SASKATOON, Sask. — DIAS Geophysical Ltd. has developed new technologies designed to help mining companies find deposits deeper underground, identify promising targets more accurately and reduce the time and cost associated with mineral exploration.
DIAS President Glenn Chubak said the new DS-TX ground system and QAMT airborne system are expanding what geophysical surveys can achieve, improving exploration as global demand for critical minerals grows.
The technologies, unveiled Thursday, Oct. 15, at the DIAS office in the city, are designed to help identify deposits containing minerals such as copper, lithium, iron ore and nickel, which are increasingly important for electricity grids, electric vehicles, and power generation.
“It's a system with much more power, allowing us to image deeper and more rapidly. We're looking to double or triple the existing depth,” Chubak said of the DS-TX system, which does not detect copper directly but measures underground responses that can help identify potential mineral deposits.
He added that the DS-TX is designed to extend the depth and resolution of ground-based exploration surveys. He highlighted the technology’s potential to help explorers investigate areas beyond the reach of conventional methods.
Both the DS-TX and QAMT can image underground structures at depths exceeding one kilometre, with the former focused on deeper, higher-resolution measurements and the QAMT offering improved target discrimination from the air.
Chubak said the QAMT system uses quantum sensor technology developed with Supercon to improve airborne mineral exploration, and its advantage lies in its ability to distinguish between potential targets more accurately than other systems can achieve comparable depths in some applications,
“We're able to discriminate targets so much better because of the quantum technology backing this,” he said, adding that the technology is particularly suited to highly conductive deposits, including iron ore and nickel, and allowing companies to assess larger areas from the air before running ground surveys.
For mining companies, better imaging could mean fewer unnecessary drill holes and faster decisions about where to explore, since drilling is expensive, time-consuming, and can have environmental impacts, so accurate target selection is a key part of the exploration process.
“If you do a better job at the imaging to start with, you don't have to put all the holes in. You've shortened that exploration cycle, and you've just created value down the whole stream,” said Chubak, adding that the potential benefits could be particularly significant for junior mining companies.
He said smaller mining companies often operate on tighter budgets and need their exploration spending to count, and DIAS’ new technology, developed in collaboration with major industry players with Freeport’s funding, addresses the need for more power in their exploration programs.
Chubak said DIAS and Freeport’s partnership went beyond financial support, helping them understand a major mining company's practical challenges and requirements, with technology development and understanding clients’ needs as important parts.
Global expansion
Chubak said the company is positioning itself to expand into international markets as the new systems become commercially available, adding that the DS-TX could open opportunities in major exploration markets in the Middle East and South America. At the same time, QAMT would strengthen the company’s position in airborne geophysical surveying.
He said that based on their estimates, the potential global market could support approximately 15 to 20 active DS-TX systems and 20 to 30 QAMT systems. However, those figures represent an assessment of the addressable market, not confirmed sales or orders.
Despite its international ambitions and plans to expand into new geographic markets, DIAS remains firmly rooted in Saskatchewan, with two additional core technologies in its development pipeline over the next five years.
“This is home for me. We've [My wife and I] travelled the world, and this is the best place to live,” said Chubak, as DIAS also has offices in Australia, South America, and Mexico, and is establishing an office in Saudi Arabia.
Over the next five years, Chubak expects to double its workforce and grow revenue by more than that, as technology lets the business expand without staffing increasing at the same rate, while safety and environmental considerations also shape the company’s approach to exploration.
For Chubak, DIAS’s development is both a business opportunity and a continuation of work in the province he calls home. He said the DS-TX took approximately two years to develop, while QAMT has been in development for about six years, reflecting the technical challenges of operating quantum sensors on an aircraft in changing weather conditions.
