There are gold deposits thousands of feet underneath Moose Jaw, under the sediments, under the layers of potash buried in mountains that are almost two billion years old.
The gold lies trapped in the Trans-Hudson Corridor. The corridor was created between 1.8 and 1.9 billion years ago when ancient continents collided with each other to eventually form North America.
The rock structure starts in South Dakota and flows up through Saskatchewan with a right turn north of La Ronge to James Bay in Manitoba.
One of America’s most prolific gold mines lies at the south end near Lead, South Dakota. The Homestake Mine produced 43.7 million ounces of gold and 9.9 million ounces of silver between 1937 and closure in 2002.
Erosion and volcanic activity have exposed the Trans-Hudson structure in South Dakota.
The Trans-Hudson structure is covered until it gets to the Great Canadian Shield in Northern Saskatchewan where erosion and volcanic activity also exposed the old mountains.
Some 1,700 kilometres north of Lead, about 18 hours drive, the SeaBee mine has produced 1.5 million ounces of gold since 1991.
The La Ronge Gold Belt, as it is called, has produced another 600,000 ounces from several mines since the 1930s.
The eastern portion of the corridor in Manitoba has producing mines and a couple in construction. The Manitoba area has produced 3.5 million ounces of gold as byproduct from the Flin Flon area base metal mines.
Mining journals are labelling Saskatchewan as the next big gold district in Canada, given the possibilities.
Aside from the two SeaBee mines operated by SSR Mining, a number of companies have taken claims and are exploring for the metal, taking advantage of more than 400 known gold outcrops in the north.
One journal noted only $3.4 million of the $165 million spent in Saskatchewan on mining exploration was for gold. The rest was for potash and uranium.
Saskatchewan has been rated as a top mining-friendly jurisdiction, attracting explorers. The region has advantages: stable politics, mineral exploration incentives, roads and electricity access, and a skilled, well-educated work force.
SSR Mining has five target projects north and west and adjacent to the SeaBee mines, located 125 km north of La Ronge. Some have been optioned to other explorers.
At least four other companies are looking for gold in the region.
Of course, there are known deposits of more than one million ounces north of Lake Athabasca.
Saskatchewan may become rated as one of the country's top gold mining districts along with the Abitibi Greenstone district of Ontario and Quebec (18.0 million ounces production), the Red Lake Ontario district (30 million ounces) and B.C.’s Golden Triangle, (5.3 million ounces).
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
