Greater Sudbury, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Nickel Mining in Canada
⎯⎯⎯
Production de nickel au Canada

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

1. Nickel Mining in Canada / Production de nickel au Canada Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] Canada is a leading producer of nickel and the mining of this metal has contributed significantly to the nation’s economy. The industry is closely tied to the Sudbury basin whose mines have produced the greater part of the metal in this country. Nickel, in association with other metals, was discovered here in 1883 and mining for copper began shortly thereafter; but it was not until the 1890s with the development of nickel-steel alloys that the ore was mined primarily for its nickel. The Creighton mine which opened in 1900 became the largest nickel mine in the world.

[Français] Le Canada est l'un des premiers producteurs de nickel au monde, et l'exploitation minière de ce métal a aidé considérablement l'économie du pays. Cette industrie est étroitement liée au bassin de Sudbury où, en 1883, on a découvert le nickel mêlé à d'autres métaux. Peu après, on a commencé à exploiter des mines à la recherche du cuivre, mais ce n'est qu'avec l'alliage de l'acier et du nickel, qui fut en grande demande dans les années 1890, que le minerai a été exploité pour son nickel.

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La mine Creighton, ouverte en 1900, devint la mine de nickel la plus importante au monde.

Erected by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada/Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 46° 28.411′ N, 81° 1.979′ W. Marker is in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. It can be reached from Big Nickel Road (Regional Road 34) 0.4 kilometers north of Lorne Street (Regional Road 55), on the right when traveling north. The marker is located near the south end of the Dynamic Earth museum parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 122 Big Nickel Road, Greater Sudbury ON P3C 5T7, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northeastern Ontario

and specifically in Northern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: In Honour and Memory of the Holditch Family (within shouting distance of this marker); The Famous Big Nickel / Le célèbre big nickel (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Ted Szilva, O. Ont., LLD, D.O.M. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Superstack / La Supercheminée (about 150 meters away, measured in a

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

2. Nickel Mining in Canada / Production de nickel au Canada Marker

direct line); Austin Airways 1934-1987 (approx. 3 kilometers away); The Irish Regiment of Canada (approx. 3.6 kilometers away); The Sudbury Basin (approx. 3.6 kilometers away); W. J. Bell (approx. 3.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greater Sudbury.

Also see . . .
1. Nickel facts (natural-resources.canada.ca).

• In 2022, Canada produced 143,000 tonnes of nickel and ranked sixth in the world nickel mine production.
• Canada's exports of nickel and nickel-based products in 2022 were valued at $7.5 billion.
• An important evolving use of nickel is in production of lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles, which accounted for 15% of total nickel end use globally in 2022.
• In 2022, Canada produced 143,266 tonnes of nickel in concentrate, which is 10% less than the previous year. Ontario produced 50% of Canada’s mined nickel, and Quebec produced 27%, with the rest from Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba.
• Canada produces refined nickel at three refineries in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta; Sudbury, Ontario; and Long Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Canada's total
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

3. Nickel Mining in Canada / Production de nickel au Canada Marker
Looking northwest from the parking lot; the Dynamic Earth museum is in the background.
trade in nickel and nickel-based products in 2022 was valued at $7.5 billion. Exports of nickel and nickel-based products were valued at $6.8 billion, and imports were valued at $726.0 million.

(Submitted on August 21, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Sudbury Basin (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Also known as Sudbury Structure or the Sudbury Nickel Irruptive, it is the third-largest known impact structure on Earth, as well as one of the oldest. The structure, the eroded remnant of an impact crater, was formed by the impact of an asteroid 1.849 billion years ago in the Paleoproterozoic era. The basin is located on the Canadian Shield in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario.
The large impact crater filled with magma containing nickel, copper, palladium, gold, the platinum group and other metals. As a result of these metal deposits, the Sudbury area is one of the world's major mining communities. The Basin is one of the world's largest suppliers of nickel and copper ores. The development of a mining settlement occurred in 1883 after blasting at the railway construction site revealed a large concentration of nickel and copper ore at what is now the Murray Mine site.

(Submitted on August 21, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Canada’s “Big Nickel” is on display near the museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 8, 2024

4. Canada’s “Big Nickel” is on display near the museum

Credits. This page was last revised on August 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 541 times since then and 110 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 21, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Nickel Mining in Canada⎯⎯⎯Production de nickel au Canada

Nickel Mining in Canada
⎯⎯⎯
Production de nickel au Canada