Established nearly 40 years ago, Aurora Geosciences offers clients in the North geological and geophysical services from experienced professionals who live with and understand the political, social, and economic needs of the community – and who believe in shared prosperity.
One reason for Aurora Geosciences’ success and longevity is its emotional connection to the region. In addition, there is its dedication to embracing new technologies and geological and geophysical approaches to uncovering value for its clients. This goes hand in hand with a heartfelt respect for the lands and values of the communities that are home to it.
“Aurora’s success comes from its northern foundation: we work in the North as a company and we live in the North, which gives us a unique perspective on some of the North’s challenges such as the political environment. As well as some of the socio-economic effects that the exploration industry has on the various communities and interests of the North,” says President Dave White.
The Northern frontier
White acknowledged that “North of 60 is one of Canada’s remaining frontiers,” and the company’s valuable experience and expertise in the region positions it as a forerunner in the field. As a result, the company is uniquely equipped to manage the rugged, often extreme conditions and climate, enabling it to be more efficient and go further to produce results for its clients.
To achieve this, Aurora Geosciences works with historic data as well as survey data to generate value by offering a comprehensive solution. According to White, “this includes all the prep work that goes into a program, and executing the systems that we have in place to make sure that we can get out in the field and deal with the remoteness and extreme climate.”
As one of the few consulting companies in the North to offer both geological and geophysical services and expertise, Aurora Geosciences provides its clients with an integrated exploration approach with a special touch.
“The opportunity to apply all sides of exploration strategy as a coherent team allows us to adapt during data collection while we’re conducting a program, which allows us to evolve the exploration strategy quickly. And also to interpret the results and provide a product that’s sort of an A to Z solution,” White explains.
Rugged challenge
Noting that, “most of the low hanging fruit has been picked,” in the way of large discovery potential, Aurora Geosciences continues to identify new technologies and approaches, as well as adapting existing approaches to support its exploration activities and uncover value.
The North is a rugged environment with its fair share of challenge related to the climate, the terrain, and the limited access and infrastructure. Not all innovations from elsewhere are designed to perform in these kinds of environments.
“Basically, you need to continually apply a new solution to an old problem if you’re going to evolve. The innovative approach to that is modifying what works in a different geographic environment or climate or terrain for application in the remote cold of the North,” White says. Something that works in California may not work in the North, but it can be instructive and simply adapted.
White highlighted the use of passive seismic techniques as a more efficient and cost-effective way to correct gravity data when targeting lead-zinc mineralization.
He also notes the use of innovative technology and new applications to discover kimberlite for Kennady Diamonds in a brownfield site that had been previously overlooked, using what White called “a tool that was principally designed for near-surface geotechnical applications.”
Resources in place
Aurora Geosciences has resources positioned across the North with offices in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, and Juneau, Alaska. It has a well-experienced diamond exploration team based in Yellowknife, an integrated gold exploration team in the Yukon, and a team that works cohesively across all geographical areas to support clients throughout the northern expanse.
Living and working in the North, and being a part of the community and a driver of its sustainable development, is at the core of Aurora’s function and abilities. As White said, “There aren’t many places North of 60 that we haven’t been or deposits that we haven’t explored once before, so that adds to Aurora’s success.”
Given its connection to the North, much time and effort is dedicated to the environmental and safety aspects of a project. This is at the fore of Aurora Geosciences’ considerations. The same holds true of conscious relationship building with local communities, which is a big part of the company’s success and longevity.
“We understand the importance of respecting indigenous people’s goals and concerns with our industry on their lands. Aurora is sensitive to this and works to be part of best industry practices in developing these relationships to make sure exploration can be to the benefit of all of us who live up here in the North,” says White of the company’s engagement process.
Aurora Geosciences not only engages with northern communities, it also hires local talent, while working collaboratively with countless northern-based companies to deliver results for its clients on various projects. These can range from soil sampling to complete project management and integration.
Regardless of a project’s complexity, Aurora Geosciences is results-driven in the name of discovery and the well-being of both local residents and enterprises.
“We provide a wide range of products to assess mineral potential of our clients’ properties. We work on many scales of projects from project generation through to diamond drilling and resource delineation,” says White.
When asked what would draw a professional like him to the North, White has a ready answer. “There’s just about every commodity and many of the deposit types that our industry looks for: diamonds, gold, nickel, or whatever commodity. There’s excellent opportunity for the staff to gain diverse experience, a diverse portfolio of exploration strategies and commodities.”
Of the community
It’s clear that Aurora Geosciences is moved to do what’s in the best interests of the community it calls home. This commitment is reflected in the short- and long-term goals and trajectory of the company, as outlined by White, which are to remain sensitive to the land, environment, and communities of the North through sustainable development.
White emphasizes again that “Aurora’s long-term goal is tied to the fact that we live and work here in the North. It’s providing a positive impact on the North – its economy, and the cities and communities and people who live here – to make sure the North is continuing to be prosperous. We’ve been a part of that for the last forty years and we hope to continue doing so.
“Having the respect of community and industry partners, we’re all on the same team and together we take the best of what we have and move forward in the most positive way.”
It’s good to hear that Aurora Geosciences is so deeply committed to helping prosperity and sustainability coexist for communities in a challenging landscape.
