Interrogating the role of magmatism, tectonics, crustal growth and basin redox in controlling localization, genesis, tonnage, and grade of exhalative base and precious metal mineralization along evolving continental margins

火山成因块状硫化物(VMS)矿床是加拿大和全球经济的重要金属来源(锌、铅、铜、金、银)。尽管进行了数千年的开采，并对这些矿床进行了数十年的研究，但关于是什么控制了矿化的大小(吨位)和丰度(品位)，仍然存在一些根本问题。特别是，高价值矿藏往往规模较大和/或金属品位较高，但对品位和吨位的控制并不完全清楚。这项研究计划将重点放在加拿大科迪勒拉山和阿巴拉契亚山脉的岩石上，观察与VMS矿床有关的岩石和矿物的组成随矿床吨位和品位的变化，以评估岩浆在矿床成因中的潜在作用，并评估过去海水中的氧含量在矿床定位和金属丰度方面所起的作用。拟议的研究将创造对科学作出贡献的新知识，但也将提供矿产勘探参数，这些参数可能有助于地球科学实践者成为更好的勘探者，并对勘探和开发目标进行排名。此外，它还将培训许多学生，使他们能够在完成学位后进入加拿大地球科学专业。

Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits are important sources of metals (zinc, lead, copper, gold, silver) to the Canadian and global economy. Despite millennia of mining, and decades studying these deposits, there are still fundamental questions that remain regarding what controls the size (tonnage) and abundance (grade) of mineralization. In particular, high-value deposits are often large and/or have high grades of metal, yet the controls on grade and tonnage are not fully understood. This research program will focus on rocks in the Canadian Cordilleran and Appalachian mountain belts, looking at the compositions of rocks and minerals associated with VMS deposits as a function of deposit tonnage and grade to evaluate the potential role that magmas play in deposit genesis, and to evaluate the role that the oxygen content of ocean waters in the past has played in deposit localization and metal abundance. The proposed research will create new knowledge that will contribute scientifically, but also provide mineral exploration parameters that may help geoscience practioners to become better explorers and to rank exploration and development targets. Moreover, it will train numerous students with skills that will make them able to enter the Canadian geoscience profession upon completion of their degrees.