Since its founding in 1842, the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) has been recognized for its innovation in creating new methods and technology, and adapting existing technology, in the field of geoscience. Transferring technology to industry for commercial development has been successful, as the following examples indicate.
New ice coring drill: Ice cores provide high-resolution information about climate change and atmospheric pollution, but an appropriate drill is necessary to collect core in extreme environments.
The GSC developed a new drill, based on a Danish model, which is capable of retrieving core to depths of 400 metres. During field trials in the spring of 1993, the new drill collected two complete surface-to-bedrock cores from the Agassiz Ice Cap.
A Canadian company, Icefield Instruments, is assessing the market potential of this drill.
Commercial development of borehole-logging technology: The ability to detect deposits around a borehole has traditionally been limited to geophysical methods that measure the conductivity, magnetism or radioactivity of the mineralization. Spectral gamma-gamma (SGG), a new logging technique developed by GSC, can be used to infer the metal content of rocks based on their density.
Published results of GSC research in this new area attracted the interest of IFG Corp. which, with Gunter Nuclear Engineering, is commercially developing the downhole probe and uphole modules for a commercial version of the SGG system. Of the two prototypes under construction, one will be used by IFG and Gunter for marketing purposes and GSC will receive the other for continual research.
Improved airborne gravity survey system: Sander Geophysics of Kanata, Ont., is working with four institutions — GSC, the National Research Council’s Institute for Aerospace Research, the University of Calgary and Carleton University — to develop a better and more economical airborne gravity survey system.
Although improvements in global positioning systems (GPS) and the development of an inertially stabilized gravity sensor are seen as the major tasks in achieving this objective, several partners have excellent track records in airborne gravimetry and/or kinematic GPS.
Development, during the next few years, of an improved airborne gravity system, combined with magnetic/electromagnetic/radiometric configurations, will give Canadian industry a competitive edge in North American and overseas markets, where the demand for such a system is high.
Fast, accurate analysis of geological materials: The analysis of solid geological materials by plasma normally requires that samples be pulverized and dissolved in a variety of solutions before being injected into the plasma. However, this process is time- and labor-intensive and does not always produce a chemically uniform solution.
Scientists from GSC and the National Research Council developed a device that overcomes these problems by permitting the direct injection of a powdered material into an analytical plasma. The device, which has been granted patent protection, has considerable market potential and will be produced commercially under licence by Protact Ltd.
New methods permit ultra-trace level analysis: The accurate analysis of small samples of geologic materials for trace elements at the part-per-trillion level (and lower) is a difficult process involving traditional dissolution methods. GSC scientists, working in co-operation with Perkin-Elmer Corp., are developing techniques which vaporize small samples by using either a laser or a small graphite capsule which is electrically heated to more than 3,000 C. The sample vapor is then pumped directly into the plasma of an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer for analysis, thus avoiding dilution or contamination.
— From the GSC’s “Science for Today, 1992-1993” publication.
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