Short Courses

Price includes two coffee breaks and lunch.

Part one: Collection, Plotting and Interpretation of Scintillometer and EM16 Data

Instructors: Greg Sparkes, Project Geologist, GSNL

                           Gerry Kilfoil, Project Geophysicist, GSNL

Part two: Structuring Option Agreements – NSRs and Tax implications

Instructors: Justin Hewitt, Associate at Stewart McKelvey

                           Tyler Callaghan, Associate at Stewart McKelvey

Early Bird registration: $50
Regular registration: $60

Part one will focus on the basic principals of collecting, plotting and interpreting scintillometer and EM16 data. There will be demos and examples for working with these instruments. Part two will offer an introduction to structuring option agreements and NSRs and tax implications, and will feature a Q&A session.

The collection and plotting of scintillometer data can prove useful in vectoring towards areas of elevated radioactivity and potential trenching targets in the field. This presentation will review the basic concepts of area selection, scintillometer use, and data plotting and presentation. In addition, hands on demonstrations utilizing uranium- and critical mineral-bearing hand samples from Newfoundland and Labrador will be used to illustrate how to use a scintillometer.

The VLF-EM geophysical method is a reconnaissance exploration tool that can help assess the subsurface conductivity and mineral potential of a property, especially in areas where bedrock is concealed by thin to moderate thicknesses of surficial materials and soils.  The Geonics Ltd. EM-16 hand-held VLF-EM receiver has been used since the 1960s – a lightweight, single-operator instrument that is straightforward to operate and requires minimal setup in the field.  Topics covered in this course will include a review of the basic principles of the VLF electromagnetic field being measured, a demonstration of the EM-16 during data collection, followed by methods of data presentation and interpretation of results.  The rationale for carrying out a VLF-EM survey, as well as pitfalls commonly made at the data collection and interpretation stages will be especially emphasized.  VLF-EM data examples from various field areas of the Province will be presented.

Price includes two coffee breaks and lunch.

Critical Minerals in a Green Transition: Economics and Exploration Opportunities

Early Bird registration: $140
Regular registration: $175

Instructors :

Dr. Simon Jowitt (University of Nevada, Reno)
Nicolas Lachance (Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador)
Dr. Mohammad Parsasadr (NR-CAN)
Dr. Stephen Piercey (Memorial University)
Dr. James Conliffe (Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador)

Critical metals and minerals are crucial to modern society, particularly with the energy transition to low- and zero-CO2 energy generation, storage and transport and the associated infrastructure needed to move toward carbon neutrality. Demand for these essential commodities is already accelerating on top of record global metal and mineral production rates. This short course will outline what we mean by criticality and why it is important, key supply, demand and economic considerations relating to critical metals and minerals, overviews and case studies of critical metal systems, especially those important in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the challenges and opportunities for the minerals industry relating to increased demand for these commodities. Course participants should expect to take away increasing understanding of the definitions, societal and economic importance of critical metals and minerals, the geological and mineralogical factors that impact critical metal and mineral value to projects, and potential pathways to extracting value from the critical metals and minerals contained within deposits.”