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the wave of discoveries of deposits and
mines during the '90s. These drills were
often modular and efficiently helicopter-
portable, and, along with the implemen-
tation of thin-walled drill pipe, these
small but powerful drills could reach to
great depths.
W hile work ing for Homestake
Mining in 1995, I remember with what
great fanfare Smithers-based Hy-Tech
Drilling's helicopter-portable rig com-
pleted a diamond drill hole over one mile
long! This example of made-in-B.C.
ingenuity with small, efficient, hydraulic
rigs continues today.
5. Lidar
All advanced exploration deposits require
a good base map with accurate topog-
raphy. Originally developed shortly after
the invention of the laser, Lidar is a remote
sensing technology that measures dis-
tance by illuminating a target with a laser
and analyzing the reflected light. Using
GPS technology, aircraft-based Lidar
systems provide decimetric-or-better
Drilling above the clouds at Seabridge
Gold's KSM project. Helicopter-portable
drills are an example of made-in-B.C.
technology that makes exploration at
depth feasible in remote areas.
Deakin.indd 1 10/28/11 11:22:47 AM
