Lecture: 2 hours/week
and
Lab: 4 hours/week
Lectures and labs. Occasional field trips may be required.
- Mineral economics and industry structure: types of companies, financial markets, commodities, economic cycles
- Mineral deposits: economic minerals, alteration minerals and coal, deposit models (sedimentary, magmatic, hydrothermal, supergene)
- Process of exploration: exploration phases, geological methods, remote sensing, geophysical methods, geochemical methods, drilling methods
- Sampling media, methods and statistics
- Exploration safety: risk assessment, planning, training, equipment, evacuation
- Exploration tenure and access: mineral ownership, mineral claims, surface access, guidelines and regulations, interested parties
- Mining methods
- Maps and cross-sections showing exploration information, using GIS and other methods
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- discuss the economic and industrial factors that affect exploration and mining.
- list major types of mineral deposits.
- describe the stages of the exploration process, including the methods used to collect and assess information.
- describe sampling methods, and use appropriate sampling methods to collect soil and rock samples.
- identify exploration safety risks, and prepare an emergency response plan.
- describe the process of gaining tenure and access to an exploration property, including identifying interested parties.
- summarize the common methods of mining.
- prepare maps and cross-sections to display exploration information.
Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:
Assignments and labs 25 - 40%
Project(s) 10 - 25%
Quizzes 0-10%
Term tests 25%
Final exam 25%
Total 100%
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required and textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:
- Stephens, R.; Mineral Exploration and Mining Essentials; Pakawau GeoManagement Inc, current edition or an equivalent text
Optional Textbooks:
- Moon, C.J, Whately, K.G., Evans, A.M.; Introduction to Mineral Exploration; Blackwell Publishing, current edition or an equivalent text
- Coe, A.L.; Geological Field Techniques; Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
Additional course materials: "Rite in the Rain" waterproof booklet or equivalent, rock hammer, hand lens, mineral identification kit, safety eyewear