Gold

POTENTIAL & KNOWN RESERVES IN ALBERTA

≈1 t historic placer production; Shield grabs to 3.2 g/t Au

Confidence: Speculative

• Placer13.6–141 ppb Au in gravels; ≈1 t produced since the 1860sAGS placer gold ↗
• Shield lodeGrab samples to 3.2 g/t Au; anomalies to 770 ppbAGS Bulletin 064 ↗

Where it occurs

• North Saskatchewan River Devon–Elk Point
• Waugh / Potts / Doze / Pythagoras lakes (Shield)

GEOLOGY: WHAT MAKES A DEPOSIT MORE LIKELY

Fine placer gold reworked from Cordilleran sources into river gravels; orogenic gold in shear-hosted sulphide horizons on the Shield.

Host formations

Quaternary and preglacial gravels · Taltson shear zones

Depth range

0–200 m

Favourable conditions

• Gravel bars and preglacial channels with heavy-mineral concentration
• Shear zones with quartz-tourmaline veining and sulphides

Prospectivity envelopes on the map (1)

• North Saskatchewan placer gold (Edmonton–Devon)Permissive, under-explored
  Fine flour gold in Quaternary gravels reworked from Cordilleran sources · 0–15 m
  • Preglacial and modern gravel bars of the North Saskatchewan
  • Fine-grained gold recovered historically; by-product of aggregate washing
  Source: AGS placer gold studies.

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.

• Surficial geology of Alberta (Map 601 tiles)Alberta Geological Survey · Surficial geology · drawable · verifiedCover type and thickness proxy; controls aggregate, placer, peat and indicator-mineral dispersal trains.Source ↗
• Surficial sand & gravel deposits (DIG 2015-0027)Alberta Geological Survey · Surficial geology · drawable · verifiedDirect aggregate and placer target layer; also screens silica sand and construction supply near demand centres.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 ↗
• Bedrock structures: faults, thrusts, fold axesAlberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · drawable · verifiedFault corridors focus brines, helium and MVT fluids and control Foothills coal geometry.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 ↗
• 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 ↗

VALUE & VALUE CHAIN

Gold: ≈US$4,323/oz (Sep 2026); World Bank 2026f US$4,700

Not in the Atlas price deck.

Value chain

1. Gravel washing or lode mining
2. Gravity concentration
3. Refining

Industries and products that rely on it

DEMAND & PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS

What the forecasts say

• World BankGold US$4,700/oz 2026f, US$4,300 2027fWorld Bank Commodity Markets Outlook, Apr 2026 ↗

Key risks

• Grade
• River regulation

DEVELOPMENT: TENURE, ROYALTY, PERMITTING

What a developer needs to know

Tenure

Placer mineral licence: 5 years, $50, non-exclusive; lode under MIM permit / lease.

Royalty

Placer minerals 5 % of production, first troy ounce per year exempt (AR 350/93 s.9); lode under the metallic royalty.

Lead time

Months (placer) to decades (lode)

Permitting path

1. Water Act / Code of Practice for river gravel
2. Directive 091 for lode

Infrastructure needs

• Gravity circuits at gravel plants

Active players

Recommended next steps

• Add gold recovery to North Saskatchewan gravel washing
• Follow up AGS DIG 2025-0021 gold-grain till counts

MINES, PILOTS & PROJECTS (0)

Who is already working this commodity in Alberta

No operating mine, pilot or advanced project is tracked for this commodity in Alberta.