1) Where does Canada rank in world production of niobium?

• First
  • Sorry. Please try again
• Second
  • Correct! Canada ranks second after Brazil.
• Third
  • Sorry. Please try again.
• Has no niobium mining
  • Sorry. On the contrary, Canada is a major producer, and will become an even more significant producer with Niocan.

2) What is the primary end-use of niobium?

• Steel
  • Correct! 89% of niobium is destined as an additive to steel.
• Stainless Steel
  • Sorry. This only represents 9% of niobium use.
• Superconducting applications and medical uses
  • Sorry. This only represents 2% of niobium use.

3) What is the effect of adding niobium to steel?

• Increased elasticity
  • Sorry. But getting close.
• Improved formability
  • Sorry. It's true but not quite right.
• Increased resistance to corrosion
  • Sorry. But getting closer.
• All of the above
  • Correct! Adding niobium to steel increases elasticity, improves the formability of steel, and increases the resistance of steel to corrosion.

4) What is the primary niobium-bearing mineral?

• Columbite
  • Sorry. While this mineral does contain niobium, it is not the primary niobium-bearing mineral.
• Columbite-tantalite
  • Sorry. While this mineral does contain niobium, it is not the primary niobium-bearing mineral.
• Pyrochlore
  • Correct! Pyrochlore is rhe primary niobium-bearing mineral.
• Struverite
  • Sorry. Struverite is only a minor nibium-bearing mineral.

5) In 2001, world demand for niobium oxide was:

• 10,000 tonnes
  • Sorry.
• 20,000 tonnes
  • Sorry.
• 30,000 tonnes
  • Sorry.
• 40,000 tonnes
  • Correct! The primary producing country was Brazil.

6) In 2001, which region or country was the primary net importer of ferroniobium?

• Asia including Japan
  • Correct! This region consumed nearly 40% of world demand for ferroniobium.
• Europe
  • Sorry.
• USA
  • Sorry. While the USA is a net importer of ferroniobium, it is not the largest.

7) What will be Niocan's proposed annual capacity of ferroniobium?

• 3500 tonnes
  • Sorry.
• 4500 tonnes
  • Correct! Niocan will supply a significant portion of world demand for ferroniobium.
• 5500 tonnes
  • Sorry.
• 6500 tonnes
  • Sorry.

8) The first prospectors and miners to exploit the mineral resources of Canada were the aboriginal people. The metal that they mined from the north shore of Lake Superior and at Coppermine River, north of the Arctic Circle, and shaped into tools and artifacts was:

• Zinc
  • Sorry. It was another metal, which was found in lumps and was relatively pure, that was mined by the aboriginal people thousands of years ago. Zinc was not produced in Canada until the 1800s.
• Copper
  • Correct! The aboriginal people found native copper in lumps of relatively pure metal which could be easily hammered and fashioned into tools and jewelry. Native copper was mined nearly 5,000 years ago by natives along the northern shore of Lake Superior. The Inuit in the Coppermine River area used native copper as recently as 300 years ago.
• Nickel
  • Sorry. Nickel was not produced in Canada until the late 1860s. A silver mine on Lake Superior near the present location of Thunder Bay, Silver Islet Mine, yielded nickel as a by-product. The aboriginal people had mined a different metal thousands of years before this.

9) The California gold rush that started in 1849 triggered a series of gold rushes in western North America. The first major gold boom, in what is now Canada, was located in:

• The Cariboo, British Columbia
  • Correct! Rich gold deposits were first found in this area in 1860 by fortune-seekers that headed north from California. The main rush began the next season in 1861. The search for gold opened up a new territory, encouraged settlement and helped motivate politicians in eastern Canada to build the Trans-Canada railway.
• The North Saskatchewan River, Alberta
  • Sorry. Although some gold was being recovered from the North Saskatchewan River in the early 1860s, about the same time as Canada's first major gold rush further west, the Edmonton area had its gold boom from 1895 to 1907. Today, people can still successfully pan for gold along the North Saskatchewan River right in the middle of the city of Edmonton.
• The Klondike, Yukon
  • Sorry. The Klondike gold rush, from 1896 to 1898, may be very familiar to you, but it was not Canada's first. The Klondike became well known from the poems of Robert Service, who wrote colourful stories about Dan McGrew, Sam McGee and other characters who "moiled for gold" in the land of the midnight sun.

10) In 1997, Canada was the world's leading producer of:

• Zinc
  • Not quite... but you're on the right track. Canada was the top zinc supplier, producing 15% of world's requirement. This zinc came from five Canadian provinces and both territories. New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories were the two largest producers, followed by Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba and the Yukon Territory.
• Uranium
  • Not quite... but you're on the right track. Canada was the biggest supplier of uranium with 32% of world production. Most of this uranium came from uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. Uranium was also mined at Elliot Lake in Ontario, where the last producing mine closed in 1996.
• Potash
  • Not quite... but you're on the right track. Canada was the largest supplier of potash with 36% of world production. Saskatchewan is the main location of the potash industry, with some production from New Brunswick.
• All of the above
  • Correct! Canada ranked #1 for all three products. In 1997, 36% of the world's potash, 32% of all uranium and 15% of all zinc came from Canadian mines. New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories were the two largest Canadian producers of zinc, followed by Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, and the Yukon Territory. Most of the uranium came from uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. Uranium was also mined at Elliot Lake in Ontario, where the last producing mine closed in 1996. Saskatchewan is the main location of the potash industry, with some production from New Brunswick.

11) Canada is the world's second largest producer of nickel. Which area in Canada is the largest single source of nickel in the world?

• Voisey's Bay, Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Sorry. Voisey's Bay is an exciting and significant discovery of nickel, but it will be at least the year 2006 before any metal is produced.
• Sudbury, Ontario
  • Correct! In 1998, about 14% of the world's nickel came from mines located in the Sudbury Structure, a geological feature that many geologists believe was created when a huge meteorite struck the earth almost 2 billion years ago. In addition to nickel, the mines at Sudbury yield copper, cobalt, platinum, gold, silver, sulphuric acid and other products.
• Thompson, Manitoba
  • Sorry. The mines at Thompson do contribute to Canadian nickel production. However, about two-thirds of Canada's nickel, accounting for 14% of world production, comes from a well-known mining area in Ontario.

12) In 1998, the value of metals from Canadian mines totalled $10 billion. The top two metals were:

• Copper and Gold
  • Correct! Together, copper and gold accounted for over 40% of the dollar value coming from Canada's metal mines. Three provinces, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, produced most of this copper and gold (almost 90%).
• Silver and Lead
  • Sorry. Silver and lead were definitely not the top metals in terms of Canadian metal production. Together they accounted for only about 4% of the dollar value from the metal mining industry. Nevertheless, in 1998 Canada mined over $290 million worth of silver and almost $118 million worth of lead.
• Zinc and Nickel
  • Sorry. Zinc and nickel were 4th and 5th, together making up 30% of the dollar value coming from Canada's metal mines.

13) Although we often think of metals and mining together, in 1998 Canada produced over $8 billion in other mineral commodities (excluding oil and gas). These include coal, nonmetals such as salt and asbestos, and structural materials such as clay products and lime. The top two were:

• Gemstones and Barite
  • Sorry. Gemstones and barite are not top-ranked mineral commodities. Nevertheless, Canadian barite production was worth $7 million and gemstones over $400 thousand in 1998. In case you didn't know, barite is used to make paint, paper and cloth, as an abrasive in toothpaste, and in "mud" for drilling oil wells.
• Coal and Potash
  • Correct! In 1998, coal and potash production totalled $3.5 billion, almost 22% of the value of all mineral production in Canada (excluding oil and gas). British Columbia and Alberta were the main producers of coal; Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick yielded the remaining 16%. Saskatchewan was the main potash producer, with some from New Brunswick.
• Cement and Sand & Gravel
  • Sorry, not quite... but you were close! Cement and sand & gravel production ranked 3rd and 4th in other mineral commodities, totalling $1.9 billion in 1998. Cement production was spread over six provinces, while sand & gravel came from every province and territory.

14) You use minerals and mineral products every day. Which of the following contains materials that have been mined?

• Toothpaste
  • Sorry, not quite ... but you were close! Toothpaste does contain mined products, such as clay, barite, feldspar, and fluoride from the mineral fluorite.
• Carpets
  • Sorry, not quite ... but you were close! Many carpets do contain mined products: barite or limestone are added to muffle the sound and give bounce, and other mineral products are added as fire retardants.
• Copper Pipe
  • Sorry, not quite ... but you were close! As you might expect, copper does come from mining. It is used in a wide variety of industries because it conducts heat and electricity well, resists corrosion and looks attractive.
• All of the above
  • All three contain products of mining:
    • Toothpaste:
      Ingredients include clay, barite, feldspar, and fluoride from the mineral fluorite. Yum!
    • Carpets:
      Barite or limestone help to muffle the sound and give bounce. Other mineral products are added as fire retardants.
    • Copper pipe:
      There are several ore minerals of copper. Major uses of copper include electrical wiring, electronic products and construction materials such as water pipes.

15) The average cost of making an economic gold or base metal discovery in Canada is:

• $5000 - $10,000
  • Sorry. Not enough.
• $5,000,000 - $8,000,000
  • Sorry. Not enough.
• $50,000,000 - $80,000,000
  • Correct! This may seem like a lot of money, but finding a mine has been compared to "finding a needle in a haystack". There are many companies and individuals looking for an economic deposit, but only a few are successful. Therefore, the largest component in the overall cost is the cost of failure. Exploration is not only costly but time consuming as well, taking several years to find an economic deposit and several more years to develop it before mining can even begin.

16) If you want to pick an area for mineral exploration, one of the first steps is to:

• Take several soil samples and send them to a laboratory
  • Sorry, you're getting ahead of yourself! Taking samples such as soils, rocks and mud from lakes, is often part of a well-planned exploration program. When these are analyzed for certain elements at a laboratory, you may get clues about the location of a hidden mineral deposit. However, before you do any detailed work like taking samples, you have a major decision to make.
• Select a company to do drilling
  • Sorry, you're getting ahead of yourself! Diamond drilling, using a machine that bores down into the rock and gets a continuous rock sample, is very expensive (averaging about $60 a metre). As a smart prospector, you would first pinpoint a promising location to drill by mapping, sampling and other methods, but before doing any detailed work you have a major decision to make.
• Decide what mineral or metal you want to look for
  • Correct! Are you going to search for gold, zinc, potash or iron ore? Your decision will help narrow the choice of good areas to explore. For example, you would probably not look for deposits of metals like gold or copper in the flat-lying sedimentary rocks that cover the plains region in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba - but you might look for coal and potash there.

17) After deciding what mineral you are going to search for, what else could you do to choose an area to explore?

• Ask government geologists about possible prospects
  • Sorry, but you're on the right track. Federal and provincial geologists can be a great help. These geologists have mapped the rock types on a regional scale, collected samples of rocks and stream sediments, analyzed data from geophysical surveys and so on. This information may show ideal areas worth looking at in more detail.
• Search through published maps and reports for areas of favourable geology
  • Sorry, but you're on the right track. It is an excellent idea to check maps and reports because these can save you a lot of legwork! Certain types of mineral and metal deposits tend to occur in certain types of rocks. Canada has a great diversity of rock types, ages and structures. Published information can help narrow down your search area.
• Check in provincial government files for information on previous exploration work
  • Sorry, but you're on the right track. These files, called assessment work reports, contain valuable information about exploration work that has been done in the past. This includes geological mapping, results of sampling, drilling, and other types of surveys done on the property.
• All of the above
  • Correct! All of these may help you choose areas most likely to have the kind of mineral deposit you're looking for. Certain types of mineral and metal deposits tend to occur in certain types of geological environments. Canada has a great diversity of rock types, ages and structures. Information from federal and provincial geologists, published maps and reports, and reports on previous exploration work can help narrow down your search area.

18) In Canada, millions of dollars are spent each year in the search for new mines. How much was spent on mineral exploration in 1998?

• About $77 million
  • Sorry, not enough! More than $77 million was spent on mineral exploration in 1998.
• About $770 million
  • Correct! Finding a mine is hard work and expensive, too! Hundreds of companies, from small junior companies to large multi-national mining corporations, are currently exploring for new mineral deposits. Only a small percentage will be successful.
• About $7,700 million
  • Sorry, too much! Less than $7,700 million was spent on mineral exploration in 1998.

19) How would you go about getting the right to explore for minerals?

• By staking a claim on a specific parcel of land
  • Correct! The specific rules for staking a claim vary depending on the province or territory, but basically the laws ensure that people and companies will benefit if they find a potential mine. You can gain the exclusive right to explore on an available property and develop any mineral discoveries, by staking and recording a claim with the provincial or territorial government. Within a certain period of time, you must do some work on the property or pay a fee in order to maintain this right.
• By writing to your federal member of parliament
  • Sorry. You would be contacting the wrong level of government -- it is the provincial governments that are responsible for regulating mineral exploration in Canada (except in the territories).
• By donating huge amounts of money to the Geological Society of the CIM
  • Sorry. But we do appreciate the thought!

20) Suppose you have gained the right to explore on a property in a forested area. Your exploration program might include:

• Hiring a crew to cut lines through the bush in a grid pattern
  • Sorry, but you're on the right track! Yes, your exploration program might include the cutting of grid lines. These grid lines allow you to accurately pinpoint specific locations in the bush, providing the control for any detailed surveys you plan to do. For example, ground crews can walk along the lines with geophysical instruments that measure properties of the earth below, such as electrical conductivity and magnetism.
• Taking samples of twigs and sending them to the laboratory
  • Sorry, but you're on the right track! Yes, your exploration program might include taking vegetation samples such as twigs if you are searching for certain metals. Plants can take up some elements such as gold and copper, and an unusual amount of these substances in twigs or leaves can give clues about hidden concentrations in the rocks.
• Walking through the area on foot, plotting the extent and type of rock formations
  • Sorry, but you're on the right track! Yes, you might include this type of survey, which is called geological mapping; this is an important and basic step in most exploration programs. Braving the swamps, bugs and bad weather to assess the geology of an area are routine hardships that geologists must endure in the course of their work.
• All of the above
  • Correct! Your exploration program might include cutting grid lines, taking vegetation samples for chemical analysis and mapping the rock types. Grid lines provide the location control for any detailed surveys you plan to do, such as geophysical surveys that measure properties of the earth below (e.g., electrical conductivity and magnetism). The twigs and leaves of plants may contain an unusual amount of some elements such as gold and copper, giving clues about hidden concentrations in the rocks. Braving the swamps, bugs, and bad weather to assess the geology of an area is an important and basic step in most exploration programs.