In the wake of the Voisey's Bay staking rush, a strong correlation has emerged between claims staking patterns and the presence of certain rock types. Nickel, for example, is nearly always found in rocks of the gabbro - ultramafic class; rocks that generally crystallize from magma at levels deep within the earth's crust. One of the main guides to mineral exploration, at least in its early stages, is therefore geological information, generally derived from maps and reports prepared by Government geological surveys and industry sources. In addition to geological data, these surveys and sources also provide other scientific information on geophysical and geochemical aspects of the area and the location of any known mineral prospects.

The map on the opposite page shows the three basic rock formations of Labrador that have the greatest potential to host nickel mineralization. Anorthosite (a grey feldspar-rich rock) occurs most frequently but there are also considerable areas of gabbro and basalt. The Voisey's Bay deposit is located in a kind of gabbroic rock known as troctolite that is cradled by a large anorthosite body. It was this type of rock that was staked extensively by Diamond Fields following their Voisey's Bay discovery.

Subsequent staking by other companies was driven initially by what is known as an "area play" where the objective was simply to get land as close as possible to the deposit. Staking then evolved into an approach driven more by geological considerations, in that the objective was to find other geological targets that resemble the Nain anorthosites and gabbros. Not surprisingly, therefore, the other large anorthosite formations of Labrador, such as those of the Harp Lake and Michikamau areas were completely staked. In fact, there are few prospective rocks similar to those hosting the Voisey's Bay deposit left in Labrador that have not been extensively staked. For example, even areas as far away as White Bear Arm and Minipi Lake, which contain significant gabbroic formations, have been almost completely staked.

Although the current exploration rush represents the largest in the Province's history and one of the largest ever in Canada, Labrador is no stranger to mineral exploration. Huge investments were made in the 1950s and 1960s when the iron ore deposits of western Labrador first attracted the attention of the U.S. and Canadian steel industries. The result was the development of the mining centres of Schefferville, Labrador City and Wabush. Today the iron ore deposits of Labrador West form the backbone of the Provincial mining industry and are also the mainstay of North American iron ore production.

A further surge in exploration occurred in response to the energy crisis of the early 1970s, when uranium came into increased demand and two small deposits were intensively explored in the Makkovik-Postville area.

In the early 1980s, exploration in northern Labrador resulted in discovery of the Strange Lake rare metal deposit, containing exotic elements such as zirconium and yttrium. This deposit may yet see production if prices for these commodities improve. Despite some subsequent smaller discoveries, exploration activity then lapsed into the doldrums through most of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

This ended abruptly with the Voisey's Bay discovery. Labrador has now entered a new period of vigorous exploration. It should not be forgotten, however, that exploration does not always result in the discovery of the element that is being sought – something quite different may be discovered. This exciting aspect of exploration is illustrated by the now well known fact that the Voisey's Bay discovery resulted from what was originally a diamond play. The diversity of Labrador's mineral potential is such that history may well repeat itself; current nickel exploration efforts may result in the discovery of other minerals.