Minerals

New discovery of copper found along the Wopmay River. Credit: NTGS.The Northwest Territory Geological Survey’s minerals group conducts mineral studies ranging from regional scale geology and metallogeny to studies of specific mineral deposits studies all the way down to drill core and hand samples. These studies are often done collaboratively with partners from various universities form across Canada, and involve a wide variety of methods ranging from cutting-edge geochemical and isotopic studies to microscopic examination of thin-sections of rock. These studies are applied to variety of geological problems, such as studying rocks that are billions of years old, and unraveling the mineral potential of new and old mining districts. Research is related to metals, emeralds, diamonds and alkaline rocks, as well as geochemistry, igneous/metamorphic petrology, geophysics, and isotope studies.