Drill Results Map — Alberta

Alberta — an emerging gold and critical minerals jurisdiction with world-scale oil sands infrastructure — is a prime target for junior exploration companies. Here's how to create a professional drill results map using Exploration Maps in 15–30 minutes.

Example drill results map created in Exploration Maps — Example drill results map exported from Exploration Maps — style your Alberta data the same way.

About Mining in Alberta

Alberta is best known for its oil sands but hosts significant coal, potash, and emerging gold exploration in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Key minerals: coal, oil sands, potash, salt, silica, gold. Notable deposits: Athabasca Oil Sands, Grande Cache Coal, Kananaskis Gold. Mining districts: Peace River, Foothills, Rocky Mountain.

The Alberta Ministry of Energy and Minerals administers mineral rights in Alberta. Claim data is accessible through Alberta Mineral Rights.

Getting Mining Data for Alberta

Portal	Formats	Notes
Alberta Mineral Rights	Shapefile, CSV	Alberta mineral disposition data uses NAD83 geographic coordinates. Boundaries in many older records are described in Dominion Land Survey (DLS) legal format — confirm your GeoJSON is correctly projected before importing to avoid east-west offset errors.

How to Create a Drill Results Map for Alberta

For a full step-by-step guide to drill results maps, see How to Make a Drill Results Map.

Import your drill collar CSV (columns: hole ID, latitude, longitude, depth, assay)
Assign the Drillholes layer role
Import the property claims boundary as GeoJSON
Add callout labels to key holes showing hole ID and best intercept
Use Badge Label type to highlight the highest-grade holes
Configure the title with program name and date
Set the Landscape 16:9 ratio for news release figures
Export as PNG at 2× for email and PDF for the news release attachment

Labelling a drillhole with its best intercept in Exploration Maps.

Tip for Alberta: Alberta's Rocky Mountain foothills gold properties are typically compact — use a 1:25,000 to 1:50,000 scale with the Topographic basemap to show the ridgeline terrain that defines drill access and the regional infrastructure context investors expect.

Recommended Settings for Alberta

Basemap: Light or Satellite
Design theme: Investor — Navy & White
Export format: PNG at 2× for investor presentations, PDF (Letter or A4) for NI 43-101 reports
Coordinate system: Ensure source data is in WGS84 (EPSG:4326)

Common Use Cases in Alberta

Exploration news releases
NI 43-101 technical reports
Investor day presentations
Analyst briefings

Frequently Asked Questions

What file format do I need for Alberta mineral claims data?

Alberta mineral claims boundaries are available from Alberta Mineral Rights and can typically be downloaded as Shapefiles or KML. Convert these to GeoJSON at mapshaper.org before importing into Exploration Maps.

Who regulates mineral claims in Alberta?

Mineral claims in Alberta are regulated by the Alberta Ministry of Energy and Minerals. All tenure and claims data can be queried through Alberta Mineral Rights.

What minerals are typically mapped in Alberta?

Alberta is known for its coal, oil sands, potash, salt deposits. Key producing and exploration-stage properties include Athabasca Oil Sands, Grande Cache Coal, Kananaskis Gold. The main mining districts are Peace River, Foothills, Rocky Mountain.

Can I export a Alberta drill results map for a NI 43-101 report?

Yes. Exploration Maps exports PNG and PDF at 2–3× pixel ratio, suitable for inclusion in NI 43-101 technical reports as required figures. The export includes north arrow, scale bar, legend, and title block — all standard map elements required for NI 43-101 compliance.