Alberta’s Mineral Mapping Program

Abstract

In 2021, the Government of Alberta (GoA) launched Renewing Alberta’s Mineral Future—a bold strategy to re-energize Alberta’s minerals sector. Under this vision, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) undertook a transformative journey to uncover, understand, and enable the responsible development of Alberta’s mineral potential.

This collaborative effort led to a province-wide modernization of Alberta’s mineral data landscape. AGS expanded public access to geoscience information by compiling and digitizing historical records, conducting new analyses and field investigations, and releasing a suite of interactive tools that make mineral data more accessible and usable than ever before.

As of 2026 the mineral mapping program has released 65 publications and 10’s TB of data. Several recent publications mark the culmination of public geoscience knowledge to date and the modernization of the tools the AGS uses to provide information to the public.

Alberta Interactive Minerals Map

o The go-to first stop to interactively explore mineral resource information and access free data. Rebuilt with new data and new features.

Mineral Occurrences of Alberta

o An updated database of mineral occurrences in Alberta, now also in a public-access searchable relational database.

Map 655: Minerals of Alberta

o An updated static map of prospectivity for Alberta’s mineral resources.

Commodity summaries of key elements, including V, U, REE, and Li

These products highlight expanded REE and U mineral potential on the Canadian Shield in northeastern Alberta, updated mineral potential for brine-hosted lithium, metalliferous black shales, and placer/paleoplacer gold, among others.

The Mineral Mapping Program continues to respond strategically to the evolving energy and resource landscape, with key new initiatives such as the characterization of critical minerals in oil sands and coal mine waste and byproduct streams. Together, the AGS and AER have delivered on the vision of the Minerals Strategy and Action Plan by empowering public geoscience through open access to credible, high-quality data.

Bio
Eric Morley is a researcher at the Alberta Geological Survey focusing on mineral potential, basement geology, and basin systems. He has a diverse background in the mineral exploration industry and experience with hard rock geology. His current research at the AGS spans a range of projects, including studies of the Precambrian basement beneath the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and the development of Alberta's mineral occurrence database. At the AGS, he contributes to projects focused on improving our understanding of Alberta’s geology and mineral resources.