METAL EARTH:An Integrated 3D Study of Our Earth

Harold Gibson, Director

OutlineCFEF Background and Competition

Inception of Metal Earth

What is Metal Earth

Building Scientific Capacity and Organizational Structure

Research Strategy and Activities

Research Activity Implementation

Outputs and Anticipated Outcomes

METAL EARTH

CFREF Competition

Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF)Mission:To help Canadian post secondary institutions to excel globally in research areas that will create long-term economic advantages for Canada.

The Fund helps competitively selected institutions:

To turn their key strengths into world leading capabilities

To to make breakthrough discoveries.

To seize emerging opportunities and strategically advance their greatest strengths on the global stage.

To implement large-scale, transformational and forward-thinking institutional strategies.

http://www.cfref-apogee.gc.ca

CANADA FIRST RESEARCH EXCELLENCE FUNDThe Competition

• Round 2, $900M available• Goal: pick Canadian institutions that are in the top 10% in

the world and invest to make them global leaders• 51 LOI (letters of intent), 30 invited to full

application incl. LU• LU amongst 15 universities invited to

interview – 13 awarded grant• LU only application in the Geosciences - Exploration

METAL EARTH

• A seven-year, $104 M applied R&D initiative

• Led by Laurentian University and MERC, the HarquailSchool of Earth Science’s Mineral Exploration ResearchCentre

• $49.26M CFREF + 55.14 M cash and in-kind from LU and Government, Academic, and Industry Partners

Major Canadian Geoscience Research InitiativesLithoprobe, 1980-2001 - $141M (2016 $)

Neptune Canada - now Ocean Networks Canada, 2003 – present , -$160M

International Ocean Drilling Program, 2004-present - $8.2M

Geo-Mapping for Energy and Minerals (NRcan) – 2014-2020 - $100M

Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI 5) (NRcan) – 2016-2020 - $25M

Canadian Mining Innovation Council/NSERC– Footprints Project – 2013-2018 $13M

METAL EARTH

Inception - Knowledge Gaps

BASE METAL RESERVES FALLING

Metal Earth could be key to solvingthe world’s future metal needs

WIDE GAP BETWEEN SPEND AND FIND

More intelligent targeting will lower the risk for government and private sector to open new mines.

Knowledge GapsEstablished working groups within the Harquail School of Earth Science to identify knowledge gaps in our understanding of Precambrian gold and base metal deposits

Consulted recognized industry experts

Discussions with government and academic colleagues

Held industry, academic workshops

What we learned:

A major impediment to exploration success is how to identify metal endowed areas from the vast areas that are geologically similar, but have less or no metal endowment….

Deep Mature Camps Remote & Covered Areas

1. Multi-parameter footprints and 3D vectoring• Detecting edges and vectoring

to ore

1. Characteristics of fertile terranes and districts • How do we select fertile

ground?

2. Techniques to unravel deep 3D geology• Deep penetrating detection

and mapping techniques

2. Techniques to map sub-surface geology• Drilling, data integration• Data density for detection

3. Real-time down-hole data collection • Real-time decision

3. Secondary dispersion • Understanding mechanisms• Developing techniques

CIM Annual Meeting, Toronto, May 6, 2013

CMICCCIM

Metal Earth

Slide provided by Francois Robert, CMIC “Footprint” project

METAL EARTH

What is Metal Earth?

What is Metal Earth

Metal Earth is an applied R&D program. It is a strategic consortium of outstanding Canadian researchers from academia and allied Canadian and international research centres, government and industry led by Laurentian University.

Metal Earth will transform our understanding of Earth’s early evolution and the fundamental processes that govern metal endowment.

It will make Canada a world leader in mineral exploration research and world-class innovator through open source delivery of new knowledge and the development and implementation of new technologies.

What is Metal Earth?Metal Earth will: 1. build on existing knowledge of ore deposits and districts, but differs in its approach to resolve ore system-scale controls on metal endowment. Unprecedented scale -craton to greenstone belt to district to deposit

2) Image entire ore and non-ore systems at full crust-mantle scale to identify key geological, geochemical and geophysical attributes that explain the processes responsible for the extraction of metals from sources, transport pathways, and their economic concentration.

3) relate deep earth features to the specific distribution of ores.

4) place equal emphasis on less endowed areas, thereby identifying -fingerprinting-measurable differences that resulted in contrasting metal endowment.

5) research, develop, and use new 3D & 4D data integration, analysis and visualization tools to address the significant challenges of deposit-to-craton scale data integration to aid in the discovery of new deposits

METAL EARTHBuilding Scientific Capacity

Building Scientific Capacity - Partners

• U. of Alberta• U. Laval• U. of Ottawa• U. of Quebec Chicoutimi• U. of Toronto (JSL)• U. New South Wales

• Geological Surveys– Manitoba– Northwest Territories– Nunavut– Ontario– Quebec– Geological Survey of

Canada

Consortium of outstanding Canadian and International researchers from academia, government and industry – 21 research partners

Building Scientific Capacity - Partners

• Carnegie Institute for Sciences (US)

• Centre for Exploration Targeting (AUS)

• Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits(AUS)

• Mira Geosciences• MIRARCO• CEMI• TMAC Resources Ltd• Noront Resources• Vale Canada Ltd• More to come…….

Building Scientific Capacity – PartnersScience Leaders

Dr John Ayer, Laurentian U. Adjunct Prof and MERC Associate Director – Precambrian GeologyProf. Georges Beaudoin, U. Laval, Stable Isotopes and AlterationProf. Real Diagnault, U. Quebec Chicoutimi, Precambrian tectonics and structureProf. Harold Gibson, Laurentian U., Director, VMS deposits, Volcanology, GeochemistryProf. Michael Hamilton, U, Toronto, Geochronology, Precambrian GeologyProf. Mark Hannington, Ottawa U, Seafloor tectonics and MetallogenyProf. Daniel Kontak, Laurentian U., Gold and Ore FluidsProf. Bruno Lafrance, Laurentian U., Associate Director, Structural Geology and TectonicsProf. Michael Lesher, Laurentian U., Magmatic Ore Deposits and GeochemistryProf. Jeremy Richards, (U. Alberta) Laurentian U., Metallogeny and TectonicsDr. Steven Shirey, Carnegie Institute of Science, Precambrian Geology and Mantle processesProf. Richard Smith, Laurentian U., Exploration Geophysics – ElectromagneticDr. David Snyder, Geological Survey of Canada, Geophysics – SeismicDr. Philips Thurston, Laurentian U., Adjunct Prof, Precambrian Geology

Building Scientific Capacity – Faculty and HQP

5 New University Faculty Chair in Exploration TargetingExploration Geophysics – seismic methodsPrecambrian GeologyEarth Systems Modeling – Data AnalyticsEconomic Geology - UQAC

35 Research Associates/PDFs

9 technical support positions

30 PhD, 40 MSc, 105 BSC students

METAL EARTHOrganizational Structure

MERC - Metal Earth Organizational Structure

MERC-ME Advisory Board

ScienceAdvisory

Group

Performance Assessment

Group

MERC-Metal Earth Director

Metal EarthAssociate Director

MERCAssociate Director

Scientific and TechnicalManagement, ImplementationGroup

Laurentian VP Research

Knowledge Transfer GroupSustainability Group

Researchers/Students Researchers/Students

Operational Component Advisory Component

First Nation Engagement Group

Start-UpAdvisory

Group

LU Implementation Committee

Research InitiativesEducational InitiativesImplementation

METAL EARTHStrategyResearch Activities

Research Strategy

Metal Earth will initially focus on Archean greenstone belts, constituting 80% of Earth history, 30% of Canada’s Far North rock exposure and 48% of Canada’s metal wealth to determine processes responsible for early Earth’s differential metal endowment.

The answer to this fundamental question will require a new understanding of secular changes in the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, mantle, and geodynamic processes and environments.

Craton-belt-district-deposit scale research and integration

Study endowed and less endowed geological “equivalents”

Integration, analysis, visualization of multiparameter geoscience data

Research ActivitiesMetal Earth comprises four integrated activities:

1. Broad, craton-scale research to understand greenstone belt architecture and the interaction of greenstone belts with their surrounding granitoids during terrane assembly and ore district formation

2. Transect research where more detailed studies will resolve the lithospheric-crustal architecture and fluid (magma/heat) pathways, providing a geological framework to resolve the differential endowment of terranes and structures – Mantle-crust slices

3. Thematic research from craton to deposit scales will address specific processes or questions on metal endowment

4. Data Analytics research to develop new data integration, analysis and interpretive tools to predict metal endowment.

Lydon, 2007

Research Areas

1. Craton Research - Years 1-6

New understanding of the 3- and 4-D architecture of the Superior and Slave cratons

Compile regional geoscience data

New zircon Lu-Hf, Sm-Nd and O isotopic data to map time slices of the secular variations in assembly of cratons and identify mantle-crustal pathways

Live and extinct radionuclide isotopic tracer systems, and PGEs on mantle rocks and mantle probing crustal to rocks to map mantle metal reservoirs

(McCuaig and Hronsky, 2014AIG Mineral Systems Symposium)

2. Transect Research – Years 1-5

Transects– across endowed gold-rich ancestral fault systems and volcanic centres that host gold and or base metal deposits and less endowed ancestral fault and volcanic centres with similar geology

Collection, integration, interrogation and visualization of complex multiparameter geoscience data (seismic, MT, Gravity, and surface geological, geochemical, geophysical data)

Slices from mantle to crust

Proposed Abitibi Transects

Proposed Wabigoon Transects

3. Thematic Research - Years 3-7Research at the craton- district- deposit scale directed at answering fundamental questions pertaining to features/processes associated with metal endowment

General Themes

1. Fluid/magma/heat pathways

2. Does the SCLM differ between endowed and less endowed areas

3. Fluid and metal sources, mantle and crust

3. Archean tectonics and metallogeny

Bierlein et al., 2009

1) Current metallogenic and endowment models are based on Phanerozoic slab-driven plate-tectonic processes.

2) Were Archean tectonic processes similar to those of today? If not, what were the processes and how did they affect metal endowment?

4. Data Analytics – Years 1-7Geoscience data from Craton, Transect and Thematic integrated, analyzed, interrogated and visualized using a goCAD Common Earth Model

Partnership with MIRA Geosciences

Explore other software - Geoscience ANALYST, INTEGRATOR, Geon IDV (time stamp data sets), Machine learning

Build on established best practices - CMIC’s “Footprint project”

Visualization using LU’s and Univ NSW’s Virtual Realty Labs

Develop new technologies, modeling algorithms, software tools, and techniques to integrate, interpret and visualize data and to aid exploration,

Commercialization

Data AnalyticsChallengesHuge database of multiparameter geoscience data (geophysical, geochemical, geological)

Data archive

Non-uniform, sparse data

Data in 3D space, interrogated in 3D space, relational datainterrogation and analysis, and 4D analysis

3D and 4D visualization

Data Analytics

ChallengesData storage and database integrity, data security, firewalls, confidential data (industry), selective distribution of data types to partners, to public

Partnerships to develop software tools, commercialization

Metal Earth supported Chair in Exploration Targeting and Earth System Modeling leads in Data integration, Analysis, Visualization and Interpretation

CEMI’s Mining Data Control Control Centre (MODCC) at SNOLAB in Sudbury available resource

METAL EARTHResearch Activity Implementation

Research Activity Implementation – Year 1Year 1 (Sept 01 2016 to March 31st 2017)Initiate Craton Research

Geophysical (geochemical) CompilationGeochron CompilationZircon Hf, Sm and O isotopic study Initiate Mantle research themes

Initiate Transect ResearchWinter 2016 – Seismic surveys, Abitibi Quebec

Year 2 (April 1st 2017 – March 31st 2018)Continue Craton Research

Continue Transect ResearchMT, Gravity, geological, geochemical research summer 2017, Seismic Winter 2018

METAL EARTHOutputs and Outcomes

Outputs and Anticipated OutcomesResearch Activities

Craton

Transect

Thematic

Data Analytics

Outputs Anticipated Outcomes

Increased scientific capacity

Centre of Excellence

Global leadership in Mineral Exploration Research

Exploration Tool Kit

Increased Discovery rates

New Mines – taxes, jobs

Northern Development

New Knowledge and HQP

Reports, maps, theses, journal publications

Workshops/Conferences

Geoscience data – Open Source

New techniques/technologies

Commercial Products

Thank You