Saskatchewan Geological Survey celebrates 70th anniversary
As the Saskatchewan Geological Survey celebrates its 70th anniversary, Nadia Moharib speaks with the province’s chief geologist to drill down on some fascinating facts about the landmark research.
You could say the Saskatchewan Geological Survey (SGS) is wellgrounded.
It was established in 1948 “to map the northern mineral areas as well as carry out geological surveys of potential gas and oil areas and other economic mineral resources in southern Saskatchewan.”
And this year, the Survey celebrates its 70th anniversary.
“Geologists are pretty passionate about what they do,” says
Gary Delaney, the province’s chief geologist. “A rock is never a rock — there is always a context or a story.”
Maps created by the Survey are studied by the industry before starting to explore, thus bolstering the province’s competitive advantage by helping identify areas of mineral, oil and natural gas potential.
Here are some things you might not know about the Saskatchewan Geological Survey.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The Survey archives millions of pages of work which is available to the public — for free.
“Before you can go out and do exploration, you get your hands on everything that was done before,” Delaney says. “Information helps industry create a foundation for exploration. You’ve got to explore before you can discover.”
Work done by the Survey encourages development by offering a “detailed snapshot of the geological context of an area and the potential for various mineral and petroleum resources,” Delaney says.
“It all starts with rocks. We are highlighting our investment and attractiveness for minerals or for oil and gas and we want those developed in a responsible fashion.”
WHO KNEW?
In the 1960s the Survey, along with the federal government, did an aeromagnetic geophysical survey of the province.
It wasn’t until the early 1980s, however, that some gems identified in the maps were uncovered.
“A company came into our office and pulled out some old paper maps and, lo and behold, there were signatures for kimberlites,” Delaney says.
Kimberlites can sometimes contain diamonds.
“So far, 72 have been documented and a few looked at in detail and they are diamond bearing,” Delaney says. “Prior to the ’80s, no one thought we had any diamond potential.”
IN THE GROUND
Saskatchewan has 11 producing potash mines and is Canada’s second largest oil producer.
The Athabasca Basin boasts the largest, highest-grade uranium deposit in the world.
The oldest rocks found in the province’s Precambrian shield are some 3.5 billion years old.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Over its 70 years, the Survey has seen a lot of technology change — mappers trading compasses and notebooks for more efficient tools.
Delaney spent about 20 years in the field before taking on his provincial post about a decade ago.
“When I started, it was in the mid-1980s, you set up a camp, walked back and forth across the land — it’s called traversing — and you would navigate yourself with a compass and pace out to measure distances,” Delaney says.
“Nowadays, everything is high-tech. Instead of recording observations in a notebook, you have hand-held electronic devices that recordings can be put into and you know exactly where you are with GPS. Technology has taken over.
“Reports are digitized, which means people can find them online instead of coming into the office to pore over documents.”
Despite the passage of time, some aspects of the work stay the same. “You still have to walk the rocks,” Delaney says. “It’s how we look at them and the information we record that has just been dragged into the digital age.”
THE WORK
The province hires about 20 geology students from local universities to team up with mappers (trained geologists) to survey the land which, in northern Saskatchewan, is made up of about 100,000 lakes and rolling forest.
Teams walk from five to 10 kilometres a day over two to three months systematically surveying the land..
“Everyday out there is interesting,” says Delaney. “It is great topography and it’s great scenery. You’re going into places, sometimes where no one has been before.”
50-YEAR JOURNEY
The province, at about 651,000 square kilometres, has a lot of land to survey. The first mapping done by the Survey — obviously much more rudimentary than what is available today — was completed in 1947 and took 50 years to complete.
HOMEWORK HELPERS
In 1958, the Subsurface Geological Laboratory in Regina was opened. It was the first-of-itskind in Canada and a template for the development of similar facilities elsewhere. Delaney says the building was originally about the size of two football fields and has grown over the years to house about 25,000 drill cores.
“Industry can come in and do their homework at the core lab before they make a bid,” Delaney says.