New analysis method highlights location of buried mineral deposits in west-central BC
Vancouver, BC - April 19, 2018 - A new report published by Geoscience BC today delivers a clearer picture of the valuable minerals hidden below the surface in west-central British Columbia using an advanced analysis and modelling technique to reliably locate buried deposits in prospective areas obscured by sediments.
The Advanced processing of the TREK project geochemical data project developed a method to combine geochemical data from thousands of till and lake sediments collected across west-central BC with information about surface sediment movements and bedrock chemistry. The new method confidently identifies low-risk exploration targets in regional surface sediment datasets, increasing exploration efficiency and reducing impact.
Lead researcher, David Sacco, surficial geologist at Palmer Environmental Consulting Group Inc., said: "There is additional value hidden in previously collected data if we process it carefully. We standardized the data, combined it with new data, and then brought in information about the bedrock types and known mineral deposits in the area.
"Combining all these variables allows us to tease out the geochemical signal of mineralization in the till and lake sediment across the region," said Sacco.
Mineral exploration is difficult in central BC because a thick layer of glacial sediments and volcanic rock cover much of the prospective bedrock units where undiscovered mineral deposits may be found. Since 2013, Geoscience BC has supported numerous teams of geoscientists through the Targeting Resources for Exploration and Knowledge (TREK) project. The surface sediment exploration component of the project produced "one of the largest, highest-quality, and directly comparable surficial geochemistry data sets in North America," said Sacco.
Commenting on the new report, Geoscience BC Vice President of Minerals and Mining Bruce Madu said: "Generating new prospects from very large data sets is the future of mineral exploration. This project moulded the data into valuable information, allowing apple-to-apple comparisons that highlight areas explorers may want to investigate further."
The TREK project explores a 24,000 km2 area between Anahim Lake north and east towards Burns Lake, Vanderhoof and Williams Lake, in the territories of the Tsilhqot'in Nation and Carrier Sekani Tribal Council. The new anomalies identified in this project and the presence of rich deposits in the region, such as the proposed Blackwater gold-silver mine southwest of Vanderhoof, suggests there is still considerable potential for undiscovered mineralization in the area.
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About Geoscience BC
Geoscience BC is an independent, non-profit organization that generates earth science information in collaboration with First Nations, local communities, governments, academia and the resource sector. Our independent earth science enables informed resource management decisions. Geoscience BC gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.