Dr. Andrew Conly, faculty member of the Geology Department, has been elected as the regional Vice-President for North America for Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (SGA).  His position is effective from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009.

 

The objectives of the SGA are:

    - To advance the application of scientific knowledge in the study and the development of mineral

       resources and their environment,

    - To promote the profession of geology in science and industry,

    - To cultivate personal contacts for mutually beneficial relationships,

    - To protect and improve professional and ethical standards among its members.

 

The SGA was founded in 1965 in Heidelberg and incorporated in Switzerland in 1971.  More information can be found at:  http://www.e-sga.org/

 

Photographs from the second year fieldschool have now been added to the web site. They can be viewed here. 

Steven Siemieniuk, a geology undergraduate about to enter his third year, has recently been awarded a $1000 scholarship from the Women's Association of the Mining Industry of Canada Foundation.

 

Congratulations Steve! 

The Geology Department at Lakehead University is currently looking for students interested in undertaking a Masters thesis to investigate the nature and origin of recently discovered copper-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralisation in the Schreiber-Hemlo belt of the Superior Province. The 30km by 500m east-west trending Big Lake Peridotite is located 30km southeast of Marathon, Ontario. The intrusion cross-cuts mafic metavolcanic rocks of the Schreiber-Hemlo greenstone belt, and comprises laterally continuous sequences of serpentinized and talcose peridotite, pyroxenite, and gabbro. The eastern 1.5km of the peridotite is host to a stratabound or reef-style PGE dominant sulphide system. The Big Lake VMS deposit borders its PGE-mineralized eastern margin, with a mineralized metavolcanic and metasedimentary breccia footwall. Recent exploration in the area has resulted in ~50 drill cores, all available for study, allowing for the generation of 3-D models of the mineralization.

The successful applicant will work closely with MetalCORP geologists and other graduate students working on the property. They will gain hands on experience of mineral exploration and may be eligible for employment with MetalCORP. The candidate will also have the opportunity to receive training in GIS applications including GoCAD and MapInfo.

Suitable candidates will have a strong background in economic geology and should have completed an Honours degree in Geology. A background in GIS software is preferred but all necessary training will be provided. Field work in northern Ontario will be an integral component of this project.

Located at the head of the Great Lakes in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Lakehead University is a comprehensive university of 7,500 students, 1,600 faculty and staff, and an active and growing research environment with its main campus in Thunder Bay.

For more information contact Dr. Peter Hollings
 

The Geology Department at Lakehead University is currently looking for students interested in undertaking a Masters thesis to investigate the nature of the Archean mantle through the use of upper mantle fragments, or xenoliths, from lamprophyres associated with the world's oldest in situ diamond deposits to investigate the formation of the 2.7 Ga lithosphere. These lamprophyres are located in the Wawa subprovince of the Superior Province, Ontario.

Understanding the origin and distribution of deep fluid plumbing systems recorded in the xenoliths will resolve the mechanisms responsible for gold mineralisation and will provide an improved understanding of the links between tectonics and metasomatism. These results will have significant implications for the development of ore deposit models and will potentially lead to new discoveries.

Suitable candidates will have a strong background in igneous petrology and should have completed an Honours degree in Geology. The project will involve collaboration with researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia and there is potential for travel to Australia to undertake analytical work. Field work in northern Ontario will be an integral component of this project.

Located at the head of the Great Lakes in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Lakehead University is a comprehensive university of 7,500 students, 1,600 faculty and staff, and an active and growing research environment with its main campus in Thunder Bay.

For more information contact Dr. Peter Hollings


 

Dr Phil Fralick's research work has ben profiled in the latest issue of Lakehead's Agora Online publication. Click here to read the full article.

 

Dr. Fralick is currently Chair of the Department of Geology. For more information about his research please visit his web site. 

Applications are invited for a MSc project investigating the origin of volcanic-hosted Zn-Ag sulphide mineralization in the East Cleaver area of Sabina Silver Corporation's Hackett River Property, in the northeastern Slave Province.  Field work for the project is scheduled to begin in summer 2007.  The study will involve mapping the geology, alteration and structure of the East Cleaver area in order to: 1) identify structural controls on mineralization and determine the syn- and post-mineralization deformation history of the area; and, 2) develop stratigraphic, volcanic architecture and hydrothermal alteration (3D-) models for the area to aid exploration by identifying chemically favourable units for mineralization. 

 

Field work will be complimented by petrographic, XRD and SEM-EDX mineralogical, whole-rock geochemical and isotopic studies to establish the petrogenesis of the host rocks and the metallogenesis of the Zn-Ag mineralization.

 

Applicants should have a solid background in geochemistry; igneous and metamorphic petrology; structural geology; prior experience with VMS deposits will be an asset.  The project will be in collaboration with Sabina Silver Corporation and with researchers at the University of Western Australia.

Located at the head of the Great Lakes in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Lakehead University is a comprehensive university of 7,500 students, 1,600 faculty and staff, and an active and growing research environment with its main campus in Thunder Bay.