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Provincial Government, RDC funds Seafloor Mapping Project

The Provincial Government, through the Research and Development Corporation, is providing $162,400 to the Marine Institute to undertake seafloor mapping to assess the petroleum resource potential of Western Newfoundland

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The investment is made through the Research & Development Corporation's GeoEXPLORE program, which aims to enhance geoscience research and development (R&D) capacity, collaboration and innovation in Newfoundland and Labrador's mineral and petroleum industries. The Marine Institute-led project focuses on seabed mapping as a tool to further acquire a greater understanding of the geological structures and petroleum potential of St. George's Bay.

This project links the Marine Institute's new seabed mapping capabilities (multibeam bathymetric imaging using a research vessel) with existing data, analytical methods and interpretation skills of the Geological Survey of Canada to further evaluate western Newfoundland's offshore petroleum potential. By integrating seafloor geophysical, geological and bathymetric data with onshore geological data in the St. George's Bay area, the geological structures and petroleum potential of the offshore area will be better understood.

RDC's investment is $162,400 of a total project cost of $242,400. The research team includes: Randy Gillespie (Memorial University); Dr. John Shaw (Geological Survey of Canada); Dr. Peter Giles (Geological Survey of Canada); Dr. Ian Knight (Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador); Chris Jauer (Geological Survey of Canada); and Dr. John Waldron (University of Calgary).

GeoEXPLORE is a three-year program launched by RDC in June 2011. The program targets five areas for R&D investment: research team awards; geoscience research tools and equipment; collaborative research opportunities; post-doctoral researchers; and industry-led R&D, technology development and demonstration.

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