Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Feb. 29, 2016	Apr. 06, 2016
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Feb. 29, 2016
Trading Symbol	ncq
Entity Registrant Name	NovaCopper Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001543418
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--11-30
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		104,979,820
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1