CanNor Funding: $3,275,000
GNWT Funding: $1,100,000
Private Sector Funding: $900,000
Total Project Value: $5,275,000
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) will invest $3.275 million over three years (2011 to 2014) to support continuing geoscience research and data analysis in the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories' Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) and the private sector will invest a further $2 million, for a total project value of $5.275 million.
The projects will provide valuable new geoscience knowledge in underexplored areas that have high resource potential or proven resources. Geoscience data provides essential information to support mineral and petroleum resource exploration and development decisions, fostering significant investment in the territory. Funded activities will include:
- Targeted bedrock mapping – Three geological mapping projects will be carried out in the Mackenzie Mountains, including the Howard's Pass area, where the world-class Selwyn lead-zinc deposit is located. Other projects will investigate the enigmatic Hottah terrane south of Great Bear Lake, the Blachford Intrusive Suite and Elk pegmatite field in the southern Slave Province, and the Mackenzie Mountains and Plain in the Norman Wells-Tulita region.
- Petroleum and Mineral Deposit Studies – A detailed analysis of petroleum systems in the central Mackenzie Valley will complement regional mapping and stratigraphic studies. Known copper showings in the Mackenzie Mountains, gold showings in the Yellowknife region, and base metal prospects in several areas of the Slave Province will also be studied in detail.
- Regional Geochemical Surveys – Helicopter-assisted surveys in the Mackenzie Mountains, Colville Lake, and Churchill regions will gather regional geological information and provide baseline environmental data.
- Geophysical data collection and interpretation – Airborne geophysical surveys in under-explored areas with mineral or petroleum potential, and analysis of the data gathered from both new and previous surveys will identify exploration and research targets.
- Technical Support – Employment of a Geographic Information Systems Technician will support the funded activities.
The initiative will be managed by the Northwest Territories Geoscience Office (NTGO), a joint federal and territorial office funded and staffed by the Geology Division of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) in partnership with ITI. Staff from both groups will carry out, contribute to, or oversee the projects described above. Contributions from external research partners, mainly universities across Canada, provide an important additional element that helps ensure research success and significantly leverages NWT-based expertise.
