Technical Program

Prolific Archean greenstone belts are home to Canada's major gold producers and their metal endowment continues to attract substantial exploration efforts. This session provides an overview of the combination of structural, magmatic, metamorphic and hydrothermal processes which culminated in the formation of orogenic-type gold deposits and highlights four Canadian case studies. Following an overview presentation with a system-scale perspective, selected speakers will showcase geological insights from active projects and operations.

Session will be recorded and available online at a later date

Prospectors and developers who seek support for their projects quickly learn that those who might finance them, and the authorities that must approve them, have keen interest in the present price of, and the prospects for, the commodities that these projects could produce. This is why the Commodities program is one of the most popular parts of the PDAC Convention’s Technical Sessions.
The Commodities program this year comprises two one-hour sessions, presented in person and recorded. Session 1 includes: a review of global trends in mineral exploration; the economic outlook for metals prices; a case study of how a corporation incorporates into its strategy the outlook for the 2020s; and a consideration of ESG, focusing on climate change and its effects on such strategic planning. Session 2 includes: the outlook for gold and silver; the outlook for the prices and smelter charges for the products of a nickel-cobalt-PGE mine and mill; the outlook for the nuclear and uranium businesses; and the outlook for those materials that support the electrification of the global economy.

Session will be recorded and available online at a later date

Prospectors and developers who seek support for their projects quickly learn that those who might finance them, and the authorities that must approve them, have keen interest in the present price of, and the prospects for, the commodities that these projects could produce. This is why the Commodities program is one of the most popular parts of the PDAC Convention’s Technical Sessions.
The Commodities program this year comprises two one-hour sessions, presented in person and recorded. Session 1 includes: a review of global trends in mineral exploration; the economic outlook for metals prices; a case study of how a corporation incorporates into its strategy the outlook for the 2020s; and a consideration of ESG, focusing on climate change and its effects on such strategic planning. Session 2 includes: the outlook for gold and silver; the outlook for the prices and smelter charges for the products of a nickel-cobalt-PGE mine and mill; the outlook for the nuclear and uranium businesses; and the outlook for those materials that support the electrification of the global economy. 

Copper resources are dominated by porphyry, sedimentary, and IOCG copper deposits. Most copper production and resource base are contained in the first two types. This session looks at an example of a developing porphyry copper project and a new sedimentary  producer. Large scale copper deposits present financing issues that must be considered during pre-production. Looking to the future: How could the strategy of diversified mining companies, gold companies and oil and gas companies affect the exploration and M & A for copper resources? 

The session leads off with an update of activities connecting Canada’s mining and space sectors by NRCAN followed a by realistic look at recent ISRU advances for supporting future endeavors and the importance of water and the application of terrestrial exploration know how for space resource development. A look at developing exploration tools and their application is followed by a legal perspective of Canada’s possible leadership role in the space mining race especially with the increasing relevance of a net zero economy. The session will be rounded out by a look at the real benefits to Canadian terrestrial explorers and developers from their participation in the space sector. 

Policymakers, end consumers and increasingly environmentally conscious industry players in North America and Europe are key drivers of the transition to carbon-neutral transportation and energy generation, which is facilitated by a suite of critical metals. This session provides an overview of Canadian opportunities in the exploration, production and processing of critical metals and minerals for a low carbon future and the geology and mineralogy of rare earths, lithium and scandium deposits. In a set of case studies, the exploration approaches and the geological and mineralogical processes controlling mineralogy and processing characteristics of the ores, and geometallurgical models will be discussed.

There is a gold rush on in Central Newfoundland with more than 50 companies exploring along several highly prospective trends. This year’s estimated total exploration budget is significant, and with every dollar spent, we learn more about the location, continuity, and controls on the gold mineralization. This Technical Session will begin with an overview of the regional structural setting and timing of the gold deposits, followed by summaries of four different deposits ranging in development from early-stage discoveries to projects near mine construction. 
Numerous northeast-southwest trending fault systems transect the central portion of the island such as the Cape Ray Fault, the Red Indian Line, and the Gander River Ultramafic Belt Line. These crustal scale systems represent sutures of various geological zones in Newfoundland, as shown by the Red Indian Line which marks the closure of the Iapetus Ocean. The large-scale structures introduce ideal conditions of multiple phases of contraction and relaxation along numerous pathways for hydrothermal fluids and related gold deposits. 
From this session it will be clear, that a wide variety of gold deposits occur in Newfoundland and that presents both a challenge and opportunity for explorationists.

The graduating geo students often are willing to be involved and work in the mining industry rather than in the field of fundamental science. However, the majority of the courses been provided in the universities are strongly focused on scientific disciplines. As a result, the typical bachelor’s or even master’s graduates have a very vague idea of different fields in the industry and their requirements.
This session is proposed to fill this gap by providing the young geologists with an overview of the potential career paths by the professionals already developed their careers in the respective disciplines. The sessions will be focused on what skills are expected from the young geos, what are the directions of development and the future of the target branch of geology/geophysics in short and long timeframes.

The New discoveries and developments session highlights some of the most important new minerals projects globally. There is a focus on those new discoveries that are either very innovative in the exploration thinking or have a significant resource impact. There is also strong consideration for where a discovery or development has dramatically changed the character of an existing or historic mine as opposed to a greenfields discovery. Diversity in commodity, geography and geology is sought.

Determining rock value at the feasibility stage for diamond projects is more difficult than for most other commodities. For most deposits, per tonne rock value is determined using the grade and published commodity prices. For diamonds, every deposit has different diamond characteristics and therefore a different average diamond price. Expensive bulk sampling programs yielding thousands of carats and associated statistical analyses are required to estimate the price accurately. The talks in the session will explore various elements of the price estimation process. 

This session aims to showcase successful applications of artificial intelligence in exploration geology, ranging from data collection, data processing to discovery. Our speakers will talk about both primary and secondary data collection methods, and give case studies of successful implementation. Artificial intelligence topics covered will include machine learning, computer vision, deep learning and natural language processing.

With several devastating tailings dam failures in the recent past, there is an increased level of global concern around tailings management. The mining industry recognizes the need for a holistic Tailings Management System (TMS) that will improve environmental, social and economic outcomes and effectively manage the associated risks. This forward-looking one-hour virtual panel, moderated by BMO Capital Markets’ managing director and metals & mining analyst Jackie Przybylowki and featuring tailings experts from Vale, Barrick and Marsh, will explore best practices for tailings disposal in order to achieve leading edge environmental compliance.

The New discoveries and developments session highlights some of the most important new minerals projects globally. There is a focus on those new discoveries that are either very innovative in the exploration thinking or have a significant resource impact. There is also strong consideration for where a discovery or development has dramatically changed the character of an existing or historic mine as opposed to a greenfields discovery. Diversity in commodity, geography and geology is sought.

The exploration business is rapidly changing, driven by new technologies, digitization, new commodities, and changes in ESG. This change has been further accelerated by the pandemic.  New technologies are changing what skills are required for exploration company management and is also leading to new organizational structures. These changes include access to informational databases, which can be used by executives to monitor projects based on cloud technologies, scraping data from technical reports and company intelligence platforms. The CEO of an exploration will be required to have skills that are currently not in the job description.