L2M NSERC- Geomicrobial Mineral Exploration Surveys

加拿大有大量的矿藏，但钻探是昂贵的和环境密集型的。因此，矿物勘探应用传统的地球化学来测试土壤，以寻找地下矿床的特征。地质微生物学是一种新兴技术，有可能通过识别和计数小体积土壤中的微生物物种来探测地下矿床。地质微生物学旨在通过量化微生物群落组成对元素和化合物从更深地质层向上迁移的响应来补充和加强现有的地球化学和地球物理勘探。我们已经证实，土壤细菌反映了地球物理异常，因此可以用于绘制矿体足迹。因此，我们正在扩大测试和验证不同类型的存款的方法，以及编译的细菌物种，包括社区组成模式，与特定的存款类型的数据库。我们预计，地质微生物调查提供的额外数据层可以帮助矿产勘探公司选择更好的钻探目标。这将为该行业带来经济效益，并通过避开原本不需要钻探作业的区域来减少对环境的影响。这项技术的主要用户将是正在寻找新矿藏的矿产勘探公司。我们正在寻求NSERC L2M，以探索中小型勘探公司以及大型采矿公司的地质微生物调查市场。这将为NSERC i2i与感兴趣的工业合作伙伴的应用奠定基础。

Canada has vast mineral deposits, but drilling to find them is expensive and environmentally intensive. Thus, mineral exploration applies traditional geochemistry to test soils for signatures of sub-surface deposits. Geomicrobiology is an emerging technology with the potential to detect subsurface deposits by identifying and enumerating microbial species in small volumes of soil. Geomicrobiology is intended to complement and enhance existing geochemical and geophysical exploration by quantifying how microbial community composition responds to the upward migration of elements and compounds from deeper geological formations.We have confirmed that soil bacteria reflect geophysical anomalies and so can be used to map orebody footprints. Consequently we are expanding to test and validate the approach on diverse types of deposits as well as to compile a database of bacterial species including community composition patterns that correlate with specific deposit types. We anticipate that the additional layer of data offered by geomicrobial surveys can help mineral exploration companies choose better drill targets. This would offer economic benefits to the industry, and also reduce environmental impacts by avoiding areas that otherwise would not need to be disturbed by drilling operations.The primary users of this technology will be mineral exploration companies that are searching for new mineral occurrences. We are pursuing NSERC L2M to probe the market for geomicrobial surveys among small to medium sized exploration companies as well as with large mining firms. This will set the stage for a NSERC i2i application with interested industrial partners.