Figure 34.2
Definitions for 'status' categories of
mineral deposits and occurrences in the Western
Canada Sedimentary Basin.
Producer/past producer
Mineral deposit from which ore is
currently being mined or has been mined in the past for commercial
gain. Typically, ore reserves and grade are known with some
certainty and, in the case of past producers, are available from
production records. For past producers, production has ceased
because: (1) ore reserves have been exhausted, or (2) operations
became sub-economic, because of factors such as declining
grade/commodity prices, loss of markets, increasing waste to ore
ratio during mining, increasing processing costs, etc.
Prospect
Mineral deposit that has sufficient size and ore mineral
content to make commercial extraction a possibility. Typically,
enough assessment work has been done to establish the presence of
ore grade material and make at least a preliminary estimate of deposit
size (i.e., reserves). Further work will enhance the accuracy of
reserve estimates and may lead to definition of the deposit as an
orebody and a potential producer.
Showing
Natural occurrence of valuable mineral(s) in sufficient
concentration to indicate that further exploration may be warranted.
Typically, insufficient work has been done to establish the size of
the occurrence or the grade of the concentration of valuable
mineral(s). For nonmetallic mineral occurrences, access and
recoverability are additional critical factors in distinguishing
showings from prospects: e.g., a nonmetallic deposit that has
unfavorable access or recoverability may be classed as a showing
even though it has sufficient indication of size and grade to be a
prospect.
Anomaly
Mineral occurrence that has been indicated by geological,
geophysical or geochemical means to be a local abnormality from the
general surroundings. This category has been applied only to the
metallic minerals.
