Iqaluit (Nov 29/04) - Gren Thomas is one of the most successful people in the history of Northern mineral exploration. Thomas received a lifetime membership from the NWT/Nunavut Chamber of Mines during its annual general meeting, held Nov. 17 as part of the 32nd Annual Geoscience Forum.

Aber Resources and Strongbow Exploration founder Gren Thomas stands atop his latest project, the Musk property southeast of Contwoyto Lake, Nunavut. The property is approximately 150 km southeast of Lupin Mine. - photo courtesy Strongbow Exploration

He is currently the chief executive officer for Strongbow Exploration, Inc.

Words used to describe Thomas include "unassuming, straight-forward and honest, and he doesn't toot his own horn," said his executive assistant Mary Lou Willows, who has worked with Thomas for three years.

Lou Covello, president of Aurora Geosciences and newly-elected president of the chamber, has known Thomas since the mid-1970s.

As a teenager, Thomas worked in the coal mines in the United Kingdom, said Covello.

He came to Canada in the late 1960s and worked with Falconbridge as a mining engineer.

"Falconbridge transferred him to Giant and he worked as a mining engineer and then got into exploration through Bob Spence. Bob was exploration manager for Giant in those days," said Covello.

Covello said Thomas discovered one of the largest known beryllium deposits in the world, just east of Yellowknife, which he said is still held by Highwood Resources, the company Thomas founded in the early 1970s.

In the late 1970s, Thomas founded Kappa Resources when he discovered a small gold deposit in the Contwoyto Lake area.

In the early 1980s, Kappa was rolled into Aber Resources. Thomas is personally responsible for the staking of ground surrounding the Diavik Diamond Mine.

Thomas's work at Aber also yielded the lucrative silver, zinc and sulphide discovery at Sunrise lake, 100 km northeast of Yellowknife.

After Diavik was discovered, Aber Resources became a mining and diamond marketing company and much of its exploration properties were spun off to Strongbow, where Thomas currently works as CEO.

"Strongbow is the most diverse junior in Canada in terms of its portfolio of properties," said Covello.

Strongbow remains active across the North. In March 2003, the company signed an agreement with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, acquiring exclusive rights to explore and develop minerals on 600,000 hectares of Inuit-owned lands in the West Kitikmeot.

Projects tied to the agreement include the Musk, Canoe Lake, Anialik/Rush, Blue Lake, Napaktulik and Ulu South projects.

Road and port important

Thomas said an all-weather road being proposed by the Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project could "open up that area."

"We think the area is under explored."

Thomas said the Musk deposit had been discovered in 1980 by Noranda.

"We know the zone does extend outside where Noranda drilled," he said.

Thomas also believes there's a good chance for developing Highwood's beryllium and tantalum deposit, located roughly 105 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife, close to the Hearne Channel and 6.4 km from Great Slave Lake.

"It's one of the biggest deposits of tantalum in the western world," said Thomas. But it's the beryllium in the deposit that could be ready for mining within the next five to 10 years, he said.