Mineral Resources of Alberta

Alberta is abundantly endowed with mineral resources and since 1971 has led all other provinces in Canada in the value of mineral production. The province is rich in the variety as well as the value of its minerals, although the bulk of the mineral wealth currently is derived from energy resources, mainly from conventional oil and gas production, but also from substantial coal production plus limited production from the Athabasca oil sands (now in the early stage of development). Energy resources will continue indefinitely to be the province's principal source of mineral wealth, as large scale development of oil sands and coal deposits offsets the depletion of conventional oil and gas reserves. However, the other mineral resources - industrial and metallic - will gain in importance as their development progresses in response to the economic and industrial growth of the province. The growth in production of the major products is shown in an enclosed figure.