Chase Wood

Chase Wood began his professional career in geology in 2009/2010 as a student geological assistant with the Saskatchewan Geological Survey. There he learned the fundamentals of Precambrian bedrock mapping and also how to operate complex remote field camps with transport and resupply flights by small fixed wing aircraft. While completing his BSc at the University of Regina, Chase fell into the world of aviation by completing 128 solo skydives and earned both a CSPA A licence (Canadian Sport Parachuting Association) and a USPA A Licence (U.S. Sport Parachuting Association). During his skydiving career he learned the fundamentals of flight, a few highlights of which was to have done several training skydives with members of the Red-Bull Air Force and former members of the Skyhawks (the Canadian Forces Sport Parachute Team). In 2016 Chase obtained his MSc at the University of Regina focused on the formation and evolution of gold deposits in Northern Saskatchewan. The thesis-based study included surface and underground geological mapping, and structural correlation, as well as an ID-TIMS geochronological study to determine the structural controls, kinematics, and timing of gold deposit formation. During Chase’s MSc he began working as a geologist and Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Pilot and eventually became VP of Operations for Pioneer Exploration Consultants which developed of one of the first commercial UAV magnetic platforms in North America. While at Pioneer, Chase conducted UAV geomagnetic surveys in the United States, Canada, Chile, Bulgaria, Guatemala, Nigeria, and Sudan and safely organized field crews and directed employees performing UAV geophysics in Serbia, Argentina, and Brazil. In 2019 Chase became VP of Axiom Exploration Groups UAV and Geomatics division and successfully built a profitable geoscience UAV field services team from the ground up.

While at Axiom, Chase advanced from RPAS surveys to traditional helicopter-based geophysics and geomatics data collection with towed bird gradient magnetics and LiDAR and earned a Transport Canada RPAS Flight Reviewer rating in affiliation with David Curry from MIR aviation. Chase has successfully trained many new RPAS pilots with a focus on the mining industry and has also provided training to several members of the Saskatoon Police Explosive Disposal Unit. In 2022, Chase was given the opportunity to work with Goldspot Discoveries Corp. (Later named ALS Geoanalytics and Consulting) as the Associate Director of Field Services. He was instrumental in building ALS Geoanalytics Multi-Parameter Airborne Survey System (MPASS). MPASS consists of an expert team of rotary wing pilots, geologists, geophysicists, and data scientists working together to collect and interpret gradient magnetics, VLF, radiometrics, LiDAR and 4-band orthomosaics as well as providing traditional geological mapping, drilling, and sampling services.

In 2024 leveraging his 15 years of experience in geology and airborne geophysics and geomatics Chase founded TUZO GeoSurveys.