Two Canadian firms and a British outfit are amongst the prospectors looking for commercially viable opportunities after traces of gold were found in North Down and Derry, including a hint of platinum in east Antrim.

Galantas and Tournigan, from Canada; Belmore Resources, Conroy Diamonds and Gold and Irish Salt Mining and Exporation have mineral licenses, while Finavera and Rathlin Energy have secured petroleum exploration licenses. Five other companies have licence applications pending at the Northern Ireland department of enterprise trade and investment. It is understood British and South African companies Lonmin and Metallum are applying.

The flurry of speculation comes after results of the Tellus Project were published. Billed as the most detailed geological survey in the world it involved thousands of hours of low-flying aircraft surveying the landscape.

The most notable non-mineral discovery was a subterranean water source 3,000 metres below Larne, Co Antrim where a geothermal power source reckoned to be powerful enough to provide heat and electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes is situated.