Going deep inside research, storage facility
Saskatchewan Geological Survey research helps mineral, energy sectors
The Saskatchewan Geological Open House is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
On Monday, Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre toured the Saskatchewan Subsurface Geological Lab in Regina with Saskatchewan’s chief geologist Gary Delaney to kick off the celebration, co-hosted by the Saskatchewan Geological Survey (SGS) and the Saskatchewan Geological Society.
The SGS performs geo-scientific research that informs and supports exploration and development of the province’s mineral and energy sectors.
Current mineral-focused research by the SGS will be presented at the Geological Open House, at the Delta Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon this week from Monday to Wednesday.
According to a news release, the geological lab, which opened in 1958, was the first facility of its kind in Canada and has archived almost seven million vials of drill cuttings collected by industry from oil, gas, potash and coal exploration and development.
It also includes more than 9,000 square metres of storage space that contain 565 kilometres worth of core.
If the core was laid out end-to-end, it would reach from Regina to Laronge.
Industry uses the lab to inform investment strategies for the exploration and development of energy, potash and coal resources in Saskatchewan.
The University of Regina’s Geology and Petroleum Engineering Departments also use the lab to support student training.
The province’s total mineral sales for 2018 were $7 billion.
For more information on the 2019 Geological Open House, visit www.openhouse.sgshome.ca.