This issue of The Northern Miner Magazine marks the first step in our sixth year of existence. As soon as you turn the pages, you’ll see a difference in content (though not in style). For example, this issue features a major article on geophysical equipment. We also preview the upcoming convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). Both features are aimed primarily at the exploration community, a segment of our readership that will receive more emphasis than it has in the past. Let me reassure mine and mill operations people, however, that we will continue to cover their fields in the same manner as before — through regular departments and short features that are not weighted down with dense technical jargon.
Now, a few words about the geophysical story. For more than a quarter century, Dr. Peter Hood, a highly regarded geophysicist with the Geological Survey of Canada, has painstakingly assembled an annual survey of the latest geophysical equipment and services. Up until this year, the fruits of his labor have appeared in our sister publication, Canadian Mining Journal. Because we put more emphasis on exploration than does the CMJ, with its traditional emphasis on mining operations, we will now be running this annual feature. For readers unfamiliar with Dr. Hood and his labor of love, let me provide a capsule history. Twenty-seven years ago, Hood was commissioned to survey geophysical outfits to uncover their latest inventions and innovations. Year after year his article appeared, eventually gaining such popularity among geophysicists worldwide that it was annually translated into Chinese and Russian. It is, I am told, the most comprehensive work of its kind in the world.
The fact that Canada leads in geophysics is not entirely surprising. Dr. Hood contends that Canadian manufacturers lead the world in providing the most complete range of mining geophysics equipment. Of course, the geophysicists are here because the explorationists are here. Which leads me to our second main feature — a preview of the 59th annual convention of the PDAC, slated for March 24 to 27 in Toronto.
The theme this year is “mining’s vital role in society.” Considering the need for mining to demonstrate that it can be environmentally responsible, the theme is more than a little appropriate. A preview of the convention begins on page 41.
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