Canada-based subsurface intelligence company Ideon Technologies has delivered significant exploration targets and geological insights ahead of schedule for Fireweed Metals at the Macmillan Pass District in the Yukon Territory of Canada.
The Macmillan Pass District is a highly prospective 985km² land package comprising the Macpass zinc-lead-silver project and the Mactung tungsten project.
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Ideon’s REVEAL for Exploration solution was launched at the project in October 2024 to chart density with metre-scale precision across one billion cubic metres and at depths of 600m.
The objective is to pinpoint and delineate new targets for drill testing during Fireweed’s exploration campaign scheduled for summer 2025.
This achievement utilises high-resolution muon imaging and AI, unlocking the potential of one of the largest undeveloped primary zinc districts in the world.
It also marks the first deployment of a borehole muon tomography system in the world north of 60° latitude.
The results so far validate key geological hypotheses, confirming mineralisation trends and identifying new drill targets.
Fireweed Metals VP Geology Jack Milton said: “We are gaining actionable intelligence in real time from an imaging solution passively collecting data at site during our off-season – and under many feet of snow.
“The extent and accuracy of visibility we are achieving from just three holes is game-changing, proving that we can use this technique to identify high-priority drill targets without extensive exploratory drilling, improving the cost-efficiency of drilling out deposits in our short seasons on-site, and maximising our chances of exploration success while minimising surface disturbance.”
The Ideon REVEAL for Exploration solution features a sophisticated collection of proprietary hardware, software, AI-driven services and multi-physics fusion algorithms that harness the potential of integrated spatial data.
The technology accelerates geological modelling and directly aids mine planning, thereby optimising the chances for discovering and economically recovering metals.
The subsurface model generated by the solution using data from muon sensors at the Macmillan Pass District showed excellent agreement with mineralisation data from 50 previously drilled holes.
This “significantly” enhances the understanding of structural trends in the subsurface geology.
The model also identified multiple undrilled targets that exhibit similar characteristics of massive sulphide mineralisation found in other areas of the site.
Ideon CEO and co-founder Gary Agnew said: “Our REVEAL for Exploration solution allows exploration and mining companies to precisely target and delineate subsurface features, at depth, with minimal drilling. It delivers a high-volume, high-resolution, high-velocity Earth model that reduces geological uncertainty, helping companies like Fireweed Metals accelerate time to discovery, at a lower cost, with greater confidence.
“What we are seeing at Macpass is evidence that this solution can reduce the time to fully explore large volumes of Earth by 50% or more, dramatically reducing the drilling required to confidently map and delineate mineralisation.”
