NWT drill samples first to be scanned into federal database

Drill core samples from the NWT are the first additions to the federal government’s new digital library of mineral deposits.

Drill core samples are solid, cylinder-shaped samples of rock, sediment, or soil that provide information about the type, size and quality of mineral deposits.

This information is what allows Canada to identify mining opportunities across the country and mine the resources that underpin national defence, advanced manufacturing and the energy transition, a federal press release said.

The Canadian Digital Core Library uses scanning technology to create digital records of drill core samples and add the information to a “cutting-edge” AI-ready platform, federal natural resources minister Tim Hodgson said in the release.

(Later, asked to define what an AI-ready platform meant, a Natural Resources Canada spokesperson described the project as “standardized, high-quality digital core data that can support advanced analysis, including artificial intelligence applications.”)

The platform has the aim of reducing exploration risk and accelerating the development of critical minerals projects, Hodgson stated.

The project kicked off by scanning core samples from the NWT on September 14 in Calgary, according to the federal government.

After this article was first published, the GNWT said that scanning was “pilot work” involving gold and critical minerals deposits donated by unspecified mining companies in the territory.

“The GNWT is working with NRCan to finalize agreements that will fund the full-scale core scanning work for the Canadian Digital Core Library,” the territory stated.

“The GNWT is discussing the donation of drill cores from NWT mining companies for the project. The ultimate goal is to have a digital library of drill cores that represent all major exploration areas and deposits from across the NWT.

“Those conversations with NWT companies are still in-progress, so the GNWT cannot share a precise list of cores being scanned at this time.”

In Monday’s press release, NWT industry ministe Caitlin Cleveland was quoted as saying: “As global demand for critical minerals grows, the Northwest Territories is ready to play a larger role in supplying the resources Canada and its allies need.

“The first core scanned through the Canadian Digital Core Library initiative came from the Northwest Territories, helping unlock geological data that supports investment, exploration and responsible resource development.”

Other participating provinces and territories are identifying priority drill cores and preparing to begin scanning in the coming weeks, according to the press release.