Research summary
As the demand for green technologies grows to address climate change, so will demand for new ore deposits of critical minerals, like copper, lithium and rare earth elements. Although Canada is a world leader in the minerals and mining sector, much of the country is underexplored due to glacial cover. However, minerals recovered from glacial sediments can provide valuable clues about the bedrock beneath and point to hidden mineral resources.
Dr. Sarah Dare, Canada Research Chair in Geochemistry Applied to Ore Deposits, aims to develop innovative methods to detect minerals within both ore and surrounding host rock. She and her research team are focusing on apatite, a calcium phosphate mineral, because its trace element composition offers unrivalled insights into the origins of ore deposits (petrogenesis) and the types of bedrock (provenance). Their findings will shed light on how and where ore deposits form and support the development of effective tools for discovering hidden ore deposits.