— say geologists; mapping exercise to uncover precious minerals

WITH Government’s announcement of the discovery of lithium, geologists are on track to complete a mapping exercise over the next three years to uncover some of the other types of precious minerals here.Speaking under the condition of anonymity, two geologists told Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday that lithium was first discovered in Guyana approximately five years ago.

According to them, other minerals were also discovered at the time of exploration.

Columbite-Tantalie (ColTan), Rare Earth Elements (REE), PGE group of elements, which includes platinum, palladium, and iridium are just a few of the minerals discovered by the local geologists over the years.

“Outside of the traditional gold and diamond there are many other minerals…the Geological Services Department of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has been charged with the question of endowment,” said one of the geologists.

According to the expert, Guyanese are sitting on much wealth unknown to them.
“There is a lack of knowledge of what minerals can be found in Guyana. We need to go out…map the country and in two or three years we will be able to say clearly all of the resources that are here… the quantities and values.”

Referencing an article published in the Guyana Chronicle Newspaper last Sunday on the discovery of lithium here, the geologist said, “We are at the first stage” while noting that “we can’t as a small nation rely on a one crop economy… we need to get an understanding of all of our minerals… the Geological Services Department discovered lithium about five years ago… this was far ahead of time before this company (Guyana Strategic Minerals) is going to roll out this project.”
While lithium is a chemical element that is derived from stones and is used in rechargeable batteries found in Mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles, the other minerals discoverable would have significant value.

Lithium has been discovered in northern Guyana in mining districts One, Three, Four and Five but it demands deeper exploration.

The geologists disclosed that they are currently using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) Point Interpolation method to uncover the hidden minerals.

It was explained that the IDW method examines the value of the mineral. The assigned values to unknown points are calculated with a weighted average of the values available at the known points.

The geologists argued that with more exploration, discovery in large quantities is likely. They believe that the “future is bright” and called for there to be equal amounts of focus being placed on other areas in the extractive industry.

“The extractive industry is not only about gold and diamond and now oil as we are made to believe. It is about precious stones, and other minerals that are rich in the earth …all minerals are equally valuable,” said the geologist.

The geologists reminded of the mandate given to the GGMC by President David Granger when he took office and said, “it is our responsibility to unlock Guyana’s mineral potential.”

The Geological Services Department has put forward its many projects it intends to work on in the near future, all of which have been approved by the Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes told Guyana Chronicle that much work is being done in the extractive sector to ensure all Guyanese benefit.

She said it is with great pride that the GGMC, under the stewardship of her Ministry has continued exploration operations to discover the country’s wealth.

She explained that while there is need for much more exploration to be done by geologists, she is confident that Guyana will continue to shine in extractive sector.

“I have said this before, there are many other miners apart from gold, diamond, bauxite and now oil…if we become knowledgeable about these untouched resources we have and what they can be used for, you could imagine the benefits that will be accrued.”

Minister Broomes stressed that in the future all Guyanese would be able to benefit from the country’s resources.

She is of the belief that with the mapping exercise to be conducted, there is room for many surprises.

“We are looking to work with investors to develop these minerals… this would really push the entire extractive industry and the country’s economy,” Broomes who was a miner told Guyana Chronicle.