AURORA Geosciences

AURORA Geosciences was built on northern mineral discovery. The company was founded in 1981 under Lou Covello, a prospecting geologist in Yellowknife with over 20 years with the industry. Lou began to build a company focused on delivering excellence in northern mineral exploration; conceiving and applying new exploration models and adapting new geophysical technology to meet the trials of working in the North; and was quick to exploit opportunities he saw best as the man on the ground. Lou soon teamed up with Gary Vivian and Doug Bryan, who together played a key role in several significant discoveries of the 1980’s in the NWT and Nunavut including Sunrise Lake, Lou Lake, Damoti and Run Lake. In 1991, diamonds were discovered in their own back yard and they were quick to jump at the opportunity.  AURORA staked and conducted the early exploration on what are now the Diavik and Snap Lake Diamond Mines. The momentum continued and the team explored virtually all the known kimberlite fields in the NWT and western Nunavut during the Great Canadian Diamond Rush.  The western half of AURORA was founded by Mike Power in 1988.  A geologist and geophysicist himself, Mike built a team focusing primarily on applying geophysical techniques to mineral deposits mostly in the Yukon, Alaska and northern B.C.  In November 2000, both operations merged to form AURORA Geosciences with offices in Yellowknife, Whitehorse and – in 2008 – Juneau, Alaska.  AURORA has carved a niche in providing integrated geosciences with exploration support services at many mines and advanced projects across Northern Canada and Alaska.  Since 2000, AURORA has contributed to discoveries and resource definitions at Diavik, Ekati, Meadowbank, Kennady Lake, Keno Hill, Faro, Wolverine, Kudz ze Kayah, the Rackla Belt, White Gold Belt, Greens Creek, Livengood, Bokan Mountain, Whistler, and Red Dog.  AURORA has continually adapted and developed new technology and techniques to sharpen our ability to make mineral discoveries and map the earth’s interior.  These include the first applications of ground penetrating radar to northern placer exploration (1992); the development of integrated high precision GPS / gravity survey techniques suited to arctic conditions (1997);  construction of one of the first strap-on non-proprietary helicopter-borne aeromagnetic systems (1998); adaptation of capacitively-coupled resistivity and total magnetic field triaxial gradiometry systems to kimberlite exploration (2002);  and the development of innovative IP arrays to detect ore shoots in vein systems (2009).  Recent projects include the development of a portable frozen soil auger system, the deployment of the ELF-EM system - a ground equivalent to the ZTEMTM system, and an airborne geochemical stream-sediment sampling system. Discovery powered by innovation is at the heart of our work.