EOSC 424 · Advanced Mineral Deposits

Advanced concepts in the processes that lead to the formation of mineral deposits. Introduction to the study of ore minerals using reflected light microscopy. [2-3-0] Prerequisite: EOSC 331.

Note: alternate-year course – not offered in Jan 2023; next offering in Jan 2024.

 Course Availability & Schedule

 Course Syllabus

 Course Webpage

 Alternate year course

Odd year start – Term 2

Learning Goals

To provide a framework for examining processes involved in the concentration of metals in the Earth’s crust and for assessing mineral potential in a given region based on available geologic information and constraints.

There are three different modules in this course that keyed to the frameworks above:

  1. Module 1: evaluation of the key mechanisms/processes for the concentration of metals (e.g., Ni-Cu-PGE-Cr-Ti) in magmatic ore deposits with an emphasis on the chemistry of magmas - first-half of course in lecture.
  2. Module 2: evaluation of the key mechanisms/processes for the croncentration of metals (e.g., Cu-Au-Mo-Ag) by hydrothermal processes with an emphasis on hydrothermal fluid flow, fluid:rock interaction, deformation, and alteration - second-half of course in lecture and lab.
  3. Module 3: introduction to ore petrography using reflected light microscopy (textures in ore minerals preserve a record of how they formed and were modified at low temperatures).

Instructors

James Scoates & Ken Hickey

Course Content

See Course Webpage on UBC Canvas to download lecture slides, project information, and lab resources.

Important Information for 2022 Version of Advanced Mineral Deposits

All classes at UBC will be online for the first two weeks from Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, through Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 – you can access the online classes via Zoom in Canvas.  Labs will start (hopefully in-person) in the week of Jan. 24-28, 2022 and will take place in EOS Main 211.  Provisionally, in-person classes will resume in EOS Main 121 on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.