Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/264766
28 s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 photograph : Alpha E xploration inc . increased by nearly 40 per cent. The Ministry estimates that, since MARS was put in place, the staking rate in the province has increased by a factor of five. The 24/7 online system has reduced the approval time for claims from a minimum of 30 business days to only five (see sidebar on page 31). In addition to saving time, the new system has helped to reduce the cost of min- eral exploration in Saskatchewan. MARS also provides province-wide electronic maps to locate and acquire claims, which eliminates staking costs and creates savings that can be redirected to field exploration. Metallic and non-metallic minerals One of the reasons for the continued interest in mineral explorat ion in Saskatchewan is the province's diverse geology, which hosts a variety of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits. For example, in 2012 a total of $115.8 mil- lion was spent exploring for uranium, mostly in the Athabasca Basin. Spending is expected to increase slightly to $122.2 million in 2013. The Athabasca Basin is located in northern Saskatchewan and Alberta. It is the world's leading source of high-grade uranium and supplies about 20 per cent of global demand. The basin covers about 100,000 square kilometres in Saskatchewan and a small portion of Alberta. Gold exploration expenditures in Saskatchewan totalled $13.1 million in 2012, up from $10.5 million in 2011, making it the highest annual total since 2007. Expenditures are expected to drop in 2013 to about $7.5 million, mainly due to recent declines in the price of gold. Although there is currently no base metal production in Saskatchewan, it is estimated that $9.9 million will be spent on exploration in 2013, which is down from the $13 million spent in 2012. Saskatchewan's most advanced diamond prospect is the Star–Orion South kim- berlite project. According to a feasibility study for the project, 34.4 million carats, at an average value of US$242 per carat, could be extracted from the probable reserves of 279 million tons of kimberlite. In 2013, North Arrow Minerals Inc. undertook a 2,002-metre diamond drill- ing campaign north of Deschambault Lake to earn a majority interest in the Pikoo project. North Arrow encountered kimberlite in nine of the 10 holes that it drilled, with reported intersections rang- ing from centimetre-scale dykes up to 28.9 metres. B.C. exploration CoMpanies operating in saskatChewan Following is a brief and incomplete sum- mary of B.C. juniors that are exploring for minerals in Saskatchewan. Apologies to those deserving companies that, because of space limitations, have been omitted. Base metals In May 2013, Unity Energy Corp. completed an option agreement with an Inspectorate.indd 1 13-02-05 4:39 PM p26-35_Saskatchewan.indd 28 14-02-14 3:07 PM