Metallogeny of convergent margins

由于对矿产品的需求不断增加，以支持不断增长的世界人口和消费率，而成熟矿产带的发现率不断下降，勘探新矿床必须推进到以前未勘探或表面勘探的边疆地区。这里提出的研究将推进与世界上两个主要前沿勘探地区：南美洲的安第斯山脉中部（主要是阿根廷西北部）和巴尔干半岛、土耳其和伊朗的特提斯带的会聚板块边缘过程有关的矿藏形成和分布的地质知识。加拿大和国际采矿业正在这些地区大力投资勘探，但在许多情况下，对区域和当地地质环境的了解缺乏或不完整。该项目旨在通过地质测绘、地球化学和同位素分析以及与矿化有关的岩石定年来填补这些空白。还将对个别矿床进行详细的研究，并将其与区域地质历史的综合结合起来，形成综合的成矿模式。这种地质知识本身就很有用，因为它将扩展我们对这些以前知之甚少的地区的成矿过程的理解。此外，它还将为区域规模矿产勘查提供有价值的方向，这将直接造福于采矿业。至少有四名研究生将参与该项目，并将接受各种领域和分析技术的培训，以及接触行业实践和优先事项。这样的培训将为未来在工业、政府或学术界的地球科学部门就业提供有价值的准备。

With increasing demand for mineral commodities to support growing world population and consumption rates, and declining discovery rates in mature mineral belts, exploration for new mineral deposits must push into previously unexplored or superficially explored frontier regions. Research proposed here will advance geological knowledge related to the formation and distribution of mineral deposits associated with convergent plate margin processes in two major frontier exploration regions of the world: the Central Andes of South America (principally northwest Argentina) and the Tethyan belt of the Balkans, Turkey, and Iran. The Canadian and international mining industry is investing heavily in exploration in these regions, but in many cases knowledge of the regional and local geological settings is lacking or incomplete. This project aims to fill these voids through geological mapping, geochemical and isotopic analyses, and dating of mineralization-related rocks. Detailed studies of individual mineral deposits will also be carried out, and combined with syntheses of regional geological history to yield integrated models of ore formation. This geological knowledge is useful in its own right because it will extend our understanding of ore-forming processes in these previously poorly understood regions. In addition, it will also provide valuable direction for regional scale mineral exploration, which will be of direct benefit to the mining industry. At least four graduate students will be involved in this project, and will receive training in a wide variety of field and analytical techniques, as well as exposure to industry practices and priorities. Such training will provide valuable preparation for future employment in the geosciences sectors of industry, government, or academia.