In 1988, kimberlite discoveries in central Saskatchewan were announced. The resulting private exploration was accompanied by the initiation of government surveys designed to provide systematic data that would permit industry to place its local, more detailed, surveys into the broader regional context. The survey summarized here was proposed in 1990 in order to map regional trends in indicator mineral frequency and chemistry, to demonstrate and compare various mineralogical and geochemical exploration methods, to map drift composition as an indicator of its transport history, to test for the presence of metallic mineral deposits, and to map regional soil geochemistry in order to aid both exploration and environmental applications. Work was initiated in 1991 under the 1990-1995 Canada-Saskatchewan Partnership Agreement on Mineral Development (PAMD). Subsequently in 1992, the survey was extended to southern Alberta under the 1992-1995 Canada-Alberta Agreement on Mineral Development, and across southern Manitoba as a co-operative effort with Manitoba Energy and Mines.

Till was chosen as the indicator mineral sampling medium, rather than fluvial or glaciofluvial sediments, due to its simpler transport history, more uniform composition, and greater usefulness in the study of drift provenance. Soil geochemistry was mapped using A and C horizon samples collected on a random basis from all parent materials within the extent of contiguous farmland only. Soil sampling was extended 100 km south into the U.S.A. with the co-operation of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to facilitate trans-border geochemical mapping.

In 1991, a test set of till and soil samples was collected at 40 to 50 km intervals along transects from both Edmonton and Calgary to Winnipeg. Processing of these samples led to refinement of laboratory procedures and indicated that well defined regional trends could be mapped by low density soil and till sampling (Garrett and Thorleifson, 1993).