SBH / Buckton polymetallic black shale

RESOURCE CONTEXT

Buckton 472.6 kt TREO inferred + 28.5 kt indicated; FTT monazite 43.6–72.5 kt/yr; Genesee ash ≤1,399 ppm REO

Half a million tonnes of TREO in Birch Mountains black shale, monazite in oil sands tailings, and REE-rich coal ash — all low grade, all by-product plays.

Official reserve statements for this commodity (1)

• Buckton / SBH black shale — historical inferred TREO534 kt TREO · Resource estimate · 2014 (historical)AGS INF 157 ↗

GEOLOGICAL SETTING

Prospectivity envelopes for Rare earth elements & coal-ash critical metals

• Coal fly-ash and Ardley coal REE-Ga-Ge stockpilesPermissive, under-explored
  Secondary recovery of REE, gallium, germanium from coal, ash ponds and petcoke

Development regime

Tenure

Metallic & Industrial Minerals Tenure Regulation (AR 265/2022): permit — exclusive exploration right, indefinite term, no rent, $625 fee, assessment work $7/ha (first 2 years) → $13 → $20/ha; lease — 15-year initial + 15-year intermediate term, indefinite while producing, $3.50/ha rent. Recovery from oil sands tailings sits under the oil sands lease and may need a separate MIM lease for non-bitumen minerals.

Royalty

Metallic minerals: 1 % of mine-mouth revenue pre-payout; post-payout the greater of 1 % mine-mouth or 12 % of net revenue (AR 350/93 s.4).

DATASETS TO STACK HERE

Public layers that cover this site

• Bedrock geology polygons (DIG 2013-0018, queryable)Alberta Geological SurveyAttribute-level bedrock mapping for screening host lithologies; heavy, so it loads only when zoomed in.
• Stream-sediment geochemistry (AGS, 885 sites)Alberta Geological SurveyPathfinder anomalies for uranium, gold and base metals on the Shield and Foothills.
• Metallic mineral occurrences (DIG 2019-0026)Alberta Geological SurveyKnown showings to anchor exploration models; density is highest on the Shield and Clear Hills.
• AGS prospective areas for mineral explorationAlberta Geological SurveyThe survey's own view of where each commodity is prospective; compare with the Atlas knowledge-driven envelopes.
• NRCan Map 900A: producing mines, mineral areas, oil & gas fieldsNatural Resources CanadaOfficial federal view of producing operations to cross-check the Atlas mine inventory.
• Canada critical minerals projects & processingNatural Resources CanadaFederal critical-minerals pipeline; filter to Alberta by extent.
• GSC MVT zinc prospectivity modelNatural Resources Canada – GSCMachine-learned national prospectivity to compare with the Atlas envelopes; Shield-focused with limited Alberta signal.
• Coal mine boundaries (Alberta Energy)Alberta Energy and MineralsWhere coal has been or is being mined; coal-zone geology itself is published in AGS reports, not as a service.

NEARBY OPERATIONS

Within reach

• Susan Lake gravel pitAggregate pit · Athabasca Minerals / Fort McKay partners · ≈75 kmOperating
• Canadian Natural HorizonOil sands mine · Canadian Natural · ≈80 kmOperating
• Fort HillsOil sands mine · Suncor (100 %) · ≈86 kmOperating
• Syncrude Aurora NorthOil sands mine · Syncrude · ≈95 kmOperating
• Muskeg River (Albian)Oil sands mine · Canadian Natural · ≈96 kmOperating
• Jackpine (Albian)Oil sands mine · Canadian Natural · ≈100 kmOperating