Geologists have struck the research equivalent of gold – not to mention copper and zinc – with findings that could aid prospectors in the search for new mines in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake region and beyond.
Eckart Buhlmann, an instructor at Flin Flon’s Northern Manitoba Mining Academy (NMMA), and his colleagues peeled back layers of history to answer a key question about this region’s mineral riches.
They examined how the high number of copper, zinc and gold deposits came into existence and, more specifically, where the metals and the energy needed to create them originated.
Buhlmann says the answer lies in meteorite impacts, which can provide enough energy and heat to extract metals from basaltic rock and convert them into ore bodies.
That and other findings can help geologists design meaningful models of the ore-forming process within a regional context, Buhlmann says, defining the most likely locations for untapped ore.
“This is the primary key ingredient toward ultimately generating high-order geophysical drill targets,” he says.
“The findings imply a gigantic paradigm shift toward making historical meteorite impacts highly desirable exploration targets.”
Meteorite impacts are rare and unpredictable. They have the power to melt the rocks of the earth’s crust, which can in turn release magma, a hot fluid that occurs below or within the earth’s crust. When magma cools and solidifies, it forms igneous rock that can contain valuable ore.
Buhlmann, an exploration geologist by profession, says prospectors can add the findings to their menu of exploration tools, “empowering the low-budget prospector and the junior mining company.”
He says the findings will also allow the NMMA, with support from Brandon University, to attract geology students to conduct future studies, adding that funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) will now move within
reach for those students.
Buhlmann envisions that research eventually turning the Flin Flon-Pukatawagan-Lynn Lake axis into the backbone of the world’s largest “natural-impact” petrology laboratory, researching the origin, structure, composition and economy of impacted rocks.
His and his colleagues’ research has been ongoing since early 2012 as part of his work at the NMMA. Buhlmann was quick to praise many colleagues for their relentless and constructive criticism and support throughout the research.
He says the research findings will be published, ideally in a medium that is free of charge and easily accessible.
