Volcanic, tectonic and magenetic processes, their control on VMS deposits and the architecture and evolution of submarine volcanoes

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Volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) ore bodies are rare and incredibly valuable economic accumulations of sulphide minerals from which important industrial and precious metals such as zinc, copper, silver and gold are produced. They form in rifted arc and back-arc geodynamic settings where hot (>300 C), evolved, metal- and sulphur-bearing seawater, perhaps with a fluid component derived from magmas (magmatic fluid), is discharged onto the seafloor within ancient and modern volcanoes and, due to rapid cooling, deposited sulphide minerals at, and immediately below the seafloor. The objectives of this research are to: 1) determine controls and processes, such as caldera formation, that may be responsible for the formation and location of VMS deposits by understanding the architecture, magmatic, tectonic, and volcanic evolution of ancient and modern submarine volcanoes; 2) assess the use of the platinum group elements to discriminate geodynamic environments and petrogenetic processes, and to determine the potential role of sulphur solubility in generating metal-bearing, magmatic hydrothermal fluids; and 3) train highly qualified personnel to replace those in an aging exploration work force, and/or continue in research.  Results of this research will benefit those who study ancient and/or modern seafloor volcanoes, and it will impact on crustal growth models. The Canadian mining industry who explore for VMS deposits in Canada, and globally, will be a direct beneficiary of this research and, indirectly, so will the non-urban, northern Canadian, mining communities whose survival, growth, and prosperity are linked to successful exploration and responsible mining.