Petrology, geochemistry, and isotopic composition of magmatic sulphide occurrences in the Montagnais Sill Complex, northern Quebec, Canada

The Labrador trough remains one of the geologically least explored regions of Canada. The area is covered by extensive sills and flows of basaltic magma, emplaced into and onto a thick package of sulphide bearing pelitic and carbonaceous rocks. Based on geological similarities with some other large igneous provinces, notably Noril'sk, this suggests enhanced prospectivity for magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE ore deposits. This project will be in collaboration with Northern Shield, a Canadian exploration company with projects across the area. The company has delineated several Ni-Cu-PGE mineralised areas and drilling is ongoing on priority targets, notably at Huckleberry. The student will use the company's existing outcrop, drill core and soil geochemical database in combination with new field work and geochemical analysis to evaluate the prospectivity of the region for magmatic ore deposits.

The overarching aims of the project are (i) to generate a better understanding of the geological evolution of this relatively poorly known and explored region in northern Canada, (ii) to identify targets of enhanced Cu-Ni-PGE prospectivity, and (iii) to evaluate the magmatic architecture and petrogenesis of the Huckleberry deposit, recently discovered by Northern Shield. To achieve these aims, the student will examine selected intrusive/eruptive centres across the Labrador trough to constrain the composition of various magmatic formations and their host rocks, establish magma flow directions and the absolute and relative chronology of distinct magmatic units, as this may allow to define vectors to ore. Research methods include field mapping and petrographical/geochemical analysis of outcrop and drill core samples, complemented by a vast existing database of rock samples and geochemical as well as geophysical data collected by Northern Shield in the Labrador trough over the course of the last 4 years. The student will also have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with geologists of the Geological Survey of Canada who are currently active in the area.