Base metals & Ni-Cu-PGE (Shield and carbonate MVT)
190 showings on Alberta's sliver of Canadian Shield and a Pine Point analogue under the north-west — greenfield in every sense.
Alberta's only exposed Precambrian basement around Andrew and Charles lakes carries 190 metallic occurrences (88 in the Andrew–Charles Lake area) including Cu, Ni, Au and U showings and VMS-like textures at Selwyn Lake, and AGS fieldwork in 2025 sampled 370 sites. In the subsurface, Presqu'ile barrier dolomites extend the Pine Point MVT district into north-west Alberta, though AGS sampling found low economic potential. Copper at a record US$14,700/t keeps the question open.
Orogenic Au and magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE / VMS targets in the Taltson zone; Mississippi Valley-type Zn-Pb in dolomitized Devonian barrier reefs along basement faults.
Host formations
Taltson magmatic zone gneisses and granitoids · Presqu'ile / Slave Point dolomite · Devonian carbonates (Oldman River)
Depth range
0–1K m
Favourable conditions
Mafic–ultramafic intrusions and shear zones with sulphide showings
Gravity and magnetic highs flagging dense intrusions
Dolomitized barrier reef near the Great Slave Lake shear zone with brine-flow focus
Sparse modern geochemistry — true greenfield
Prospectivity envelopes on the map (2)
Exposed Canadian Shield (Andrew Lake–Fort Chipewyan)Permissive, under-explored
Orogenic / magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE, VMS and pegmatite-hosted targets in the Taltson magmatic zone · 0–200 m
Only area of Alberta with exposed Precambrian basement
Mafic–ultramafic intrusions and shear zones with Cu, Ni, Au, U showings
Sparse modern geochemistry and no drilling density — true greenfield
Source: AGS Precambrian shield mapping; Andrew Lake showings.
Devonian carbonate MVT Zn-Pb (Pine Point trend extension)Permissive, under-explored
Mississippi Valley-type Zn-Pb in dolomitized Presqu'ile barrier (Pine Point analogue) · 200–1K m
Presqu'ile / Slave Point barrier reef dolomite under shallow cover in NW Alberta
Basin brines focused along basement faults and the Great Slave Lake shear zone
Pine Point produced 64 Mt at 7 % Zn+Pb just across the NWT border
Source: GSC Pine Point district studies; AGS northern Alberta Devonian carbonate mapping.
DATASETS THAT TEST THE TARGET
Stack these layers on the integrated map
Discriminating datasets first, then every catalogued public dataset tagged to this commodity. Verified endpoints draw directly; link-only entries open the publisher page.
Bedrock geology of Alberta (Map 600 tiles)Alberta Geological Survey · Bedrock geology · drawable · verifiedWhich formation is at the bedrock surface: the first screen for outcropping targets such as silica sand, limestone, ironstone, bentonite, ammonite shell and shallow coal.Source ↗
Precambrian magnetic basement domains (AGS)Alberta Geological Survey · Aeromagnetics · drawable · verifiedCraton architecture for diamonds (thick cold lithosphere), radiogenic basement for helium, and shear zones for uranium and gold.Source ↗
Canadian gravity anomaly grids (GDR WMS, offline during sweep)Natural Resources Canada – Geoscience Data Repository · Gravity · link onlyDense basement blocks and mafic intrusions (Ni-Cu-PGE), evaporite thickness lows, and arch geometry for helium traps.Source ↗
Stream-sediment geochemistry (AGS, 885 sites)Alberta Geological Survey · Geochemistry · drawable · verifiedPathfinder anomalies for uranium, gold and base metals on the Shield and Foothills.Source ↗
Metallic mineral occurrences (DIG 2019-0026)Alberta Geological Survey · Mineral occurrences · drawable · verifiedKnown showings to anchor exploration models; density is highest on the Shield and Clear Hills.Source ↗
GSC MVT zinc prospectivity modelNatural Resources Canada – GSC · Prospectivity (knowledge-driven) · drawable · verifiedMachine-learned national prospectivity to compare with the Atlas envelopes; Shield-focused with limited Alberta signal.Source ↗
3D Provincial Geological Framework: Precambrian subcrop zonesAlberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · drawable · verifiedEntry point to the provincial 3D framework: which Paleozoic zone sits on basement controls helium traps, brine aquifers and storage seals.Source ↗
All 20 tagged datasets
Bedrock geology of Alberta (Map 600 tiles)Alberta Geological Survey · Bedrock geology · drawableSource ↗