New Temporary Exhibition Rock n' Metal at Canada Science and Technology Museum

Ottawa, June 14, 2004 — Copper, zinc, gold, silver, nickel, iron, graphite, titanium, asbestos, salt, and granite are only a few of the mineral resources embedded in Québec soil. Unbeknownst to many, these mineral substances are used in the manufacture of a vast range of objects we use every day. Presented in collaboration with the Quebec Mining Association and its partners, the interactive exhibition Mining invites us to follow in their traces, from prospecting and extraction to processing and sustainable development. The exhibition is also an eye opener on just how important the Québec mining industry is.

Did you know that…?

• In certain years, the Québec mining industry exports over $3.5 billion worth of shipments. Nearly 17,000 people work directly in exploration and mining and 50,000 are employed in industries that depend on resource processing.
• The Laviolette Bridge in Trois-Rivières doesn't rust because niobium is a component of the steel it's made of. There are only three niobium mines in the world: two are in Brazil and one is in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
• The salt that is spread on our roads comes from the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
• Nickel in skate blades improves their performance.
• Abitibi-Temiscamingue and the North Shore are among the most important mining regions in Canada. Copper, zinc, silver, gold, iron, and titanium are mined there.
• Without brass, music would never be the same. Quebec is one of the world's biggest producers of copper, from which brass is made.
• Does your baby have a rash? A little zinc ointment will soothe it.
• A nickel-based treatment gives champagne bottles their green colour, protecting their delicate contents from light.
• The aeronautics and recreation industries use large quantities of titanium for its lightness.
• Graphite is extracted in the Laurentians south of Mont-Laurier.