The Geology of Wisconsin’s Sulfide Mineral Resources: What have we Learned? What do we NEED to Know?

Dr. Robert Lodge from Geology presents.
Northern Wisconsin has one of the largest unmined copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver districts in the world with several large and economically valuable mineral deposits that were discovered in the 1960’s and 70’s. Wisconsin’s “Prove it First” mining law prevented most of these deposits from becoming a mine and many companies have left the state. However, competitive exploration by companies and state legislation that doesn’t require donation of complete exploration records has resulted in a fragmented or completely lost record of geology of these deposits. Student-faculty research over the past 5 years has begun to “revive” our knowledge of the geology of these resources at a critical time when state mining laws are changing. This presentation summarizes the results of these research efforts and why this research is important for mineral exploration investment in the state.