Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Rigorous ground geophysical surveys are to be carried out in western Newfoundland over the Valentine Lake Property, which contains two significant gold deposits and at least three additional prospects. The main aims, carried out by an MSc candidate and undergraduate students, are: to map surficial cover with ground penetrating radar (GPR) in order to calculate water reserves, help with drill and superstructure placement for the future mine and map hidden faults; and utilizing the GPR results, to use surface gravity measurements to delineate the region hosting the gold.Other planned activities include bog and lake sediment core sampling, and magnetic and self-potential (SP) surveys. The sampling, in addition to allowing depth calibration for the GPR data, will provide information on carbon and water budgets of Newfoundland sediments, and may indicate past erosion patterns. Magnetic surveys, in combination with GPR results, will to help delineate subsurface structures near the prospects. The SP surveys, where the surface voltage is measured over the deposit, are exploratory: it is not known they will provide data relevant to the mineralization, or to structure, or to surficial materials. All the survey instruments are part of the state-of-the-art geophysical equipment pool at Memorial University.This research will provide valuable information both to the property owners and the wider resource exploration community on the utility of ground geophysics over a deposit type that occurs in belts across the island of Newfoundland. Though no geophysical surveys can directly detect gold, the surveys will help in finding the best regions to drill and for planning the mine with minimal environmental impact. Students employed in the project will be trained in a number of high precision geophysical methods and data analysis in an environment that will prepare them for employment as highly qualified personnel.