Canada’s “Huge New Mineral Discovery”

A huge amount of alumina has been discovered in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.  A base metal found within polymetallic shale formations, it can be used in place of imported bauxite.  This alumina discovery, estimated to be a retrievable asset of about seven billion tons, is located near the farming town of Tisdale in central Saskatchewan.

Along with its agricultural presence, Saskatchewan is known for its large mining operations that produce world-class deposits of potash and uranium.

The deposit was initially discovered three years ago, and since that time, the mineral has been found to exist over an area of about 230 square miles. Initial discovery of the deposit was made at a drill site just 50 feet below ground surface by the private mining company Canadian Metals Corporation.  The company has dubbed this operation the "Thor Project".

Christopher Hopkins is president and CEO of Canadian Energy Metals. Hopkins said that while the polymetallic shale formation contains several other base metals, the formation is primarily comprised of a huge amount of alumina.

“Thor’s a large resource of critical metals that we’ve discovered in Saskatchewan, in the center of the province," Hopkins said.  "This is a polymetallic shale containing aluminum, and I refer here to alumina. It also contains other metals, including base metals as well. Our alumina resource totals over six billion tons, equating to 30 percent of the known world’s alumina supply.”

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the significance of this huge alumina deposit will only add to the province of Saskatchewan’s reputation as a valuable critical minerals mining center.

“The global demand for this resource is significant today and going to be much more significant in the months and years ahead, and relative to the global reserves, to have a third of that resource present right here in Saskatchewan,” Moe said.

This large alumina deposit within a polymetallic shale formation is being touted as an aluminum industry ‘game changer.’ Normally, the alumina mineral is smelted from bauxite ore, which is an environmentally dirty and wasteful process. As well, Canada, already a large aluminum producer in Quebec and in British Columbia, has had to import its bauxite ore.

According to Hopkins, the "Thor Project" would produce a product that could be classified as ‘green’ when compared to the typical bauxite-based smelting process.

“The alumina that we’ve produced exhibits strong environmental benefits, compared to the processing of bauxite, which is the mineral that’s more commonly used," Hopkins said.  "We’re able to produce what we believe would be regarded as a green alumina product. This helps to replace the bauxite which is being imported from places like Guinea, Brazil, and China.”

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