Geophysical survey planned for Mount Cayley, BC, Canada

A team of scientists from Natural Resources Canada will be embarking on a survey that aims to construct a 3D map of the subsurface of Mount Cayley in British Columbia, Canada. The survey aims to investigate the presence of a geothermal resource underneath the volcano in aid of identification of geothermal drilling targets.

“Canadians are often surprised to know there’s volcanoes in the country,” said Natural Resources Canada geologist Steve Grasby. “But there are active volcanoes.”

Mount Cayley is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is in the same chain of volcanoes as Mount Meager, a heavily investigated area where a resource of 250 degrees Celsius at 1500 meters depth has been proven. The last recorded lava flow at Mount Cayley was in the 1700’s.

“In terms of temperature, it’s a world-class resource,”  commented Grasby.

The work will involve doing an electromagnetic survey that will analyze how energy moves through the subsurface. From this data, the location  of fluid-filled reservoir or magma chambers can be inferred. The data will also be reconciled with data from surface geologic mapping to construct a comprehensive 3D subsurface model.

We have previously published an article on the results of a fieldwork done by Geoscience BC, also in Mount Cayley. The previous study was also quite comprehensive with ground temperature, gravity, dating, and magnetotelluric surveys. The status of this project can be accessed via the Geoscience BC project page.

Source: CTV News