New geochemical data to support critical minerals exploration in British Columbia interior

New till geochemical and mineralogical results and an accompanying report published by Geoscience BC improve knowledge of central British Columbia’s surficial geology and the potential for critical mineral deposits that might be buried beneath surficial deposits.

Critical minerals and metals, including copper, are integral to the transition to a net-zero economy because they are essential to technologies including solar panels, semiconductors, wind turbines and the batteries needed for electrification, Geoscience BC said in a media release Monday.

As part of Geoscience BC’s Central Interior Copper-Gold Research (CICGR) program, the latest results from the Surficial Exploration Project, led by Wayne Jackaman at Noble Exploration Services and Dave Sacco at Palmer, were published at the AME Roundup conference in Vancouver. All results from the program to date can be accessed on the Geoscience BC website.

The release adds to a public data set that now includes analytical results from over 1,500 till samples, filling in significant gaps in previous and historical sampling. Samples were collected in areas around communities including Quesnel, Williams Lake, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Mackenzie (NTS map sheets 093A, B, G, J, K and O).

“This latest report significantly enhances the publicly available till and mineralogical data set, guiding critical mineral and metal exploration in central British Columbia,” Geoscience BC Vice President, Minerals Christa Pellett said in a statement. “It is accessible public geoscience that is key to ensuring a secure future supply of critical minerals and metals for Canada.”

CICGR is an ongoing program generating publicly available, quality baseline data on the Quesnel terrane, which hosts several copper-gold deposits, and the Quaternary sediments that cover large parts of central BC. Reports, data and maps from the CICGR program can be used to inform evidence-based mineral exploration and land use decisions by industry, government, communities and Indigenous groups.

Final results from the Surficial Exploration Project will include reanalysis of additional historical samples recently recovered from storage at BC Geological Survey and Natural Resources Canada facilities. These results are expected to be released later in 2023.