It may not be gold, but there could be sapphires and rubies in them thar hills outside Hopedale.

Those are some of the findings of a recent geological survey conducted in Labrador.

Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady released the information at the recent Mineral Resources Review—Eastern Canada’s largest mineral industry conference and trade show.

The survey used the result of an airborne geophysical survey as a guide to direct mapping and targeted sampling in Hopedale.

It resulted in small grains of sapphire and ruby in sediments originating from rocks that are similar to those in gemstone-rich Greenland, where rubies are currently being mined.

Industrial uses for those minerals include lasers and semiconductors.