Regional scale 3D modelling of magnetic data to assess carbon mineralization potential of serpentenized ultramafic rocks in the Yukon

Serpentinized ultramafic rocks contain minerals that are highly reactive with CO2. These rocks are becoming increasingly recognized for their potential to act as atmospheric CO2 sinks. Carbon mineralization locks CO2 in carbonate minerals and stores it over geological time scales. This is a naturally occurring process but one that can be accelerated through increasing the available surface area of serpentinized material, or through injection of CO2-enriched fluids into serpentinized rock substrates. The Yukon has significant occurrences of ultramafic rock throughout the territory, covering a mapped areal extent of approximately 2000 km2. This work represents a preliminary attempt to review territorial opportunities for carbon mineralization via ultramafic rocks. Regional scale magnetic data which can help identify serpentinized parts of ultramafic bodies was used to remotely locate prospective ultramafic rocks in the Yukon, and to model targeted bodies in 3D to derive their volumes and estimate their CO2 mineralization capacities. Local volumes of serpentinized rock modelled within the depth interval of 0 to -4000 m range up to 361 km3, and total capacity estimated for all…

Publisher

Government of Yukon

Resources

4

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-08-26