IN THIS ISSUE
MERC ANNUAL REPORT
PUBLICATIONS
METAL EARTH HUB UPDATES
EVENTS & CONFERENCES
COURSES
CAREER AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
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Greetings to all readers,
I'm pleased to present our winter 2025 newsletter, which includes our 2023-24 MERC Annual Report. The Report features summaries of our active projects, highlighting progress, publications, and plans. We invite you to share our news with colleagues and would appreciate your feedback.
Ross Sherlock, Director,
Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC) & Metal Earth
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Our Annual Report highlights the progress of researchers, students, faculty, and staff at Laurentian University and our partners located in Canada and around the world. This summary includes public data releases, publications, and new tools and methodologies. We thank everyone who contributed to this work, which was made possible through research partnerships and support and collaboration with government agencies, industry, geological surveys, other universities, and research institutes.
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The Metal Earth Abitibi Assemblage Compilation (MEAAC) is a map product with assemblage boundary lines largely constrained by lithological maps produced by the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) and the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF). Furthermore, MEACC is informed by previous assemblage compilations (Ayer et al., 2005; Goutier & Melançon, 2007; Thurston et al., 2008; Dubé & Mercier-Langevin, 2020).
The Metal Earth Abitibi Lithological Compilation (MEALC) is a map product constructed predominantly from compilations and maps produced by the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) and the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF). The MEALC has a unified legend that allows for a continuous lithological map across provincial boundaries. The MEALC largely maintains metadata from the reference material to enable users to modify the compilation to serve their needs.
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The geology of the Greenstone orogenic gold deposit, Geraldton, Ontario, Canada: Structural controls, mineralogy, geochemistry, and geochronology
Tóth, Z., Lafrance, B., Dubé, B., Mercier-Langevin, P., Creaser, R. A., & Leybourne, M.I. (2024) Ore Geology Reviews, 175, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2024.106345.
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An Archean Porphyry-Type Deposit: Cu-Au Mineralization Associated with the Chibougamau Tonalite–Diorite Pluton, Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada.
Crépon, A., Mathieu, L., Kontak, D. J., Marsh, J., & Hamilton, M. A. (2024). Minerals, 14(12), 1293. https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121293
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A case history using gravity data to validate alternate interpretations of the material below a deep seismic reflector in the Matheson area of Ontario, Canada.
Della Justina, F., Smith, R.S., & Haugaard, R; Geophysics 2024; 89 (6): B443–B452. https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2023-0523.1
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES & EVENTS
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Meet MERC and Metal Earth Director Ross Sherlock, faculty members, research associates, and graduate students at AME Roundup in Vancouver, January 20-23, 2025. Please find us at the MERC booth (#318) to receive updates on current and upcoming research projects, discuss career opportunities, and learn about our laboratory services.
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Exploration for Hydrothermal Ore Deposits
GEOL 5607
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April 5-14, 2025
Save the dates and join us for this 10-day in-person course, led by Dr. Dan Kontak, which features morning lectures complemented by hands-on afternoon labs examining representative ore suites.
The course focuses on the geological (regional setting, deposit-scale features), mineralogical, alliteration, and geochemical parameters used to classify and explore for the major magmatic-hydrothermal ore-deposit systems.
Following an introduction to relevant geochemical principles used to study these deposits, the course begins at the magmatic-hydrothermal transition represented by critical metal-rich (Li, Ta-Nb, Cs, REEs) pegmatite and alkaline-rock settings (e.g., carbonatites) before examining high- and low-temperature deposit types (i.e., porphyry- and skarn-types (Cu, Au, Mo, and Sn-W), epithermal Au-Ag, VMS, orogenic and intrusion-related Au, sediment-hosted Cu-Pb-Zn-Co (Sedex/MVT, red-bed), and uranium).
Knowledge gained from relevant undergraduate courses in ore deposit geology, petrology, and high-temperature geochemistry are recommended.
Discounts for MERC members. Contact us for pricing options for multiple participants in the same company.
Contact Dr. Dan Kontak at dkontak@laurentian.ca for additional course/content information. For registration, logistics, and accommodation information, contact Ms. Roxane Mehes at rmehes@laurentian.ca.
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Join us in Sudbury on Friday, January 31, for a full-day Pegmatite Workshop coordinated by Dr. Andy McDonald, featuring leading experts in this field presenting new research and methods.
This free, comprehensive, and in-person course is intended for graduate students and working geoscientists. It is not for course credit, and professional development hours will not be recorded by the University. The workshop is limited to 30 participants, who must register online.
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CAREER & RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
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The Harquail School of Earth Sciences, MERC, and Metal Earth attract top-calibre professionals, graduate and undergraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers for academic and staff roles. Industry, academic, and funding partners make many of these opportunities possible.
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Faculty, students, researchers, and staff at the Harquail School of Earth Sciences and the Mineral Exploration Research Centre gather for a photo in September 2024.
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