Minerals of Alberta

The Minerals of Alberta map presents a current view of non-energy mineral resources in the province and the extents of prospective areas for the exploration of undiscovered resources. Resources included are minerals and other materials naturally occurring in rocks and sediments, as well as minerals that may be recoverable as by-products of industrial processes. Minerals or materials included are ammolite, bentonite, calcium chloride, clay, copper, diamonds, dolomite, fly ash, gold, gypsum, humalite, iron, lead, limestone, lithium, magnetite, marl/ tufa, metallurgical coal, nickel, peat, phosphate, potash, rare earth elements, salt, sand/gravel, shale, silica sand, stone, sulphur, titanium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. The intent of the map is to inform industry, government, and the public of Alberta's mineral deposits and potential, and raise awareness of economic development opportunities.

The map highlights locations with current and past production as well as the locations of selected projects that are deemed by the authors to have the potential to become mineable in the future, if conditions are favourable. The details about these mineral deposits were compiled from publicly available information including mineral assessment reports, industry technical reports, and government publications and datasets.

The map also highlights areas deemed prospective for the exploration of minerals from a geological perspective. Prospective areas were outlined using geological maps, 3D geological models, mineral occurrence datasets, geochemical data, mineralogical data, mineral agreements and dispositions, and satellite imagery. Information was derived from government, academia, and industry publications. These areas constitute regions for the exploration of undiscovered resources outlined at a provincial scale. No attempt was made to quantify or rank overall mineral prospectivity, probability, or potential.

The Minerals of Alberta map is a simplified cartographic view of more detailed digital datasets that include additional commodities, mineral occurrences, and the subdivision of prospective areas based on mineral deposit type, geological unit, exploration or development stage, depth, and other attributes.

The Minerals of Alberta map files include:

1. Minerals of Alberta, Map 590 (PDF format)

2. Prospective Areas for Mineral Exploration DIG 2019-0025 (GIS data, polygon features)

3. Metallic Mineral Occurrences of Alberta, DIG 2019-0026 (tabular data, tab-delimited format)

4. Industrial Mineral Occurrences of Alberta, DIG 2019-0027 (tabular data, tab-delimited format)

5. Kimberlite and Ultrabasic Intrusions of Alberta, DIG 2019-0028 (tabular data, tab-delimited format)

6. Lithium Content in Groundwater and Formation Water in Alberta, DIG 2019-0029 (tabular data, tab-delimited format)

7. Map Information Document (txt)