Skip to main content

Skip to navigation

The access keys for this page are:
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Pertoleum Resources

Industrial Minerals & Specialty Metals


Industrial minerals are an increasingly significant component of B.C.'s mineral wealth.  British Columbia has excellent geological potential for over 40 industrial mineral commodities and there are already over 2400 industrial mineral occurrences described and georeferenced in MINFILE, an interactive mineral occurrence database available free on the internet at:  http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/MINFILE/

 

The most economically significant industrial minerals produced are: magnesite, white calcium carbonate, limestone, silica, dimension stone, gypsum, sulphur, construction aggregate and crushed rock.  Commodities produced in lesser quantities include jade (nephrite), magnetite, dolomite, barite, volcanic cinder, pumice, flagstone, clay, tufa, fuller's earth and zeolites.  There are more than 40 mines or quarries and at least 20 major sites where upgrading of industrial minerals into value-added products takes place.

INDUSTRIAL MINERALS & FEATURE TOPICS
  		•

    Industrial Mineral Operations in 2011

  		•
    International Workshop Geology of Rare Metals: Abstract Volume - Open File 2010-20
  		•

    Nonmetallic Minerals other than Coal:  Industrial Minerals, Gemstones and Aggregate in British columbia, Canada - Paper 2009-2, 35 pages.

  		•

    Industrial Minerals in British Columbia - 2006 Review

  		•  Industrial Minerals in British Columbia - 2003 Review
  		•  Table of Industrial Mineral Operations 2005
  		•  Interactive Map of Industrial Mineral Operations and Exploration
  		•  Industrial Mineral Sector from Mineral Statistics website
  		•  Search Industrial Minerals with MINFILE
  		•  Industrial Mineral Reports in Property File
  		•  37th Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals, includes
  		•  Industrial Minerals in BC – Review and Opportunities
  		•  Industrial Mineral Operations in BC (Mineral Resources Education Program)
  		•

    General Publications on Industrial Minerals  

  		•

    Industrial Mineral and Speciality Metal Publications Released between 2007 and 2010

     

    GENERAL PUBLICATIONS ON INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
  		•  Mineral Deposit Profiles
  		•  Industrial Mineral Operations in BC (Mineral Resources Education Program)
  		•  Paper 2004-2: 37th Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals
  		•  Industrial Minerals in BC 2003 – Review and Opportunities
  		•  Industrial Mineral Endowment and Development Opportunities, Northeast-Central BC
  		•  GF 2003-15: Industrial Minerals in British Columbia - 2003 Review
  		•  GF 2002-7: Industrial Minerals in British Columbia: 2002 Preliminary Review
  		•  GF 2001-3: Industrial Mineral Endowment and Development Opportunities Northeast-Central BC
  		•  OF 1999-10: Selected British Columbia Mineral Deposit Profiles, Volume 3 - Industrial Minerals and Gemstones
  		•  IC 1997-4: Focus on BC Industrial Minerals '95
  		•  GFW 1995: Industrial Mineral Potential of the Tertiary Rocks, Vernon and Adjacent Map Areas (082L)
  		•  OF 1994-23: Industrial Minerals Opportunities in Pulp and Paper in British Columbia to the Year 2003
  		•  IC 1994-15: Dimension Stone in Victoria, BC
  		•  IC 1992-13: Industrial Minerals in BC
  		•  OF 1992-9: MINFILE Data on Major Industrial Mineral Deposits in BC
  		•  OF 1991-23: Industrial Minerals of Alberta and British Columbia
  		•  OF 1990-23: Cretaceous and Tertiary Stratigraphy and Industrial Minerals, Hat Creek, Southern BC
  		•  OF 1989-27: Geology and Industrial Minerals in the Gang Ranch Area: Open File
  		•  OF 1989-21: Tertiary Stratigraphy and Industrial Minerals, Bonaparte to Deadman Rivers
  		•  OF 1988-30: Tertiary Stratigraphy and Industrial Minerals, Cache Creek Map Area, Southwestern BC
  		•  OF 1988-29: Tertiary Stratigraphy and Industrial Minerals: Fraser River, Lytton to Gang Ranch, British Columbia
  		•  OF 1988-13: Industrial Mineral Occurrences in British Columbia
  		•  OF 1988-15: Tertiary Stratigraphy and Industrial Minerals, Merritt Basin, Southern British Columbia
  		•  IC 1988-6: British Columbia Dimension Stone
  		•  OF 1987-19: Tertiary Stratigraphy and Industrial Minerals, Princeton and Tulameen Basins, British Columbia

     

    INDUSTRIAL MINERAL & SPECIALITY METAL PUBLICATIONS RELEASED BETWEEN 2007 and 2010
  		•
    International Workshop Geology of Rare Metals: Abstract Volume - Open File 2010-20
  		•  Nonmetallic Minerals other than Coal:  Industrial Minerals, Gemstones and Aggregate in British Columbia, Canada - Paper 2009-2, 35 pages.
  		•  Industrial Minerals - "A Gold-paved Highway to Riches" or "A Deadly Quicksand Trap" Program for Roundup 2010 Conference, Vancovuer - January 18-21, 2010, Abstract, page 33-34.
  		•  Vermiculite in the Blue River Area, East-Central British Columbia, Canada (NTS 083D/06) - Geological Fieldwork 2009, Paper 2010-1, page 83-92.
  		•  Vermiculite Resources of British Columbia, Canada:  Geology, Market Review and Economic Potential Canada - GeoFile 2010-3 Poster.  
  		•  World Fluorspar Resources, Market and deposit examples from British columbia, Canada - Information Circular 2009-4, 16 pages.
  		•  Magnesite Deposits of Southeast British Columbia, Canada; The Geological Society of America; 105 Annual Meeting in Kelowna, British Columbia.  Abstracts with Programs, Cordilleran Section, Volume 41, Number 5, Abstract No. 11-7, page 29.
  		•  Fluorspar Market and selected Fluorite-bearing Deposits, British Columbia, Canada - GeoFile 2009-03 Poster.  
  		•  World Fluorspar Resources with Selected Examples from British Columbia, Canada - Proceedings of the Fluorspar 2008 meeting, Montreal; October 3-5, 2008; organized by Metal Bulletin Plc. 2 pages.
  		•  Cement - Reduction of CO2 Emissions - Economic Considerations - Supplementary Cementitious Materials - GeoFile 2008-9 Poster.
  		•  Supplementary Cementitious Materials - The Key to Reduction of CO2 Emissions in Cement Making - A View from British Columbia, Canada; 44th Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals; Program Abstracts, Oklahoma Geological Survey, Midwest City, May 11-16, 2008; pages 28-29.
  		•  Newly Recognized White Talc-Carbonate Filler Potential of the Greenwood - Bridesville area, British Columbia and brief talc market review; Geological Fieldwork 2007, Paper 2008-1, page 213-218.
  		•  BC Minerals Seek New Heights; Industrial Minerals, No. 480, Metallic Bulletin Plc., UK, pages 62-69. 
  		•  The Industrial Mineral with a Future; Geoscience Canada; Vol. 34, No. 2, pages 57-64.
  		•  Magnesium - Raw Materials and Mineral Economics - Global Picture (Posted with the permission of the Irish Association for Economic Geology); Minerals South 2007 Conference, November 6-9, 2007, Fernie, British Columbia, Easter Kootenay Chamber of Mines, pages 15-16.
  		•  Magnesium - Raw Materials, Metal Extraction and Economics - Global Picture; in : C.J. Andrew et al, Eds.; "Digging Deeper - Proceedings of the 9th Biennial SGA Meeting, Dubline 2007. "Irish Association for Economic Geology, Dublin.  p. 827-831.
  		•  Primary Magnesium Industry at the Crossroads?; Light Metal Age; Vol. 65, No. 2, pages 32-35.
  		•  Industrial Minerals in British Columbia - 2006 Overview; Information Circular 2007-2, 12 pages.
  		•  Selected Industrial Mineral Trends in British Columbia, 2006; Geological Fieldwork 2006, Paper 2007-1, pages 203-210.
  		•  Industrial Minerals in British Columbia - 2006 Overview; GeoFile 2007-8.

     

     

    For questions or more information on geology and minerals in British Columbia please contact BC Geological Survey Mailbox or use the toll free number (BC residents only).