Fri
5 Jan 2024MERC 2022-23 Annual Report
2022-23 MERC Annual Report
Message from Ross Sherlock, MERC and Metal Earth Director
I’m pleased to present this annual report, which provides a snapshot of our 2022-23 Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC) and Metal Earth projects.
The following pages highlight the progress and research results of hundreds of researchers, students, faculty members, and staff who have contributed to MERC and Metal Earth. The report also features data releases and key peer-reviewed publications made available during and after the end of the official reporting period (March 31, 2023).
MERC and Metal Earth continue to deliver scientific breakthroughs, publish high-impact open-access journal articles, partner with industry, government, and academic institutions on geoscience projects, prepare public data releases, organize global events, and host international collaborations.
None of this would be possible without our dedicated team and support from government, industry, and academic partners. We thank them for their contributions at every level. Canada’s Metal Earth project, the largest university-led geoscience project in the world, is now in its eighth year. Since its inception, the project has advanced from massive field data collection across more than a dozen transects to data analysis and research synthesis.
Milestones are marked through peer-reviewed publications, published theses, new geological maps, the adoption of novel lab techniques and algorithms, and the sheer numbers of young and emerging geoscience researchers and professionals who have successfully advanced their careers through their experience with Metal Earth.
Most importantly, the project and its people are changing our understanding of the fundamental processes that result in differential metal endowment, answering key questions that improve mineral exploration targeting and success. Laurentian University leads Metal Earth with research groups at partner universities, and the project’s primary funding comes from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).
As the mineral resource industry and government continue to invest in exploration to meet increasing global demand, MERC focuses on developing partnerships, projects, and research that advances geoscience. It’s inspiring work, and I am pleased to share it with you as we look forward to 2024.
-Ross Sherlock
Director, MERC and Metal Earth
