The two-year program is supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance Grant and combines industry exploration with university research to tackle a longstanding geological mystery.
Located in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, about 90 kilometres north of Montreal, the Kremer Project hosts nickel-, copper- and cobalt-bearing sulfide minerals within ancient rocks that have undergone intense metamorphism and deformation. Researchers are still trying to determine whether the mineralization originally formed from magma deep underground and was later moved by geological forces, or whether it formed through a different process altogether. A better understanding of the mineralization’s origins could help geologists identify the most promising targets for exploration.
The project is led by Professor Brian O’Driscoll, Newmont Chair in Economic Geology in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. O’Driscoll has approximately 20 years of experience researching ore deposits and sulfide mineralization and has led numerous industry-partnered research projects.
“The Kremer mineralization has all the ingredients of a compelling scientific mystery. High-grade metamorphic terranes have historically received less attention in nickel-copper exploration, yet discoveries such as Nova-Bollinger in Australia’s Fraser Range demonstrate that significant nickel-copper sulfide mineralization can be preserved in rocks that have undergone intense metamorphism and deformation,” says O’Driscoll. “We’re bringing a suite of modern geological tools to the project to better understand how the mineralization formed and what that could tell us about where to explore next.”