Water Stable Soil Aggregates and Associated Carbon 70 years Post-Agriculture

Rachel Bloom, 4th year HBSc Water Science (supervisor Dr. Amanda Diochon)

Soil aggregates contribute to soil structure and can protect soil organic carbon from decomposition by the microorganisms. Agricultural activities generally disrupt soil aggregates, contributing to the loss of soil organic carbon. This study explores if and how soil structure has changed 70 years after agricultural abandonment using a local, long-term experiment in which former agricultural land was planted with red pine or white spruce, or left empty. This research will contribute to understanding how reforestation and tree species influence soil structure and the distribution of carbon in surface soils following agricultural abandonment.

Rachel Bloom

Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Soil and Groundwater Contamination at a Property in Thunder Bay, Ontario

Allison Sauder, 4th year HBESc Earth Science (supervisor Dr. Andrew Conly) 

Hydrocarbon contamination was found in the soil and groundwater on a truck and auto repair facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The contamination plume was found to extend underneath the slab on grade garage, making a traditional dig and dump remediation approach unfeasible. I will be investigating on whether an in situ treatment using microbes installed in the soil is able to treat the contamination.

Allison Sauder

A Characterization of the Skarn Propylitic Style Alteration at the Trek South Porphyry-Skarn Prospect, Golden Triangle, BC

Brett Rempel, 4th year HBSc Geology (supervisor Dr. Pete Hollings) 

My research focuses on characterizing the alteration at the OreTerra’s Trek South Porphyry-Skarn prospect. A combination of petrographic analysis, short wavelength infrared (SWIR) data, and micro-XRF data will be used to describe the alteration. This will be used to develop a model that will aid in ongoing exploration.

Brett Rempel

Characterization of the Sankamap Metals Epithermal to Porphyry style mineralization at the Kuma Property, Soloman Islands

Steven Del Bel Belluz, 4th year HBSc Geology (supervisor Dr. Pete Hollings) 

The Sankamap Metals Kuma Property, on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, is located on a regional copper-gold trend along the NW-SE trending collisional plate boundary between the Australian Plate and Pacific Plate. I will be investigating drill core from this property through a combination of petrography, short-wavelength infrared analysis, and whole-rock geochemical analysis. My goal is to better understand the style of alteration associated with the deposit.

Steven Del Bel Belluz

A structural analyses of the deformation conditions for gold mineralization at the Honey Zone, White River, Ontario

Brooke Miller, 4th year HBSc Geology (supervisor Dr. Tobias Stephan)

The Honey Zone is a gold-bearing hydrothermal quartz vein within the Dayohassarah greenstone belt of White River, Ontario. By combining field mapping, rock microscopy, whole rock geochemistry, channel sample assay results, and structural kinematics, my goal is to better understand where gold is mineralizing and why. This research is being conducted to better understand the structural implications of the specific deposit before mining begins.

Brooke Miller