Hoidas Lake
Encyclopedia
Hoidas Lake is a remote northern Canadian
lake which lies approximately 50 kilometers north of Uranium City, Saskatchewan
. Named in honor of Irvin Frank Hoidas, a Royal Canadian Air Force
pilot officer killed in action during the Second World War when his Stirling
W-7520 crashed near the Belgian town of Saint-Truiden, it is the site of Canada's most advanced rare earth element
(REE) mining
project.
, in the general vicinity of many of Saskatchewan
's large uranium mines.
of the Hoidas Lake rare earth deposit differs from most other such deposits in that it is hosted in veins of apatite
and allanite
. The deposit also contains a number of heavy REEs, such as dysprosium
. This is important, as dysprosium
is used in the manufacture of hybrid car components and some are suggesting an impending shortage of the metal
. Mineralization is presumably hydrothermal, from an alkali or carbonatitic source at depth.
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lake which lies approximately 50 kilometers north of Uranium City, Saskatchewan
Uranium City, Saskatchewan
Uranium City is a settlement in northwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is on the northern shores of Lake Athabasca near the border of the Northwest Territories. It is above sea level. The settlement is northwest of Prince Albert, 760 km northeast of Edmonton and south of the Northwest...
. Named in honor of Irvin Frank Hoidas, a Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
pilot officer killed in action during the Second World War when his Stirling
Short Stirling
The Short Stirling was the first four-engined British heavy bomber of the Second World War. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941...
W-7520 crashed near the Belgian town of Saint-Truiden, it is the site of Canada's most advanced rare earth element
Rare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
(REE) mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
project.
Setting
Hoidas Lake lies in the Northern Rae Geological ProvinceRae craton
right|thumb|250px|North America cratons and basement rock.The Rae craton is an Archean craton located in northern Canada north of the Superior craton.-Ungava Peninsula:...
, in the general vicinity of many of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
's large uranium mines.
Mineralogy
The mineralogyMineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
of the Hoidas Lake rare earth deposit differs from most other such deposits in that it is hosted in veins of apatite
Apatite
Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and bromapatite, named for high concentrations of OH−, F−, Cl− or Br− ions, respectively, in the crystal...
and allanite
Allanite
Allanite is a sorosilicate group of minerals within the broader epidote group that contain a significant amount of rare earth elements. The mineral occurs mainly in metamorphosed clay rich sediments and felsic igneous rocks...
. The deposit also contains a number of heavy REEs, such as dysprosium
Dysprosium
Dysprosium is a chemical element with the symbol Dy and atomic number 66. It is a rare earth element with a metallic silver luster. Dysprosium is never found in nature as a free element, though it is found in various minerals, such as xenotime...
. This is important, as dysprosium
Dysprosium
Dysprosium is a chemical element with the symbol Dy and atomic number 66. It is a rare earth element with a metallic silver luster. Dysprosium is never found in nature as a free element, though it is found in various minerals, such as xenotime...
is used in the manufacture of hybrid car components and some are suggesting an impending shortage of the metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
. Mineralization is presumably hydrothermal, from an alkali or carbonatitic source at depth.
Resource scale
Ongoing work at Hoidas Lake has delineated a vein system (known as the JAK zone), which extends for at least a kilometer along strike. The limits of the system have not been established along strike nor along dip, and the zone's total extension is therefore unknown. Estimates of the resource given current delineations and assuming a 1.5% total rare earth cutoff, have established a presence of at least 286,000 tonnes of rare earth ore, which is enough to supply more than 10% of the North American market for the foreseeable future.Ownership
The Hoidas Lake claims are owned by Great Western Minerals Group, based in SaskatoonSaskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
.