Grant: Alliance Grants

Canada is a world leader in mineral exploration and mining technology, but the discovery of new mineral resources is declining, despite increasing exploration expenditures. The development of geochemical, mineralogical, and structural vectors which guide exploration towards new targets and are accessible, economic, and scalable are becoming increasingly important. This study will investigate the volcanic and structural architecture, petrography, and alteration chemistry of a portion of the Shebandowan greenstone belt in the Wawa subprovince of Northern Ontario to better constrain the gold mineralization and to develop vectors towards mineralization. The principal methods employed in this study will be fundamental geological mapping and logging, combined with traditional and state-of-the-art analytical techniques, which will characterize the structures, mineralization, and alteration system associated with mineralization of the Moss Lake area. The research will be completed by three highly qualified personnel (2 master's students and one postdoctoral fellow), who will be trained to use modern digital field methods and high-quality microanalytical instruments, making them highly skilled assets for industry, academia, or government surveys. Overall, this project will help improve exploration confidence and success in the quest for new discoveries of metal resources in Canada. This study has the potential to lead to new discoveries by developing enhanced deposit models that can be applied elsewhere within Canada and by Canadian companies working overseas. At a broader scale, the tools generated within this project will help Canadian mining companies enhance exploration efficiency and reduce both the time and capital cost for the discovery of mineral resources.