Accommodation: To be organised by delegate. The 12 IKC preferred room rates at the three hotels are available for the dates required to participate in FT05A and FT05B so bookings for the main conference can be extended. See Accommodation Page for more details.

Description: Join renowned experts for a deep dive into drift prospecting for kimberlite (and other commodities!) in Canada. Drift prospecting is the science of tracing surface sediments back to their bedrock source, which in Canada, requires a detailed understanding of glacial geomorphology and landscape evolution. The programme will include a half day short course followed by an optional one-day float plane trip visiting several key sites in the Slave Geological Province that typify the complexities of drift prospecting. This programme will showcase how an understanding of glacial, deglacial and post-glacial processes can help advance grassroots and brownfield programmes and develop reliable exploration targets.

The short course will provide a foundational understanding of glacial processes and how sediments are created and distributed throughout the landscape by tracing the path from mechanical erosion and glacial entrainment, through primary deposition of till, and subsequent modification and remobilization by deglacial meltwater processes. The effects of these processes on the sediment composition, and ultimately indicator mineral and geochemical concentrations will be demonstrated through a series of case studies. We will discuss how these landforms are identified remotely, and finally, how this information can be used to design and execute successful drift prospecting programmes and evaluate the resulting data within the appropriate glacial context to generate exploration targets.

Participants who elect to go on the field component will have the opportunity to apply the information from the short course and get the experience of drift prospecting in Canada’s remote and scenic Slave Geological Province. After a reconnaissance flight over the tundra, they will be exposed to different surficial landscapes and sampling media and discuss how the various depositional environments influence the way samples are collected. Digital maps will be provided on handheld GPS-enabled devices and participants will learn how to navigate in the field, interpret the map data and use those interpretations to find the optimal material and locations for sampling. We will also visit areas that are not well-suited to standard drift prospecting approaches and demonstrate how successful programmes can still be achieved in landscapes affected by subglacial meltwater corridors and glacial lakes. We will investigate the landforms and sediments created by these processes, discuss how sediment genesis can be interpreted based on landform context and sedimentological characterization, and differentiate which sediments and landforms in these meltwater-affected areas can still yield useful data from those that can mislead exploration efforts. We will also reconstruct glacial ice-flow and sediment transport histories based on critical examination of sub-glacially sculpted landforms and small features etched into bedrock.

Participants will come away from the field trip with a strong appreciation for the complexities of the surficial environment and how prior knowledge of these complexities is integral to the design of effective drift prospecting programmes and the interpretation of the resulting data. While focused on diamond exploration, the information provided is transferable to exploration for all commodities, including precious and critical metals, lithium, and uranium.