Bridging Science and Industry: Mitacs Funds Key Insights into Gold Mining Exploration in the Yukon   

Challenge 

Yukon’s AurMac deposit, in the productive Mayo Mining District, is unusual: instead of being hosted in magmatic rock like most other gold deposits in the district, its gold occurs in meta-sedimentary rocks.  

Dr. Pilar Lecumberri-Sanchez, Associate Professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and Dr. Dan Gibson, Professor in Simon Fraser University’s Department of Earth Sciences, are studying what makes this type of gold distinct and how improved regional modeling could guide exploration worldwide.  

“We are refining research in that we may not definitively answer those questions, but we are getting a better understanding of how these regions work,” said Dr. Lecumberri-Sanchez. “That knowledge can be applied in other regions using more specific models and techniques.” 

Solution 

To bridge technical, operational, and training gaps, a collaborative partnership was launched between Banyan Gold, with support from Mitacs, NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council), and the Yukon Geological Survey.  

“Programs like Mitacs have been instrumental in allowing researchers to partner with exploration companies to apply our background, expertise, and methodology,” said Gibson. This supports companies but also enables researchers to access these areas that would otherwise be unaffordable or unreachable through smaller ancillary funds.” 

The partnership also offered advanced education and training for master’s and Ph.D.-level students like Keagan Parry, who joined Banyan as a logging geologist in 2021. Thanks to funding for a master’s degree in geological sciences at the University of Alberta, Parry was able to deepen and enhance his expertise. 

Parry has since been able to springboard his career to new areas by applying this expertise as a senior geologist with Banyan to conduct advanced geological exploration techniques (e.g., Raman thermometry, petrography, and geochemical profiling).  

“This funding and partnership broke down financial barriers and allowed me the opportunity to focus on school while applying all the analytic techniques I was aiming to learn more about,” said Parry. “The opportunity to go back to school allowed me to challenge myself and investigate my research in a more detailed way that I could apply in new ways in my career.” 

Impact and outcomes 

As of 2025, Banyan Gold has established a mineral resource estimation of seven million ounces of gold – up from four million ounces in 2022 and making it the sixth largest gold deposit in North America. As Banyan Gold continues to expand, the Mitacs-supported research will have a multi-layered impact:  

• Enhanced exploration precision and effectiveness: Even without directly encountering confirmed gold deposits, thermal mapping and geochemical insights have thus far provided indirect but valuable research indicators.  

• Reduced exploration risks: The data being collected through the project is publicly available to support further exploration efforts and advance Canadian competitiveness in mining. More precise, sophisticated, regionally validated models reduce uncertainty for companies considering further drilling, helping them avoid costly errors and focus investment on higher-potential zones. 

• Open access and regional planning: By making findings public through the Yukon Geological Survey, the partnership supports smarter resource allocation not only at AurMac but across the Yukon and potentially within other mining regions in Canada and globally. 

• National and global relevance: This collaboration tests and refines theories of gold deposition, with potential applications in the broader global mining industry. 

Talent in action 

These collaborative industry-academia partnerships help advance skills and experience in cutting-edge geological research techniques – skills in high demand in the mineral exploration sector.  

While upskilling geologists, the exploration and mining industry can gain access to more refined and precise analysis. This also, in turn, supports academic institutions in their research and development of geological data. “We provide techniques and expertise that companies may not have in-house or the capacity for; they provide us other forms of expertise and access to infrastructure that are hugely beneficial to us from a research perspective,” said Gibson.  

“The partnerships with companies like Banyan Gold who are established in the region along with the expertise and funding they contribute – combined with that provided Mitacs and NSERC – opens the doors to many exciting research opportunities that may not otherwise happen,” added Gibson. 

Mitacs’s programs receive funding from multiple partners across Canada. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon for supporting us to empower Canadian innovation.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: [email protected].