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Supporting student research at this years PDAC-SEG Student Minerals Colloquium (SMC)
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Join us March 3rd to support student research from around the world and to celebrate a century of discovery with SEG!
PDAC, the SEG Canada Foundation, the Mineral Exploration Research Centre, and the Goodman School of Mines in cooperation with Student Leaders from the Laurentian University and Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre SEG Student Chapters will host the Annual “Student Minerals Colloquium” on Tuesday, March 3rd in Room 701 of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) South Building.
The Colloquium brings together geoscience students and industry professionals at the world's largest minerals and mining industry conference. The event will feature 100 poster presentations highlighting current research on mineral deposits and related studies by students across the world.
Attendance to the Student Minerals Colloquium is free. Food and beverages are provided during the cocktail reception.
Special guest speakers and announcements this year from PDAC and SEG 2020 Vision: Celebrating a Century Of Discovery, the Society of Economic Geologists’ 100th anniversary celebration and annual technical meeting to be held in Whistler, British Columbia, September 15-18, 2020.
Event Details:
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 10:00am – 6:00pm
Cocktail reception from 3:00 - 6:00pm
Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) South Building, Room 701
Learn more at merc.laurentian.ca/seg-smc
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MERC Collaborates on BGR Marine Mineral Exploration
Research update with Marina Schofield (Laurentian University) and Uli Schwarz-Schampera (BGR).
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Dr. Harold Gibson, Founding Director of Metal Earth, and Marina Schofield, Laurentian University PhD candidate participated in a 47-day research cruise as part of the INDEX program with Germany’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) from October 31st – December 17th, 2019. The INDEX program consists of exploration on the German government claims along the mid-ocean ridge in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The license area is located southeast of Madagascar, over an area of approximately 10 000 km2. |
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Image caption: Harold Gibson (Professor, Laurentian University), Uli Schwarz-Schampera (BGR), and Marina Schofield (PhD candidate, Laurentian University), looking at Cu-rich massive sulfide sample from the sulfide chimney they just collected from the Edmond site (a larger piece of the chimney rests on the table in front of them).
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This was a multidisciplinary research cruise with the overall goal of outlining and assessing new potential ore deposits in conjunction with extensive base line studies for the sustainable protection of the marine environment. The science crew consisted of 39 people from a range of disciplines (biology, biogeochemistry, geochemistry, geophysics, engineering, structural geology, volcanology and petrology).
Dr. Harold Gibson has been an invited scientists for over five years on the INDEX program where he is responsible for producing detailed geological maps of the active hydorthermal vent sites. He works closely with Uli Schwarz-Schampera, the lead on the BGR (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources) marine mineral exploration research project. This past summer Uli accompanied Harold to visit graduate students and PDFs working on Metal Earth’s transects at Geraldton Beardmore, Swayze and Noranda to gather more insight into VMS deposits on land prior to heading out on the cruise.
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“There is a natural continuation of what Metal Earth does on land, extending to the sea floor. Both the greenstone belt and the ocean floor have similar VMS deposits. We see the processes that are currently going on the ocean floor, and then see the results of these processes on land, where mines are developed. So there is a close link between the two areas.”
- Uli Schwarz-Schampera, BGR
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Image caption: Marina Schofield completing sample descriptions for sulfide samples collected during one of the ROV dives.
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Image caption: Harold, Uli and Marina on the back deck of the Sonne and in front of the Canadian ROV (remotely operated vehicle), ROPOS (Remote operation platform for ocean research). The boxes at the front of ROPOS are for samples, and Uli is standing beside one of ROPO’s arms used to collect samples etc. Note all the light sand cameras.
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The project runs from 2015-2030 with the end objective to find a mineable ore deposit. So far, they have 8 sites that all have reasonable perspective. “What we want to achieve from this project is to have a reasonable sized ore deposit in an area that we have really understood from an environmental and biological perspective. We want to be able to leave the area afterwards knowing that the environment can continue on for another 50-100 years in terms of biodiversity. I am confident we can achieve this from how far we have come so far.” - Uli Schwarz-Schampera, BGR.
After 15 years, the German government would have the chance to do exploitation however, there are still many unknowns for mining on the seafloor. Through exploration efforts they are investigating how long it could take for a mineable ore deposit to form, how much is currently down there, and what are the resources required to mine on the sea floor. At this stage in the project, they are seeking involvement from mining companies to join the discussion to help solve some of these unknowns.
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Since the mining industry in Germany is decreasing, there is a need to build interest with International companies especially in North America. Prospective industry partners will have the opportunity to meet Uli at the global PDAC conference in Toronto this year, to discuss possible ways to get involved. Uli also encourages industry to attend the yearly symposium in Germany on ocean exploration.
“We are always looking to take collaborators out on the cruise to show them how we do it out in the field. We want to learn from their experiences and open up the conversation around the possibility of mining the seafloor. We are always seeking mining professionals to get involved in the discussion”. - Uli Schwarz-Schampera, BGR
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February 27th, 2020
Toronto, Ontario
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February 29th, 2020
PDAC
Toronto, Ontario
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March 2nd, 2020
PDAC
Toronto, Ontario
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March 3rd, 2020
PDAC
Toronto, Ontario
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March 31st - April 9th, 2020
Sudbury, Ontario (Live webcast option available for industry participants)
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May 3-10, 2020
Rouyn-Noranda based
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