Mining News: B.C. workshop focuses on rare metals geology

British Columbia’s Ministry of Energy, Mines & Resources and Geological Survey are sponsoring an international workshop on the geology of rare metals Nov. 9-10, 2010 at the Harbour Towers Hotel in Victoria, B.C.

The two-day gathering will focus on various aspects of rare earth elements (lanthanides, yttrium and scandium) and other rare metals (mainly niobium, tantalum, lithium, beryllium, zirconium, hafnium). Among the scheduled technical presentations:

• Rare Metals – Markets and Strategic Importance

• Geology of the Rare Metals – A Primer  

• Carbonatite-related Deposits of China - Mongolia

• Rare-metal Mineralization in Carbonatites:  Challenges for Exploration

• Tantalum and Niobium Deposits and their Metallurgy

• Niobium Mineralization in Carbonatites

• Geology and Geochemistry of REE deposits in Peralkaline Complexes

• Rare-Metal Pegmatite Mineralization

• Rare-Metal Peraluminous Granites: Comparison with Pegmatite Deposits

• Lithium Resources (Brines, Pegmatites, Hectorites)

• Lithium in Western Canada Oil Field Brines

• Exploration Geophysics for Intrusion-hosted Rare Earth Metals

• Remote Sensing in Exploration for Rare Metal Deposits

In addition, the workshop also features presentations on mines and development/exploration projects in Canada and Greenland. Among them: Aley Carbonatite (British Columbia, niobium), Hoidas Lake (Saskatchewan, REE), Ilimuassaq complex (Greenland, REE), Rock Canyon (British Columbia, fluorine-REE), Tanco Mine (Manitoba, lithium, rubidium, cesium, tantalum), Thor Lake (Northwest Territories, hafnium-selenium), and True Blue (Yukon Territory, REE).

Selected posters also will be presented describing the rare metal potential of Canadian Provinces (Quebec, Newfoundland-Labrador, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia) and some cutting-edge research projects at Canadian universities. 

For program updates, visit the British Columbia Geological Survey website. For questions regarding the technical program, please contact George Simandl at the BCGS by email: [email protected]. To register for the workshop, visit http://www.karelo.com/register.php?BID=449&BT=10#Ev9659 or call (250) 952-0429.

—Rose Ragsdale