Geological Contractor
What Is Geological Contracting?
Geological contracting is the business of providing exploration services, geologists, technicians, and equipment, to mining and exploration companies on a fee-for-service basis, rather than exploring for deposits on one's own account. A geological contractor might run a drill program, complete geochemical sampling, manage field camps, or prepare technical reports for a client.
For a mineral exploration company like Eagle Plains, operating its own geological contracting arm alongside its exploration business is a way of generating revenue that isn't tied to the outcome of any single drill hole.
TerraLogic Services
TerraLogic offers both field and office-based geological services, and can take on individual pieces of a program or manage a project end to end. Field services include prospecting, geologic mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, drone surveys, trenching, drill program management, and camp management. Office services include project design and budgeting, tenure management, permitting, geologic modelling and resource estimation, cartography and 3D visualization, and NI 43-101 technical report writing.
The Challenge
Mineral exploration is a highly cyclical industry. During strong markets, exploration companies compete fiercely for a limited pool of qualified geologists and technicians. During downturns, that same talent often leaves the industry altogether, as companies cut exploration budgets and staff to conserve cash. Either extreme creates a real problem for an exploration company trying to keep a stable, experienced technical team in place year after year, since neither boom nor bust conditions naturally support one.
The Solution
Eagle Plains addressed this by reorganizing its in-house technical team into a wholly-owned subsidiary, TerraLogic Exploration Inc., in 2004. Structured this way, TerraLogic's geologists and technicians can take on paid contract work for outside companies while remaining available to support Eagle Plains' own exploration programs whenever needed. Headquartered in Cranbrook, British Columbia, TerraLogic has managed hundreds of exploration programs across North America over the two decades since.
This arrangement benefits Eagle Plains in a few specific ways:
A technical team that stays busy, and stays sharp, regardless of market conditions
- Continuity of institutional knowledge about EPL's own project portfolio
- Direct contributions to EPL's treasury through TerraLogic's profits
- Broader exposure for EPL's geologists to a wider range of deposit types and regions than EPL's own projects alone would offer
In effect, Eagle Plains turned a structural industry problem into a second, largely independent source of revenue: rather than the technical team depending entirely on EPL's treasury, the treasury now benefits from the team's outside contract work as well.
Real Client Work, Not Just EPL's Own Projects
TerraLogic's contract work extends well beyond Eagle Plains' own portfolio. In 2025, TerraLogic was engaged to manage the drill program at Trident Resources Corp.'s (TSX-V: ROCK) Contact Lake Gold Project in Saskatchewan's La Ronge Gold Belt, a project wholly owned by Trident, with no Eagle Plains ownership interest at all. It's a useful example precisely because it shows TerraLogic generating revenue from a client relationship independent of any Eagle Plains-optioned property.
TerraLogic's work also extends into projects Eagle Plains has optioned to partners, since the option agreements typically call for TerraLogic to continue managing the fieldwork. Pacific Bay Minerals Corp., for example, agreed as part of its 2026 option agreement on the Haskins critical minerals project in British Columbia to retain TerraLogic to carry out the work program on the property.
Geological Services Revenue
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 Q1&2 |
| Revenue | 2,119 | 3,107 | 3,075 | 4,908 | 5,679 | 12,502 | 17,315 | 10,267 | 10,102 | 11,854 | 12,821 |
All figures in CAD thousands. 2026 Revenue as of Q2 end, June 30 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is geological contracting, in the context of mineral exploration?
It's the business of providing exploration services, such as drilling management, geological mapping, or technical report writing, to mining and exploration companies for a fee, rather than exploring for deposits on one's own account. A geological contractor gets paid for the work performed, independent of whether the client's project ultimately leads to a discovery.
What should investors know about a geological contracting subsidiary within an exploration company?
It represents a source of revenue that isn't tied to exploration results. Because contractors are paid for services rendered rather than for outcomes, this business line can generate steady income even during periods when exploration results on the parent company's own projects are inconclusive or delayed, which can help support the parent's treasury and greater reduce dependency on financing.
How do mining companies typically choose a geological contracting service for programs like mapping or drilling?
Companies generally look for a contractor with direct regional experience, a track record managing similar programs, in-house technical staff (rather than relying entirely on subcontracted labour), and the equipment and logistics capacity to mobilize a field crew reliably. An established contractor with multi-year relationships and repeat client work is generally seen as lower-risk than a newly formed one.
Does TerraLogic only work for Eagle Plains, or does it take on outside clients?
Both. TerraLogic supports Eagle Plains' own exploration programs, but a meaningful share of its business comes from outside clients, including companies with no ownership connection to Eagle Plains at all, as well as companies that have optioned properties from Eagle Plains and retained TerraLogic to carry out the resulting fieldwork.
Why does Eagle Plains operate its own geological contracting subsidiary instead of simply hiring contractors as needed?
Running TerraLogic as a wholly-owned subsidiary keeps a stable, experienced technical team continuously engaged, regardless of exploration market conditions, while also turning that team into a direct contributor to Eagle Plains' treasury through the profits it earns on outside client work.
