Magmatic Mineral Deposits: Their Genesis through Structural Fieldwork and Analogue Modelling

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Mafic to ultramafic magmatic systems host a significant proportion of the world's Ni, Cu, Co, Cr and Platinum Group Elements. Several of these are "critical metals" considered essential for our transition to a greener economy. Meeting the demand for these metals requires a new understanding of these complex deposits, in terms of the fluid dynamics and structure associated with their formation in the magmatic state, and their structural history during deformation. Furthermore, compared to past discoveries, modern mineral exploration is challenged by deposits that are harder to find, located deeper in the crust or in remote, underexplored or non-traditional terranes, including strongly deformed terranes previously ignored for magmatic sulphide mineralization. My proposed research program is built on the premise that physical controls, including regional structure and magma dynamics, play a critical role in the genesis of intrusion-hosted magmatic mineral deposits. In this 5--year research program, I propose to establish and quantify the critical physical parameters through an integrated approach of structural fieldwork and laboratory--based analogue modelling. The main objective of the program is a comprehensive understanding of the 3D--structure of, and physical controls on magmatic mineral deposits. Analogue modelling, to be performed at a new burgeoning lab at UQAM, will focus on the fundamental role that structure plays in the transport and concentration of Ni--Cu rich sulphide liquid within magma conduits, and the significance of regional deformation for the genesis and distribution of sulphide--rich ore bodies. Fieldwork will focus on the structure and metallogeny of Ni--Cu--PGE systems through the detailed study of undeformed magma conduits of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP) exposed in Svalbard, Norway as well as deformed magmatic systems of the Grenville Province of Quebec. Fieldwork in Quebec is logistically simple due to proximity to accessibility from Montreal. Furthermore, field activities are to be supported, in part, by established industry and academic collaborations for sharing of data, drill-core, and in--kind and logistical support. With regards to impacts, in the short-term these laboratory and field-based studies will significantly contribute to our knowledge of magmatic mineral deposits, generate numerous HQP projects, and provide for novel and revised mineral exploration models. Long-term, the program will have a measureable impact on ore-genetic models for these systems, and results will feed into the overall objective of my research direction on the fundamental role structural geology plays on the genesis of ore-bodies, at all scales.