The Calgary Mineral Exploration Group

As the Alberta economy develops new industries and the required infrastructure, its need for diverse natural resources grows. Fortunately, there is much more to Alberta’s natural endowment than oil, gas and coal. We have long had, and have today, a vibrant mineral-exploration industry.

Calgary has an annual mining conference, every spring. It began almost 15 years ago, in the excitement of the northern diamond rush. Through the ups and downs that followed, the conference has endured, and it continues to attract hundreds of explorationists each year from across Canada.

This conference is called Calgary Mining Forum. It is put on by a non-profit, local, volunteer-driven professional association called the Calgary Mineral Exploration Group. The idea behind the Forum is to bring together mining companies, investors, consultants and government scientists. A mixture of talks, short courses, a trade show and social events makes for a healthy, educational and profitable mix of capital and expertise. Affordable registration fees (just $80 in advance) make the Forum a bargain of the year for everybody!

The focus of the Forum is two-fold: (1) highlights of mineral exploration in Alberta, and (2) exploration by western Canadian companies worldwide. The scope covers everything from gold to aggregate to uranium to diamonds to environmental issues, as well as industry financing. Companies present reports of their recent exploration activities, Alberta Geological Survey shows its exploration-related research, and short courses cover everything from mining geophysics to professional development to exploration geochemistry.

Geophysical themes at the Forum might be of particular interest to CSEG members. Although seismic methods are used sometimes in mining, most surveys tend to be magnetic, gravity and electro-magnetic. An oil-industry colloquialism sometimes equates “geophysics” with just “seismic”. Not in mining: there is very much more variety to geophysics than any one technique. And besides, geophysical studies of glacial till or basement structure may matter in the oil industry as well as in mining.

Besides the Forum, the MEG holds low-cost monthly technical luncheons downtown, with professional speakers from around western Canada and beyond making presentations on their exploration projects. Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-members, including beer and a sandwich.

The MEG is smaller than the CSEG or CSPG, but our hundreds of members make it vibrant. The 2005 Calgary Mining Forum is set for April 6-7 at the Ramada Hotel downtown. Current information regarding the Forum and the monthly luncheons is posted in our web site www.meg.calgary.ab.ca, where you will also be able to get on our regular mailing list to receive event announcements. And if you’d like to become an MEG member, that costs just $10 a year. So come on out. There is a world to gain!