Question 1

What minerals are found in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Alberta produces oil sands bitumen, conventional oil, natural gas and NGLs, sulphur, coal, salt, silica sand, limestone, sand and gravel, peat and ammolite. Advanced or defined resources exist for lithium in oilfield brines, iron and vanadium at Clear Hills, rare earths in Birch Mountains black shale, titanium and zircon in oil sands tailings, helium, uranium showings in the north-east and kimberlites at Buffalo Head Hills.

Question 2

Does Alberta have critical minerals?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AGS lists 17 critical minerals with known potential in Alberta, including lithium, helium, vanadium, rare earths, titanium, uranium, potash, nickel, cobalt, copper and zinc. Fifteen of the Atlas's 34 commodity profiles are on Canada's or Alberta's critical-minerals lists.

Question 3

Who owns mineral rights in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

The Crown (Government of Alberta) owns 81% of mineral rights, about 53.7 million hectares. The remaining 19% are freehold, owned by the federal government on behalf of First Nations or in national parks, and by individuals and companies. Freehold owners other than the federal government pay a freehold mineral tax on oil and gas production.

Question 4

How do I find out who owns the mineral rights under my land?

Accepted Answer

Order a mineral title search from an Alberta Registry Agent or the Alberta Land Titles SPIN2 system. The map's non-Crown ownership layer shows where minerals are not Crown-owned, and the agreement layers show which Crown rights are already leased.

Question 5

What does a metallic and industrial minerals permit cost?

Accepted Answer

A permit has a $625 fee and no rent, with assessment work of $7/ha in the first two-year period, $13/ha in the next two and $20/ha after that. A lease costs $3.50/ha a year in rent with a 15-year initial term.

Question 6

How many oil wells are there in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Alberta Energy's Geoview well service held about 268,800 active sub-surface well legs, 339,600 abandoned and 57,600 suspended in October 2026. Crude oil production was 547,700 bbl/d in 2025 from conventional, tight and heavy-oil wells, plus 1.95 million bbl/d of in-situ bitumen.

Question 7

How deep are oil wells in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the play: Clearwater heavy oil sits at roughly 500–900 m, Cardium and Viking at 1,000–2,000 m, Montney at 1,500–3,500 m and Duvernay at 2,500–4,000 m. In-situ oil sands wells target 150–500 m.

Question 8

How many abandoned wells are there in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

The AER abandoned-well service holds about 238,000 abandoned well records, and the Alberta Energy Geoview layer counts about 339,600 abandoned sub-surface well legs (one well can have several legs). Roughly 37% of all wells drilled in Alberta are abandoned or decommissioned.

Question 9

What is the difference between an abandoned and an orphan well?

Accepted Answer

An abandoned well has been permanently plugged and sealed by its licensee. An orphan well has no solvent licensee left to close it, so responsibility passes to the Orphan Well Association. The AER map shows abandonment status; orphan inventories are published by the Orphan Well Association.

Question 10

How long will Alberta's oil sands last?

Accepted Answer

Proved reserves of 167.3 billion barrels (McDaniel, effective end-2023) equal more than 140 years at current production, and the 1.8 trillion barrels in place are an order of magnitude larger. Market demand, carbon policy and pipeline capacity limit output long before geology does.

Question 11

How do Alberta's oil reserves compare with other countries?

Accepted Answer

Alberta's proved oil reserves of roughly 176 billion barrels (bitumen plus crude oil and condensate) put it third or fourth in the world, behind Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, depending on whether Iran's reported reserves are counted higher (EIA ranks Canada third; OPEC-based tables rank it fourth).

Question 12

How many coal mines are operating in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Three export coal mines were operating in October 2026: Vista (thermal, near Hinton), Coal Valley (thermal) and Grande Cache (metallurgical), plus the tiny Dodds heating-coal mine. Summit Mine 14 and Grassy Mountain are in permitting.

Question 13

Can new coal mines open on Alberta's Eastern Slopes?

Accepted Answer

The December 2024 Coal Industry Modernization Initiative bans new open-pit mines and mountaintop removal on the Eastern Slopes and signals higher royalties for new mines. Only underground or highwall designs on existing leases are realistic.

Question 14

Where can I get the Alberta Geological Survey bedrock map?

Accepted Answer

AGS Map 600 (Bedrock Geology of Alberta) and Map 601 (Surficial Geology) are open data on the AGS open data hub. The Atlas draws both directly from the AGS tile services, so you can stack them with wells, mines and mineral occurrences.

Question 15

Is there lithium in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AGS puts 82.5 Mt LCE in place in Leduc and Swan Hills formation water, 62 Mt of it under existing leases. Project grades run 54–82 mg/L lithium.

Question 16

Which companies are developing lithium in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

E3 Lithium (Clearwater / Bashaw and Garrington), LithiumBank Resources (Boardwalk and Park Place, with SLB), NeoLithica (Peace River) and LibertyStream (formerly Volt Lithium, Rainbow Lake, idle). The AER expects 14–15 kt/yr of lithium carbonate from 2028.

Question 17

Is there a lithium mine in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Not a mine in the usual sense. Alberta lithium is recovered by direct lithium extraction from produced brine and the brine is reinjected. E3 Lithium's demonstration plant entered its second phase in June 2026; commercial output is targeted for 2028/29.

Question 18

Where is helium found in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Mainly over basement highs: the Peace River Arch (Worsley, in Leduc and Cambrian reservoirs) and the Sweetgrass Arch in the south-east (Steveville, Knappen). Helium forms from uranium and thorium decay in Precambrian basement and is carried up faults by nitrogen.

Question 19

Which companies produce helium in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

First Helium (Worsley), Global Helium, Avanti Helium, Thor Resources and Weil Group are active; the Steveville plant built by Royal Helium is idle after the company's 2025 insolvency. Alberta produced about 42 Mcf/d of helium from two wells in 2025.

Question 20

Does Alberta have geothermal potential?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AGS estimates 66 GW of gross thermal and about 9 GW of gross electrical potential in the Leduc Formation alone. The obstacle is cost: the AER puts geothermal power at C$236–278/MWh against a 2025 pool price near C$44.

Question 21

How much CO2 has Alberta stored?

Accepted Answer

More than 18 Mt by August 2026: about 9.8 Mt at Quest since 2015 and over 6 Mt through the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line at Clive since 2020.

Question 22

Where is the Clearwater oil play?

Accepted Answer

In north-central Alberta around Marten Hills, Nipisi and Wabasca, in Clearwater Formation sands roughly 500–900 m deep. It produces 14–24° API oil cold through 4–8 leg multilateral wells with no fracturing.

Question 23

How big is the Montney in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

The Alberta Montney holds 58.1 Tcf of proved gas (64.5 Tcf proved plus probable) and 2.9 Bbbl of condensate, the largest single gas resource in the province.

Question 24

Where can I see pipelines in Alberta on a map?

Accepted Answer

The Atlas draws the Alberta Energy Geoview pipeline layer directly. It appears at scales larger than about 1:250,000, so zoom in to a local area; click through to the dataset page for the service endpoint.

Question 25

Is seismic data for Alberta public?

Accepted Answer

Deep crustal Lithoprobe line locations and the earthquake catalogue are public; industry reflection seismic is owned by its acquirers and sold through brokers. The cutline layer shows where seismic has been shot in the oil sands region.

Question 26

Is there gold in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Yes, mostly as fine placer gold in North Saskatchewan River gravels between Devon and Elk Point (13.6–141 ppb). About one tonne has been produced since the 1860s. Shield rocks in the far north-east return grab samples up to 3.2 g/t.

Question 27

Can you pan for gold in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Recreational panning is common on the North Saskatchewan. Commercial placer recovery needs a placer licence (5 years, $50) and pays a 5% royalty, with the first ounce each year exempt. Collecting fossils, including ammonites, is restricted under the Historical Resources Act.

Question 28

What gemstones are found in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Ammolite from the Bearpaw Formation near Lethbridge is the only commercially mined gem. Diamonds occur in Buffalo Head Hills kimberlites at sub-economic grades so far, and agates and petrified wood turn up in river gravels.

Question 29

What permits does a gravel pit need in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Pits on Crown land need a Public Lands Act surface material lease; pits on private land register under the EPEA Code of Practice for Pits, plus a municipal development permit and reclamation security. Municipalities may charge a Community Aggregate Payment levy of up to $0.40/t.

Question 30

How much does it cost to drill a water well in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

It depends mostly on depth to a reliable aquifer, which the drift-thickness and bedrock-topography layers help you estimate. Land Intelligence collects current Alberta driller quotes and grant options on its water-well planner.

Question 31

How much oil is in the Alberta oil sands?

Accepted Answer

167.3 billion barrels of proved bitumen reserves (187 billion proved plus probable) and about 1.8 trillion barrels in place, effective 31 December 2023.

Question 32

How much do the oil sands produce?

Accepted Answer

3.72 million bbl/d of raw bitumen in 2025: 1.95 million bbl/d in situ and 1.77 million bbl/d mined. The AER forecasts 4.39 million bbl/d by 2035.

Question 33

What is Alberta's lowest-cost new oil?

Accepted Answer

The Clearwater heavy-oil play, with sustaining breakevens near US$35–40 WTI because its wells flow without fracturing.

Question 34

How much natural gas does Alberta have?

Accepted Answer

136 Tcf of proved marketable gas (151 Tcf proved plus probable), with the Montney alone at 58 Tcf proved. Production was 11.5 Bcf/d in 2025.

Question 35

How much lithium is in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

The AGS estimates 82.5 Mt lithium carbonate equivalent in place in Leduc and Swan Hills brines above 50 mg/L, with 62 Mt inside existing leases.

Question 36

When will Alberta produce lithium?

Accepted Answer

The AER expects 14–15 kt/yr of lithium carbonate from 2028 (E3 Lithium and NeoLithica), with LithiumBank's Boardwalk following in 2029–30.

Question 37

Does Alberta have uranium?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as high-grade showings on the western edge of the Athabasca Basin. The Dragon Lake vein at Maybelle River intersected up to 54.5% U over 0.5 m, and GoldMining and Orano are drilling the surrounding Rea project. No resource has been defined and there is no mine.

Question 38

Does Alberta have rare earth minerals?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but at low grades: about 534 kt of rare earth oxides (historical inferred) in Birch Mountains black shale, 43–72 kt/yr of monazite concentrated in oil sands froth-treatment tailings, and up to 1,400 ppm in Genesee coal ash. Recovery from oil sands tailings is the most credible route.

Question 39

Does Alberta have iron ore?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at Clear Hills in the north-west: 557.7 Mt at 33.3% Fe and 0.20% V2O5 indicated (SRK 2012) in flat-lying oolitic ironstone. Low grade, phosphorus and no rail access have kept it undeveloped.

Question 40

Are there diamonds in Alberta?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alberta has 51 known kimberlites; 26 of the 38 in the Buffalo Head Hills contain diamonds. The best grades so far (K252 at 0.55 ct/t in a 22.8 t sample) are below what a remote mine needs.