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According
to the Fraser Institute’s 2007-2008 survey,
Québec ranks second out of 68 mining
jurisdictions under study for the attractiveness
of its mineral potential.
Ninety percent of Québec’s bedrock
consists of Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield. This geological
assemblage is world-renowned for its gold, copper, zinc, nickel,
iron, and ilmenite deposits.
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World-class ore deposits
Exploration conducted by mining stakeholders, both
public and private, has led to the discovery of several sizable
ore deposits in Québec, many of which are considered world-class,
namely the Horne, Gaspé Copper, Selbaie (former producers)
and LaRonde mines for base metals, and the Doyon and Sigma-Lamaque
mines for gold.
Québec also has tremendous mineral potential
for other commodities, as illustrated by ore deposits at Mont Wright
(iron) in Fermont, Lac Tio (iron and titanium) in Havre-Saint-Pierre,
Niobec (niobium) in the Saguenay region, Stratmin (graphite) in
Mont-Laurier, Jeffrey (chrysotile asbestos) in the Estrie region,
and Raglan (nickel-copper) in Ungava. In 2004, large-scale projects
such as Casa-Berardi to the west of Matagami and Foxtrot in the
Monts Otish area generated substantial investments.
Moreover, well-established mining
districts such as Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda,
Matagami, and Chibougamau still host significant
deposits, namely at depth. The most recent discoveries
in these camps were generally found at more than
200 metres below surface, and in certain cases,
down to 2,000 metres depth. And yet, in many areas,
the vast majority of exploration drillholes have
not tested beyond the 200-metre mark. Meanwhile,
surface discoveries are still quite likely to
be made in volcanic belts in the Near and Far
North regions of Québec, as illustrated
by the presence of the Troilus ore deposit, in
the Baie-James region.
Excellent outlook
Exploration and assessment expenditures amounted
to $385M in 2007. The chances of new discoveries remain excellent.
Furthermore, Québec is blessed with a vast
landmass which, outside of mining districts, remains
little or virtually unexplored.
Thus, Québec has seen several major staking
rushes over the past few years.
- in the Monts Otish area, following the announcement
of the discovery of diamond-bearing kimberlites;
- in the Ungava Trough, following the announcement
of a Ni-Cu-PGE discovery associated with ultramafic units to the
south of the Raglan mine;
- in the Réservoir Opinaca area, in the
Baie-James region, following the announcement of gold mineralization
in quartz veins cross-cutting sedimentary rocks.
Other areas are also very
active in the search for platinum, namely to the west of Schefferville,
and for diamond, in the Wemindji, Caniapiscau, and Nottaway areas.
The Cadillac mining camp in the Abitibi region has also attracted
its share of interest for gold and its potential for deep-seated
ore deposits, in the wake of exploration successes on the Westwood
project, at the LaRonde mine, and the discovery of the Lapa deposit.
In fact, the latter probably represents the most important off-minesite
gold discovery to be made in Québec over the past decade.
Several companies are trying to duplicate the results on adjoining
properties.
See also
Québec's mineral potential: Current situation
(PDF
format, 280 Kb)
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