University of Toronto Economic Geology Showcase

Juan D. B. Rodriquez, Ph.D. Candidate

Sheila Ballantyne, Ph.D. Candidate

Zhongzheng Yuan, Ph.D. Candidate

Talk Abstracts

The University of Toronto Economic Geology Showcase provides TGDG members with an opportunity to attend three presentations featuring current research conducted by three Ph.D. students and their professors. The presenters, Juan David Bello Rodriquez, Sheila Ballantyne and Zhongzheng Yuan, are invited to each present a 15-minute summary of their research and academic pursuits.

Juan David Bello Rodriquez under the supervision of Professor Dan Gregory studies the distribution and enrichment mechanisms of Ge in the Zn-Pb-Ag Prairie Creek Deposit, NWT, Canada. Germanium is an important critical mineral essential in the advancement of high technology and often extracted from sediment-hosted Zn-Pb deposits; however, the processes controlling the distribution and enrichment in these deposits remain poorly understood. To address this, macro- to nano-scale analytical techniques are applied to investigate the Ge-bearing Zn-Pb-Ag Prairie Creek deposit in Canada in order to refine the genetic model of this deposit and identify the key factors driving Ge accumulation.

Sheila Ballantyne under the supervision of Professor Melissa Anderson studies the metallogeny of massive volcanogenic sulphide deposits in Snow Lake, Manitoba. The research is focused on understanding the processes, geochemical signatures, and resulting ore body architecture of these metamorphosed and deformed volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits. It seeks to determine the structural controls on metal deportment and grades of mineralization, including upgrading processes of primary mineralization via post-VMS deposit formation modifications related to metamorphism and deformation.

Zhongzheng Yuan under the supervision of Professor Neil Bennett conducts experimental geochemical studies on the role of molten salts as agents of iron enrichment in iron-oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits which are significant sources of high-grade iron ores, as well as substantial amounts of phosphorus and rare earth elements (REEs). A series of high pressure and temperature experiments are conducted using a piston-cylinder apparatus to investigate magnetite solubility as a function of melt composition and element partitioning between magnetite and salt melts. The results provide quantitative constrains for evaluating the viability of emerging IOA genetic model invoking molten salts.

Speaker Bios

Juan D. B. Rodriquez | LinkedIn

Sheila Ballantyne is an economic and structural geologist with experience in mineral exploration, applied rock mechanics in mining engineering, and undergraduate geoscience teaching. She has a BSc in Earth Sciences, a MSc in Mining Engineering, and is a P.Geo. registered in Ontario. She is currently working on a PhD at the University of Toronto looking at the structural controls of ore body architecture at Hudbay’s Snow Lake Camp.