Canadian Mineral Deposit Geology Quiz

Answer: Detour Lake

Canada is one of the top five gold-producing countries in the world. The largest gold mine in Ontario is the Detour Lake mine. In 2022, Detour Lake produced just over 20 metric tonnes of gold making it one of the biggest in the world. Gold was first discovered in 1974 in the Detour Lake region by Amoco Petroleum Lmt. The mine opened in 1983 and is expected to continue operations until 2052. Conventional open-pit mining is the method of gold extraction at Detour Lake. For an idea of just how rare gold is, the Detour Lake rate of 1 gram of gold for every tonne of dirt is considered excellent and is 250 times more concentrated than average soil. By contrast, the highest grade mine, Fire Creek, in Nevada, USA has a gradient of 44 gm/tonne!

By the way, kuhugaq is the Innuit word for an icicle! The region where Detour Lake is situated in North East Ontario would have been part of Cree lands before the European arrival.

Answer: Kidd Creek

Kidd Creek is the world's deepest base metal mine descending over 3,000 meters below the surface and counting. The Lucky Friday Mine is the next deepest base metal mine, which is expected to reach a depth of 2,900 meters when it has been exhausted. Base metals are inexpensive metals, in this case, zinc and copper. The deepest mine in the world is the Driefontein Gold Mine in South Africa has a depth of over 3,400 meters.

The productivity of Kidd Creek is due to a volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit. When mines get as deep as Kidd Creek, careful engineering must be conducted to keep the mine safe including ventilation shafts and backfilling to prevent mine collapse.

Answer: Limestone

Mississippi Valley Type (MVP) deposits are always in limestone. Bedrock is underneath the porous limestone helping trap mineral deposits. MVP deposits were first discovered along the Mississippi River, hence the name, but they can be found throughout much of the central North American plains including Central Canada.

The most common minerals found within an MVT deposit are sphalerite (zinc sulfide) and galena (lead sulfide). Sphalerite is responsible for around 95% of the produced commercial zinc for making brass and bronze alloys among other things. Galena is a source of lead, but also sometimes has a bit of gold trapped within it.

Answer: Cobalt

Windy Craggy has a massive ore deposit containing copper, cobalt, gold, silver, and zinc. Cobalt in particular is in high demand as it is a critical component of electric vehicle batteries. Also, over two-thirds of the mined cobalt in the world comes from the unstable Democratic Republic of Congo.

The two biggest challenges with the Windy Craggy site are that it is in a remote and difficult-to-reach mountainous area, and it is within a protected nature preserve. The preserve was actually expanded in 1993 to prevent mining as it was deemed potentially too detrimental to the environment. Newer eco-friendly mining practices could reduce environmental impacts. Time will tell.

Answer: Hudson Bay

The Canadian Shield forms a massive ring around the Hudson Bay. A shield is a stable area where plate tectonics are no longer active resulting in the land being flat with little to no mountain formation. Both igneous and sedimentary rocks are found within the Canadian Shield.

A combination of plate tectonics, erosion, and glaciation have formed the Shield. The Canadian Shield is one of the oldest rock formations on the Earth possibly dating back to over 3 billion years. It is rich in precious minerals including gold, silver, copper, zinc, nickel, iron, uranium, and diamonds. Because of this, thousands of mines have been dug all across the Canadian Shield.

Answer: Coal

Coal is not nearly as glamorous as diamonds, but it could be said to be more useful. Despite the environmental impacts of burning coal, the world is still very dependent on it for energy. The Fording River Mine is the largest coal mine in Canada producing about 8.5 million tonnes in 2022. By comparison, the North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Wyoming, USA, produced 98.4 million tonnes in 2018.

Answer: Kimberlite

Unlike other valuable stones, natural diamonds are formed deep within the Earth in the high pressure of the mantle. Kimberlite is a volcanic magnesium-rich extrusive igneous rock. It forms a vertical "pipe" down through the crust of the Earth and has trapped several valuable minerals, including diamonds. Scientists believe the kimberlite pipes actually form in the mantle and push their way through the crust.

The Ekati Mine is a relatively new one, being opened in 1998. The kimberlite pipes are mostly under shallow lakes and, due to the extreme cold, advanced mining techniques have to be used to dig the open mines. Within the first ten years of mining, Ekati produced 40 million carats of diamonds. Due to its remote location, workers have to fly into the Ekati airport to get to work as there is no town structure around the mine.

Answer: From fossilized shells

Ammonlite comes from the shells of mollusks called ammonites which perished during the Triassic extinction event. These prehistoric creatures resembled modern-day nautilus species but are closer relatives to octopi and squid. The resulting ammolite stones have beautiful iridescent rainbow coloring with greens and reds being most prominent.

The coloration is not due as much to light absorption as it is from light reflection interference. The stone is in thin layered plates and a variety of minerals can get trapped within each layer of the stone affecting the color and quality. Stones closer to the surface tend to be cracked and more brittle than stones found deeper underground. Due to their scarcity, these stones have become quite valuable.

Answer: Uranium

McArthur River mine in Saskatchewan, Canada, has the world's largest high-grade uranium deposit. The neighboring Cigar Lake mine produces the most high-grade uranium in the world each year accounting for 14% of the total global production. While Kazakhstan produces three times as much uranium as Canada, the quality is not as high.

The United States, China, and France are the countries that use the most uranium for producing nuclear energy.

Answer: Gold

Canada produced $55 billion worth of minerals in the year 2021 with gold leading the way as 25% of the total worth. Based on 2021 values, the second most lucrative resource for Canada is coal (14%) followed by iron ore (12%). Diamonds make up only 3% and precious gems make up only 2%. Ontario and Quebec account for the largest production of mined materials due to the Canadian Shield. Saskatchewan and British Columbia produce the most coal and non-metallic minerals.