Meet the man with the golden touch
‘It’s only the beginning’ says famed prospector
Newfoundland and Labrador is in the middle of one of the biggest mineral staking rushes in its history. With 80,000 stakes made since January, this level of activity hasn't been seen since Voisey's Bay was discovered in 1994.
It's in part because of the work of a man that some would say is legendary in prospecting circles.
Shawn Ryan and his soilsampling technique, which has become the industry standard in some places, is responsible for the discovery of millions of ounces of gold in the Yukon, where he plied his trade for decades.
However, for the past few years, his sights have been set on Newfoundland and Labrador.
Speaking to Saltwire via phone from Hawaii, Ryan said he was giving a talk about his method of prospecting seven or eight years ago and was approached by a member of the province's geological survey, suggesting he should visit N.L. and see the potential for prospecting and mineral exploration.
He made a trip, employed his soil-sampling method that had worked so well in the Yukon, and liked what he saw.
In September 2016, after about a year of fieldwork in the province, he staked over 7,000 mineral claims in the ‘Dunnage zone' — specifically, in the Millertown to Grand Falls area and the Gander area just north of the New Found Gold-keats Discovery.
Shortly afterward, the provincial online staking system crashed due to the flurry of activity that resulted from his
claims.
Since then, more gold projects have gotten underway in Central Newfoundland, with more in the exploratory stages and looking promising.
Ryan has been busy doing research and staking claims, including over 20,000 this past winter alone.
“I think this, what you're seeing now, it's just the beginning,” he said. “I think the island is a unique geological setting and there's really something to this.”
He said he never thought he would find a place like Newfoundland, with so much potential.
ADVANCING TECHNOLOGIES
Ryan isn't the first person to look for gold in Central Newfoundland; some have been searching for decades. Noranda, a mining company that was exploring the island
back in the late 1980s, made many discoveries, but due to market conditions, walked away. What's different now, Ryan said, is the technology has advanced, with better geology and geophysics maps ... and for him, there's his soilsampling technique.
“Most prospectors and geologists use a rock hammer, walking around the bush and they bang a rock,” he said. “A rock is like a bullet. You have to have the gold in the rock and, if they get nothing, they walk away, disappointed, from that area. Soil acts like a hand grenade. It's not as direct like a rock, but you can tell if gold is within a 25-30 metre radius.
“When you take deeper soil it gives you a better response. Then, when you take soils on a grid pattern, you can see the gold patterns lighting up and eventually narrow down to a 25-metre radius."
Ryan developed his deepersoil techniques in the Klondike, mainly because there were hardly any rocks to be found there, but plenty of soil.
A stint as a commercial mushroom picker gave him the confidence to try his luck at being a prospector in the Yukon.
“I figured if I can find and predict mushroom crops that lay dormant underground sometimes for hundreds of years, why can't I find gold in the Klondike?" he said.
He spent a few years perfecting the technique and it eventually led to his discovery of significant gold deposits in the Yukon, and in places geologists had looked into before and dismissed.
According to Ryan, his biggest strength and the reason for success is a focus on research and finding patterns.
“It's the only game where the norm is to fail,” he said with a laugh. “All the junior mining companies and prospectors walk the bush and the probability of finding something is extremely low. The only way to increase the odds is proper science technique.”
Ryan was quick to point out there has been significant work done by the Newfoundland Geological Survey; it's with NGS data that he is able to make the best scientific bet on where to stake and look for gold.
"In my mind, they are the unsung heroes in this modernday gold rush. Without them, our industry would be lost."
POSITIVE SIGNS
The new gold discoveries that have been drilled, such as the New Found Gold- Keats discovery, are extremely high grade and the Marathon-valentine project is demonstrating size potential surpassing four million ounces. This is bringing confidence to the market, he said, and will translate into further exploration.
An example, Ryan said, is the entry of Canadian billionaire Eric Sprott into the market.
Sprott, a well-known investor in mining projects, has been providing financing to a number of junior mining companies searching for gold in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“When you have a player like him sprinkling his investments around, it's like greasing the wheels. It helps junior to put more money in the ground in hopes to make the next discovery,” he said. “He's hedging his bets, putting some money here, some there, but it shows confidence that something might be found."
So far, Ryan has personally invested over a million dollars of his own money in staking claims. but he expects it will pay off well. Still, for him, it really isn't about a payday.
“I used to be able to tell my wife I had to do it, I had to make a living,” he said with a laugh. “I can't use that excuse anymore. It's about the hunt. When you find something, you can't beat that feeling.” Never seen before Norman Mercer, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Prospectors Association, said he's never seen a staking rush like the one happening on the island right now. And as far as he knows, no one else has, either.
The only comparisons he can make are to the aftermath of the Voisey's Bay nickel deposit find and the earlier ironore staking rush in Labrador West when that project was discovered.
“It might top it (all) before it's done,” said Mercer.
Mercer said the interest of people like Ryan and Sprott has certainly contributed to the boom, with more people getting into prospecting generally in the province.
There has been a steady increase in membership in his organization, he said, and it's just been growing.
“People like them getting involved has certainly drawn notice,” he said. “We've never seen staking like this here and it's possible it may surpass the Voisey's rush when it's done."