A drill rig swallowed up by a lake or bog is a nightmare. That’s why winter is the only time that heavyweight drilling equipment is hauled across Finland’s marshy tundra – when it’s frozen solid.
Each day while geologists sip coffee to warm up, newly delivered diamond drill core thaws on their meeting room table. Outside, heated coils wrap pipes as they run under the snow to ensure water reaches the rigs without freezing.
Mawson Resources has shown that enduring Finland’s frigid north is worth it. When their exploration team struck Finland’s richest gold intersection in history – six metres at 617 grams – they followed it with a resource at their Rajapalot project even more valuable to both Finland and the European Union (EU): cobalt.
A lot of gold goes into banks, some is used in jewelry and electronics, but cobalt has become a vital resource for countries wanting to reach lower carbon emissions goals – so it’s in high demand.
O elemento azul por trás da energia verde
Most people envision silent electric vehicles driving by, giant wind turbines, or fields of solar panels when they hear “green energy.” Few know that behind each of those technologies is cobalt.
The blue element is used in everything from lithium ion batteries that power electric cars, to solar power energy storage, to components in electromagnets used to generate wind power.
Cobalt is so important to reducing carbon emissions that the European Union (EU) has deemed it a critical metal.
“Na escala da UE, é muito importante ter recursos sustentáveis e de origem ética, e o cobalto é um deles”, comentou Nick Cook, presidente da Mawson Resources.
“Provavelmente, ele está apenas entre 10% e 20% do valor in situ do projeto. Mas considerando uma fonte da UE deste metal crítico, ele é muito importante. Adoraríamos ser um fornecedor para economia de baixo carbono, mas estamos começando.”
Finland refines half of the world’s cobalt outside of China, making it a key part of their future economy.
This discovery is earning Mawson Resources a social license to operate on a national and international scale. The resource could empower Finland’s green economy, as well as helping the EU cement itself further in the battery supply chain.
Um bom explorador
Politics and trade aside, sustainability isn’t forgotten at site.
Mawson Resource’s project is set in Finland’s Lapland, a remote place known for its hinterland of trees, lakes, and swamps. That’s why it’s key in exploration that any impact made is minimised.
“Você quer deixar o ambiente como se nunca o tivesse visitado”, comentou Nick.
“Eu me tornei geólogo para ser um cientista em campo, pois sempre gostei de ar livre. Portanto, gosto da ideia de ser cauteloso.”
Finland’s environmental agencies ensure any companies operating in certain habitats must be very scientific in their approach and prove that minimal impact occurs. It’s strictly enforced.
“Um período no campo com mais biólogos do que geólogos.
Com dados de base, um bom explorador significa menor pegada”, explicou Nick.
Thus, although drilling in the summer marshland is impossible, no time is wasted. Nick’s team runs their target planning and environmental surveys during that season. Noting otter habitats, birds’ nests, and bear dens to avoid are as much of a consideration as the geology during project planning.
“É essencial planejar os nossos programas de exploração considerando o meio ambiente e os nossos stakeholders”, explicou Nick.
Impacto mínimo e valor máximo
As well as not wanting to damage the environment, drilling programs are expensive. Mawson Resources used 3D geological modelling in Leapfrog Geo to make smart decisions about drilling targets and exploration.
Choices so smart that they have built an impressive gold-cobalt resource from the ground up. Nearly 15 kilometres of drill core in the maiden resource area required excellent data management alongside a 3D view of target locations.
Nick explicou que “ao trabalhar com quatro perfuratrizes ao mesmo tempo, é possível perder o controle se os dados não forem gerenciados.”
“Você não terá informações suficientes. Então, é muito fácil jogar dinheiro fora perfurando no local errado.”
The company also uses MX Deposit, a cloud-based drill hole and sample data management platform, for an accessible place to log their data and analyse assay results in minutes, as well as export it to enhance their Leapfrog 3D geological models.
During the 2018 to 2019 winter, they completed an additional 15 km of diamond drilling to post the maiden resource, and their next program will be similar.
The 3D models have allowed them to show stakeholders, in a tangible way, continuity in their resource findings and give them confidence in its value.
Sem deixar rastros
Mawson Resources is doing a good job of offsetting their project’s impact, maybe too good.
“Fazemos reúso de toda a água e, além disso, os cortes de perfuração são coletados e retirados do local”, explicou Nick.
Within two years, almost no evidence remains of their exploration activities.
“Às vezes, é um pouco irritante não conseguir encontrar um collar de perfuração por estar escondido no pântano ou em uma parte com grama.”
As new drill data arrives with each campaign, who knows what more the team will discover in their frozen gold-cobalt belt.
“Isso é sempre importante na exploração. Se os resultados continuam melhorando, você geralmente está no caminho certo. E, até agora, tudo está melhorando o tempo todo.”