent graduates
• Expanded mapping programs more mapping , less
  synthesis

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How Will it be Done?

• Year of mentoring with OGS/GSC as part of regular
  mapping program
• Recent graduates employed as contract staff,
  under supervision of experienced geoscientist
• Need expanded mapping programs in Ontario
• Federal-Provincial Cooperative Mapping Strategy
  (25m/yr) would have employed 200 students in
  field mapping, research support etc.
• Modular field and campus courses
• Each course 10 days
• Taught by experienced professionals, including
  both university staff and contract senior
  professionals
• Many lecturers drawn from major exploration
  companies, government and consulting
  professionals

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What Will It Cost?
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Who Will Pay

• Cost (2,300,000) shared by industry, government
  (including NSERC 1,200,000) and student fees
• 580,000 for post-graduation finishing school 10
  students /year when fully operational
• 25,000 for direct continuing education costs
  (for employees)
• 500,000 for Graduate students, registered at any
  one of the 10 Ontario universities
• Industry to support its employees, and provide
  access and accommodation for lecture
  field-based modules
• Following the Australian model, the graduate
  program would cost 500,000/year (from industry
  or government)
• OGS/GSC to enhance mapping programs A double
  win, with more mapping, and excellent training of
  contract employees who would then move to
  industry employment
• NSERC industry-university program will provide
  grants to support research costs (1,200,000 19
  Profs_at_60,000)

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Working Together

• Sustainable mining requires discovery
• Discovery is underpinned by
• Better (and better use of) data
• More highly trained professionals continuous
  learning
• Research
• Technology advances
• Only by formalizing a partnership between
  governments, universities and industry will we
  succeed
• New government mapping and exploration-related
  geoscience programs are essential
• Targetted Geoscience Initiative will hire 50
  students, mainly in field programs (if Federal
  Budget is approved !!)
• Cooperative Mapping Strategy would provide funds
  to Provinces, as well as GSC, for about 200
  students in mapping, plus much enhanced funding
  for applied research (To be in the 2006 Budget)
• Will OMICC take the lead?