This Esri shapefile delineates areas prospective for the exploration of minerals in Alberta. These areas have the potential to contain mineral deposits.
Materials included are naturally occurring metallic and industrial minerals, diamonds, ammolite, metallurgical coal, peat, humalite, and sand and gravel, as well as minerals that may be recoverable as by-products of industrial processes.
Commodities included are: ammolite, bentonite, bromine, calcium, cobalt, copper, diamonds, dolomite, gold, gypsum, iodine, iron, lead, limestone, lithium, magnesium, magnetite, molybdenum, nickel, peat, phosphate, potash, quartzite, rare earth elements, salt, sand/gravel, silica sand, silver, stone, titanium, uranium, vanadium, zinc, and zircon.
Prospective areas were defined using geological maps, 3D geological models, mineral occurrences, geochemical and other mineral related datasets, and government and industry descriptions from reports. These areas are the result of a preliminary qualitative mineral tract definition at a provincial scale. No attempt was made at this stage to assess, quantify or rank mineral prospectivity, probability or potential.
AGS Map 590, Minerals of Alberta, presents a simplified view of the data contained in this digital file. This shapefile also includes propsective areas for minerals such as peat, stone, sand and gravel, bromine, iodine, and marl and tufa, which are not shown on the map. The dataset subdivides the prospective areas based on deposit type, commodity, geological unit, certainty and depth.
This dataset provides a foundation for subsequent evaluation of mineral potential in the province.
The shapefile is part of a package of datasets produced to support the creation of AGS Map 590, Minerals of Alberta, and includes Metallic and Industrial Mineral Occurrences of Alberta (DIG 2019-0026 and DIG 2019-0027), Kimberlite and Ultrabasic Intrusions of Alberta (DIG 2019-0028), Lithium Content in Groundwater and Formation Water in Alberta (DIG 2019-0029), references (txt) and methodology (Map 590 Information Document).
For complete details on methodology, please see the Map 590 Information document (pdf) included with the data package.
Data polygons have been generalized so that attributes such as geological unit may be locally inaccurate at large scales.
Some geological units of interest for industrial minerals were part of undifferentiated geological packages of formations in the provincial geological framework models and maps.
No effort was made to systematically verify the "geological unit" attribute accuracy of historical mineral datasets and maps that informed this dataset.
Due to the little evidence and knowledge about the genesis of most metallic occurrences in the province, the deposit type classification used was mostly based on metal association and host rock. Efforts were made to relate every mineral occurrence to a deposit type, however errors may have occurred due to insufficient data, particularly with precious (Au, Ag) and base metals (Pb, Zn, Cu).
The economic use field [Econ_Use] gives examples of economic uses recorded in literature, and is not intended as an exhaustive list of suitable uses for materials located within the prospective areas.
This dataset covers all of Alberta. Not all rocks or minerals of economic interest were included nor all deposit types mentioned by others in the literature. Digital datasets DIG 2019-0026 (Metallic Occurrences of Alberta), DIG 2019-0027 (Industrial Mineral Occurrences of Alberta), DIG 2019-0028 (Kimberlite and Ultramafic Intrusions of Alberta) and DIG 2019-0029 (Lithium content in groundwater and formation water) should be consulted to see additional mineral occurrences not used to create prospective areas. The data were compiled from various maps and reports.
No effort was made to verify that the methods for testing and observations compiled were consistent between sources.
No effort was made to ensure continuity of features with existing data in adjacent provinces or territories (i.e., edge matching).
Some geological units of interest were part of undifferentiated geological packages of formations in the 2017 and 2018 provincial geological framework models and AGS maps.
The depth fields [Depth_fr_m] and [Depth_to_m] could not always be completed.
The estimated accuracy of the primary input map datasets for polygon shapes is +/- 1500 m (AGS Map 600, AGS Map 601).
Generalization of map polygons from AGS Map 224, AGS Map 537, AGS Map 560, and geological models by using a 500 m buffer applied to the data further reduced positional accuracy by 500 m. No effort was made to systematically verify the accuracy of historical mineral datasets. Some mineral occurrence locations for particular geological units are not plotting within their corresponding bedrock geology polygons. This may mean some occurrences are inaccurately located, or the bedrock geology is inaccurately mapped, or the geological unit assigned to the occurrence is incorrect.
The estimated positional accuracy is +/- 3000 m. Therefore, the prospective areas are intended for use at 1:1,000,000 scale or smaller.
Detailed methodology for the construction of prospective areas is found in the Map Information Document included with Map 590, Minerals of Alberta.
The creation of the prospective areas digital dataset involved an extensive compilation and analysis of historical mineral information. The work started with a compilation of mineral occurrences, geological and mineral information from the published literature available and the preparation of mineral deposit summaries for Alberta’s mineral occurrences. Then the work involved grouping and analysis of information as well as Map 590 preparation.
Prospective areas are defined here as areas favourable for the exploration of mineral deposits. In the digital dataset, a prospective area for the exploration of a mineral deposit of a certain type is represented by several records (polygons) that were identified as hosting occurrences or with the potential to host occurrences.
Available geological and mineral information were gathered from government, academia and industry publications. Government data was extracted from Alberta Energy (AE), Environment and Parks (AEP), Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Alberta Geological Survey (currently within the AER) and Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) publications and databases. Academia publications included theses and journals. Industry data was mined from mineral assessment reports, technical reports (NI 43-101 compliant and non-compliant), environmental impact assessments, well data, news and webpages. Geological data compiled and/or evaluated included geological units from maps and models, geochemical data, mineralogical data, geophysical data, geological cross sections, well logs, basemap data (roads, rail), imagery, mineral occurrence datasets, surface dispositions and mineral agreements.
The data evaluated comprised one hundred years of mineral exploration and exists in multiple types and formats of data. Numerous summaries and datasets were collected from all the above sources which had to be digitized to allow for further analysis or addition to the map. Many data were not collected or analyzed due to time constraints.
The work included a) updating AGS internal datasets of mineral occurrences, b) listing of all commodities identified as being present in the province, c) classifying mineral occurrences based on their status or development stage of exploration (certainty), d) grouping of occurrences by possible mineral deposit-types, e) creating polygons by combining occurrences with all other geological information, f) adding polygon attribute data, and g) classying polygons based on their exploration or development stage (certainty).
The methodology to define prospective areas used a qualitative approach. The extent of prospective areas considered the geological setting and other characteristics of mineral occurrences in the province, as well as our general knowledge about the genesis of mineral systems. Therefore, a prospective area may represent the extent of the geological unit hosting mineral occurrences restricted up to a certain depth. In some cases, other characteristics known to be related or control the location of a deposit of a certain type were also considered to better constrain the extent of a prospective area (e.g. structural control in unconformity-related uranium and carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn, development of hydrothermal dolomite in carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn, spatial relation to Upper Devonian reefs in lithium-rich oilfield brines). When no geological map data was available or geological map units were too extensive to produce a reasonable size for a prospective area, either a minimum bounding geometry around mineral occurrences was used (e.g. potash, lithium) or a buffer around mineral occurrences.
Due to the little evidence and knowledge about the genesis of most metallic occurrences in the province, the deposit type classification used was mostly based on metal association and host rock.
Digital datasets DIG 2019-0026 (Metallic Occurrences of Alberta), DIG 2019-0027 (Industrial Mineral Occurrences of Alberta), DIG 2019-0028 (Kimberlite and Ultramafic Intrusions of Alberta) and DIG 2019-0029 (Lithium content in groundwater and formation water) should be consulted to corroborate those prospective area polygons with field observations. For diamonds, the user should consult the KIM Interpreted Microprobe Mineral datasets available through the AGS Open Data Catalogue (www.aer.ags.ca).
Corrections were made to the Econ_Use attribute because errors were found in the reporting of economic use for ammolite.
Typographical errors were also corrected in the Poly_Def attribute for humalite.