Sudbury’s Laurentian University will be doing some target practice with minerals in the coming months if all goes to plan. A university research consortium is promising to develop methods to improve mineral targeting received provincial funding on June 29.
Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle joined Energy Minister and Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault, and Laurentian academics, at the announcement of $5 million for Metal Earth from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC).
Metal Earth is a proposed seven-year research and development program run through Laurentian's geoscience department.
The funding was the tip of larger $107.7-million research endeavour. The provincial funding cashes the project up to $55.2 million with $52.5 million to be raised.
The final amount has been requested from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, and university researchers should know the results by August.
“This would put Canada as a global leader,” said Harold Gibson, a Laurentian economic geology professor, who will head up the consortium.
Metal Earth examines how minerals have been distributed in the crust throughout time and space and the reasons behind different areas to improve the understanding and prediction of valuable deposits.
“Areas of endowment and non-endowment can look geologically very similar,” said Gibson. “We want to take this vast area of Canada and reduce it to specific areas, giving industry and government the ability to target areas.”
The consortium will involve Canadian researchers, national and international allied research centres, government and industry. It is focused on delivering usable data and products like software to government and industry.
“The key to any industry is to continue to have research done, and we want to have mines opening on a regular basis,” said Gravelle.
