We do extra. At no extra cost.

Founded in 2025 by glacial geologist Don Cummings, McArthur was created to raise the standard of field data collection during commercial till-sampling campaigns.

By providing a better product at a similar price, we aim to change how early-stage mineral exploration is conducted in Canada.

The Problem

Till (soil) surveys are commonly conducted in glaciated terrain to search for trails of ore particles down-flow of buried mineralization. Sampling error on these surveys is high, routinely in the 25-35% range. This matters. Misidentification of sediment type (mud, sand, gravel, diamicton) and soil horizon (A, B, C) can generate noise and false anomalies in geochemical datasets that can be hard to pinpoint and can misguide follow-up. On larger campaigns, this can translate to years of wasted time and hundreds of thousands of dollars of wasted money.

A Solution

There’s a better way.

McArthur leverages advanced technology to consistently and accurately identify sediment type and soil-horizon colour across your mineral exploration property–something that a conventional till survey is not equipped to do.

The Result

• Lower sampling error
• Higher signal-to-noise ratio
• Greater confidence in geochemical results
• Smarter follow-up
• A clearer path to discovery

All at the same pace and price as a conventional till survey—just without the guesswork.

Did you really sample diamicton? Yes. The machine confirms it’s diamicton. Except here, where it’s gravelly sand, and here, where it’s mud. That gold anomaly? Yes, it’s clearly in diamicton. It warrants follow-up. By contrast, that beautiful lithium anomaly correlates with a patch of mud cover. It‘s likely facies-controlled and unrelated to the underlying bedrock—no follow-up recommended.

Below is a comparison of McArthur’s method with conventional methods.

_{[1] Commercial till-sampling campaigns, whether conducted by McArthur or otherwise, are often executed by a team of helicopter-deployed workers on foot using Dutch augers. [2] Determined quantitatively by particle-size analysis. [3] Determined subjectively by junior samplers. [4] Determined by quantitative colour analysis. [5] Real-time pXRF analysis represents a simple additional step in McArthur’s daily process–the samples are already being dried and sieved in the field–and is therefore recommended in most cases. Client provides pXRF; no additional cost beyond pXRF rental. [6] Companies that specialize in till sampling are typically tied to a lab and a particular analytical method. McArthur is not: once your samples are collected, you are free to have them prepped and analyzed using the method and lab of your choice, a process that McArthur can help guide you through. [7] Integration of field data and geochem is seamless with McArthur because of the quantitative nature of the data we provide. Want to understand gold concentration in mud vs sand? Or copper concentration vs soil-horizon colour? Easy peasy, just plot the numbers up on a graph. Want to integrate AI into your analysis? Ditto, McArthur’s field data is structured and ready. Such exploratory data analysis is not possible with a conventional till survey because of the subjective, unstructured nature of the field-data collected.}