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Alumni NEWSIssue 17 February 2008A Message from the ChairWelcome to the 2008 edition of the Alumni Newsletter, inwhich it gives me great pleasure to give you a snapshot ofchanges, developments and achievements in the departmentover the last year. One of the outstanding good news storiesfor us is the upswing in the number of students takingour programs and courses. The total number of studentsregistered in our undergraduate programs has more thandoubled since 2004, rising from around 40 to a current levelof almost 100. This means that we have record numbers ofstudents taking our courses. This year our second year labcourses have been at capacity with numbers ranging from40 to 50 and overall we are teaching classes to over 2000students on the St. George campus. Programs and classesat UTM and UTSC have also experienced similar growth,which means we are experiencing an upsurge in studentinterest in Geology and Earth Science to levels not seensince the mid 1980’s. Our numbers of graduate studentshave remained stable at around 40 M.Sc.’s and Ph.D.’s,which means we are holding our own in comparison toother Canadian universities and managing to compete withindustry who are hiring recent graduates in record numbers.We have been working hard to manage the growth in ourstudent numbers and to maintain the quality of our undergraduateand graduate programs. In this regard I have beenvery ably assisted by our Associate Chairs, Jim Mungall(Undergraduate Affairs) and Russ Pysklywec (GraduateAffairs). Russ took over last summer from James Brenan,who left the graduate program on a very strong footingafter his 4-year term as Associate Chair.The growth in our undergraduate student numbers and ourongoing challenge to maintain and expand our graduateprogram means that, more than ever, we need resources tohelp support our students financially and to enrich their experiencein the department. Last year I wrote to you aboutthe Explorers Fund, which was launched officiallyat the PDAC last March. Spearheaded by Laurie Curtisfor Alumni and FriendsGeologyUNIVERSITY OF TORONTO2007 Rockfest FestWinnerChevron Folds - Millock HavenA. O’Dowd-Booth(Ph.D. 1975, Intrepid Mines Ltd.) and guided by an outstandingIndustry Advisory Committee, the Explorers Fundis a vehicle for alumni and friends to support studentsin the department through the creation of Graduate andUndergraduate Scholarships and an Annual Fund that willcontribute to the student cost of field education and supportother initiatives related to the quality of their experience inthe department. Over the past year, the Explorers Fund hasgrown to $430,000 from donations and matching contributions,which means we are well on the way to our target of$5 million. Laurie made the founding donation to createthe first Graduate Explorers Scholarship. This was laterfollowed by a joint contribution from Laurie, Cam Allen(B.Sc. 7T0, M.Sc. 7T2, Ph.D., Cambridge, 1975), TeckCominco Ltd.) and Teck Cominco Ltd. to establish The JeffFawcett and John Gittins Graduate Explorers Scholarship,which is detailed later in the newsletter. Together thesecontributions plus Provincial Government matching and aUniversity contribution will generate $18,000 annually ingraduate student scholarship support.continued on page 2INSIDENew Appointments 2Honours and Awards 4Peacock Medal 5Pioneers 6Stable Isotope Lab 8TORONTO Meteorite 10Scotiabank Lab 10New Scholarship 11In Memoriam 11Graduates and Awards 12News from Alumni and Friends 13Acknowledgements 18

Continued .... from the ChairNick Wemyss (B.Sc. 1978, Profound Energy Ltd.) made aleading donation to the Undergraduate Explorers Fund andthe first undergraduate scholarship arising from this contributionwill be awarded in September. One area that wewould very much like to see growth in is the Annual Fund,which would have a direct benefit for a large number ofstudents taking our field courses. Please consider makinga donation, of any size, to one of the Explorers Funds thisyear. It is guaranteed to have significant impact on the educationof Earth Scientists in the department and to attractthe very best to study here.We also continue to see changes in the make-up of thedepartment. This January we were joined by AssistantProfessor Bridget Bergquist. Bridget specializes in tracemetal and heavy metal isotope geochemistry and her maininterests are in the biogeochemistry of metals in the marineand terrestrial environments. Bridget came to us afterholding a Turner Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Universityof Michigan and a Ph.D. from M.I.T. and the Woods HoleOceanographic Institute. We were also fortunate to add toour graduate department through the cross appointments ofAssistant Professors Kim Tait and Julian Lowman. Kimrecently joined the Royal Ontario Museum as AssistantCurator of Mineralogy after completing her Ph.D. in Geologyat the University of Arizona. She specializes in theapplication of X-ray synchrotron and neutron scattering toinvestigate crystal structures. Julian is currently appointedin the Dept. of Physical and Environmental Sciences at theUniversity of Toronto Scarborough. Before coming to theU of T he held a faculty appointment at Leeds Universityfollowing a Ph.D. at York University. Julian is a geodynamicist,with special expertise in numerical modeling ofmantle convection in the Earth and terrestrial planets.As usual, our faculty and students continue to distinguishthemselves in research and scholarship. Ulrich Wortmannwas awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professorthis summer. Barbara Sherwood Lollar was successfullynominated as a Tier I Canada Research Chair in EnvironmentalGeochemistry to add to an already impressive list ofrecognitions. The Norman B. Keevil Chair in Ore GenesisGeology, previously held by Steve Scott, was awarded toJim Mungall in recognition of his research on magmatic oredeposits. Among many other scholarly achievements thisyear, one that caught the public eye was the publication ofthe book Canada Rocks by Nick Eyles and Andrew Miall,which was launched at a reception in Hart House in October.Nick also played a starring and advisory role in thesuccessful CBC television series Geologic Journey. Youcan learn more of the success of our faculty and students inthe following pages of this newsletter.I look forward to meeting many of you and catching upwith acquaintances at our annual reception at the PDACon Tuesday, March 4 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. I would alsolike to extend an invitation to all alumni and friends to visitthe department at any time. I will be happy to show youaround, and do my best to arrange meetings with studentsand faculty, and am always willing to discuss ideas for thedepartment and provide updates on our activities.Sandy CrudenNew Appointments and Cross AppointmentsBridget BergquistB.S. Geology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996B.S. Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996Ph.D., Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry,MIT-WHOI Joint Program, 20042The primary aim of my research program is to increase our understandingof the biogeochemical cycles that are important for life on Earthand how these cycles have evolved over time through the use of tracemetal and stable isotope geochemistry. Besides the inherent importanceof metals in the environment (i.e., in their roles as nutrients or toxins),the chemistry of metals is often linked to, or plays a controlling role in,environmental processes including carbon cycling, ocean circulation, andweathering and transport of chemicals in nature. Understanding metalsin the environment is especially important in a changing world where humanactivities are perturbing many natural cycles and will have impacts

on our food sources, health, and climate. However, the biogeochemical cycles of many metals are not well constrained.New analytical advancements, especially in multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS),have opened the door for investigation of stable isotope fractionation of many metals. Isotopic variations of elementsare powerful as tracers/proxies of environmental processes and can be used to identify and quantify sources and sinks, tounderstand biogeochemical cycles, and as proxies for significant climate variables and environmental processes. Combiningresearch on metal biogeochemistry (both laboratory and field) with studies of natural metal isotopic variations has thepotential to yield insights into the modern global cycles of metals as well as past conditions on Earth. Specifically, I amusing this approach to improve our understanding of the Fe cycle of the ocean, Hg biogeochemical cycling and bioaccumulation,and also Ca weathering and transport.Julian LowmanJulian Lowman earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics from the Universityof Toronto in 1990 and Master’s and PhD degrees from York University, Canada, in 1993and 1997. He held an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Geophysics andPlanetary Physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory before taking his first faculty appointmentin the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Leeds in the UK. Julian returnedto the University of Toronto in 2005 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physicaland Environmental Sciences at the Scarborough campus. He is cross-appointed in theDepartments of Physics and Geology.Julian’s research interests focus on mantle convection processes and the numerical modellingof mantle and lithosphere evolution. His research includes studies of the influenceof continents on mantle convection, the role of plates in influencing the long-wavelengthheterogeneity of the mantle’s thermal field, the secular cooling of terrestrial planets, and thedynamics of plumes and subducted lithosphere. Future work will include the development of a global scale model for investigatingthe feedback between an evolving system of plates and vigorous mantle convection in a 3D numerical model.Kim TaitI am extremely excited to join the Department of Geology at the Universityof Toronto as an Associate Professor (status only). I joinedthe Royal Ontario Museum in April 2007 as the Associate Curator ofMineralogy after finishing up my Ph.D. at the University of Arizona/Los Alamos National Laboratory in March. My doctoral research wason gas hydrates – I was using neutron scattering at the Los AlamosNeutron Scattering Center to investigate the atomic structure andstability ranges of gas hydrates, which form naturally off the coast ofNorth America and around the world. My current research is mainlyon the crystal structure of hydrous minerals at non-ambient conditions(high-pressure and/or low-temperature) using X-ray and neutronscattering. Since arriving at the ROM, I’ve been asked to be amember of the Astromaterials Working Group, which is a consortiumof people interested in characterizing planetary materials, so I am also currently getting more involved in this type of research.The Teck Cominco Suite of Galleries (which contains the INCO mineral hall, a gem room, a meteorite display andthe Canadian Mining Hall of Fame) is set to open late 2008, as well the ROM is hosting the Nature of Diamonds exhibitstarting October 2008, so we are currently quite busy preparing for these major Earth Sciences exhibits.E-mail: ktait@rom.on.ca3Samuel Bowring (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) – has been appointed to a status only position, for a threeyear term, for purposes of graduate supervision.

Honours and AwardsWe are delighted to extend our congratulations to the followingalumni, faculty, students and friends:Professor Paul Young (cross appointed from the Facultyof Applied Science and Engineering) on his appointmentas the University of Toronto’s Vice President for Research.Paul came to U of T in 2002 as the first Director of the LassondeInstitute for Engineering Geoscience and holds theKeck Chair in Seismology and Rock Mechanics.Also, prior to his present appointment, he was chair of theDepartment of Civil Engineering.Professor Uli Wortmann on the award of tenure in theDepartment and promotion to associate professor.Dr. Owen White (M.A.Sc. 1961) supervised by the lateProfessor Roger E. Deane) on receiving the Canadian GeotechnicalSociety’s R.F. Legget Medal for 2006. The Medalis ‘presented to an individual who has made significantpersonal contributions to the Canadian understanding of theinter-relationship of civil engineering and engineering geologythrough publications, research or professional societyactivities; and who has stimulated geotechnical activities inCanada through the encouragement of co-workers.’Dr. Lawrence Curtis (Ph.D. 1975, Gittins group) on hisselection to receive the University’s Arbor Award for outstandingservice to the University. Laurie was one of onlyfour recipients nominated through the Office of the Dean ofthe Faculty of Arts and Science. (see page 11)Professor Andrew Miall on his election, effective in 2008,as President of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Societyof Canada.Patrick F.N. Anderson (B.Sc. 1994) (UTM) on providingthe international mining community, through his companyAurelian Resources, with the most successful mineralexploration play in many years (some would say manydecades). Delineation of the Fruta Del Norte deposit inColumbia is still in progress but over 13 million ounces ofgold is a pretty good beginning!Professor Ed Spooner and Dr. Colin Bray on the installationin the F.G Smith Fluid Inclusion Laboratory, with thehelp of an NSERC equipment grant, of a state of the art“hot cathode” CL (Cathode Luminescence) system made inBochum, Germany, the first instument of this type in NorthAmerica. “Hot cathode” CL enables growth zoning to beseen and recorded in minerals with low intensity CL emissionsuch as quartz, and is ideal for research on time-dependentCL behaviour.Professor Nick Eyles (UTS) for his role as chief scientificadvisor in the recent TV series ‘A Geologic Journey’ narratedby David Suzuki.4Jeff Fawcett with Laurie and Terry Curtis at the Arbor Awardpresentation.Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar on her appointmentto a Tier One Canada Research Chair in Isotope Geochemistryof the Earth and the Environment. (see page 8)Professor Jim Mungall on his appointment to the NormanB. Keevil Chair in Ore genesis, previously held by SteveScott and by Tony Naldrett.Nick and Andrew at the launch of their book Canada RocksProfessors Nick Eyles and Andrew Miall on the successfullaunch of their new book Canada Rocks – A GeologicalJourney; Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 450 pages. This volumewas selected by the Toronto Star as one of the best sciencebooks of 2007.Maureen Jensen (B.Sc. 1979) on her appointment asPresident and CEO of Market Regulation Services, theindependent organization responsible for surveillance, compliance,investigation and enforcement on the TSX, TSXVenture, CNQ and Bloomberg Canada stock markets. Priorto joining Regulation Services Maureen held senior positionsat the Toronto Stock Exchange. She also had 20-year

career in both the executive and technical management ofresource companies.Professor Martin J. Head, a cross appointment from BrockUniversity, was recently successful (with Prof AndrewMiall as co-applicant) in obtaining NSERC RTI funds toestablish a vitrinite reflectance and fluorescence microscopefacility at Brock University. This facility is the only one ofits kind in central Canada and will allow users to determinethe thermal maturity of sedimentary deposits. Thispermits depth of burial to be estimated, and so will be ofconsiderable use to basin modelers and to the oil industry.Martin has recently been appointed Chair of the Departmentof Earth Sciences at Brock University, effective July1st, 2008.THE MARTIN A. PEACOCK MEDALThe Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) hashonoured the late Professor Martin A. Peacock (1898-1950) by giving his name to its highest award. Peacockwas a professor at the University of Toronto from 1937until his untimely death from cancer in 1950.Professor Emeritus Robert Ferguson(U. of Manitoba) and the late ProfessorE. W. (Les) Nuffield, both Ph.D.students supervised by Peacock, petitionedthe MAC Council to recognizePeacock in this way, based on theircontention that he was the undisputed`Father of Modern Mineralogy inCanada’.Peacock joined the Department ofMineralogy, University of Toronto in1937, at the invitation of A. L. Parsons.He came from Harvard wherehe had been working with CharlesPalache and Clifford Frondel on therevision of Dana’s The System ofMineralogy.Ferguson and Nuffield (prior to his death in 2006) listedfive principal contributions by Peacock in support oftheir petition:(1) He served as editor of the Contributions to CanadianMineralogy, the precursor of the Canadian Mineralogist,between 1942 and his death in 1950.(2) He changed and radically advanced the nature ofmineralogical research in Canada. Recognizing the essentialpart that X-ray diffraction (XRD) must play inmineralogical research, he arranged before such equipmentwas commercially available, for the constructionof the first XRD generator and powder cameras in ageological setting in Canada.(3) Recognizing the importance of the mineral industryto Canada, he and several of his Ph.D. students appliedXRD methods to the characterization and clarificationof numerous ore minerals.(4) He was one of the first mineralogists to “build abridge” between classical morphologicaland modern structuralcrystallography.(5) He instilled in his studentsthe highest standards of scientificenquiry, research and writingwhich his four Ph.D. students, whobecame professors of mineralogyat different Canadian universities,passed on to their students and who,in turn, helped to extend Peacock’sinspiration and values through successivemineralogical generations.In conclusion, wrote Fergusonand Nuffield: “ We believe MartinPeacock’s achievements, manifested by a remarkablepublication list of about 90 papers in the 1930’s and 40’s,are outstanding and unequalled by any other Canadianmineralogist until recent times. This is why we think hecan be fairly regarded as the Father of Modern Mineralogyin Canada, and why we respectfully request thepresent Officers and Members of Council of the MAC togive serious consideration to the establishment of a prestigiousannual award in the name of Martin A. Peacock.”A detailed account of Peacock’s life including a completelist of his publications is given in his Memorialby Charles Palache, Am. Mineral., 1951, vol. 36, pp.384-393.The complete text of Professors Ferguson andNuffield’s submission to the MineralogicalAssociation of Canada is available atwww.geology.utoronto/peacock.5

More of our PioneersWilliam Ewart Parks (Ph.D. 1900)Diana McIntyre of Pleasanton, California, has donated tothe Department of Geology three albums of newspaperclippings and other memorabilia of William Ewart Parkswho was the Head of our department from 1932 to 1936when it was known as Geology and Palaeontology. He diedthe same year that he retired. Mrs. McIntyre is the granddaughterof Parks, the great niece of the renowned Universityof Toronto physicist Sir John Cunningham McLennanand is related by marriage to the noted Toronto consultinggeologist Duncan Derry in whose memory we named thelaboratory that houses our electron microprobe.6Parks received the first Ph.D. in Geology in Canada, at theUniversity of Toronto in 1900. He was a very accomplishedearth scientist although, according to Mrs. McIntyre, hewas rather retiring and soft spoken, and always in theshadow of the more flamboyant McLennan. He was alsoone of the five founders and the first Director of the RoyalOntario Museum that was opened by Viscount Connaughtin March 1914. Parks was the General Chairman of the12th International Geological Congress held in UniversityCollege in 1913.Diana McIntyre and a portrait of her grandfatherWilliam Parks which hangs in the seminar roomat the Geology DepartmentThe albums provide a fascinating glimpse of the life andtimes of Parks and other University notables during the firsthalf of the 20th century, and contrasts with today. The attendeesat the 12th IGC came from all over the world, a notinsignificant trip in the era before air travel and just beforeWWI broke out in Europe. A photograph shows over 270or so ladies and gentlemen dressed in their finest, in sharpcontrast with the casual dress of the thousands who attendmodern IGCs. A hot topic of the 1913 IGC was the age ofthe Earth for which estimates ranged from 20 million to1.7 billion years. Parks predicted that, in the not too distantfuture, communities would be built at the Earth’s polesand later be buried by ice. He was seemingly a very earlyadvocate of a hothouse/icehouse world. He wrestled withreconciling his strong religious faith with what his researchin palaeontology was telling him about evolution. A lot waswritten about Parks in the popular press and he receivedmany distinguished honours. Despite this, he was forced tosupplement his meagre university salary by doing contractmapping in northern Ontario each summer.A painting of Professor Parks hangs in our seminar room.S.D.S.

Reginald Aldworth Daly(1871-1957)Did you know that R.A. Daly, author of the textbook,Igneous Rocks and the Depths of the Earth (1933) is aUniversity of Toronto alumnus? He was born on a farmnear Napanee and took his B.A. in 1891 and S.B. in 1892 atVictoria College where he was also an instructor in mathematicsin 1892. Professor A. B. Coleman was instrumentalin Daly’s decision to embark on a career in geology. He obtainedhis Ph.D. from Harvard in 1896 and, in the words ofone biographer, became an “authority in igneous petrology,structural geology, physiography, geophysics and marinegeology”. After four years of teaching at Harvard, Dalyjoined the Canadian International Boundary Commissioncarrying out a survey from the Pacific coast to the centralplains. On the basis of field photographs taken during theInternational Geological Congress in Russia (1897) FrancisBirch described Daly as “physically impressive, sartoriallyelegant, and conspicuous among the somewhat worn-downgathering of international geologists.” He took a positionat MIT in 1907 and in 1912 became the Sturgis HooperProfessor of Geology at Harvard. Daly was the creator andprincipal proponent of a theory for the creation of alkalirock by the assimilation of limestone into basaltic magmaand even though this idea did not survive the passage oftime, he was one of the most influential geologists of hisday. He became a U.S. citizen in 1920, was elected to theU.S. National Academy of Sciences and was awarded thePenrose Medal of the Geological Society of America andthe Bowie Medal of the American Geophysical Union.I am grateful to the Geological Society of America forpermission to use information in the article Reginal AldworthDaly(1871-1957): Eclectic Theoretician of the Earthby J.H. Natland, published in GSA Today, volume 16, no. 2,February 2006. This article contains several references tocontemporary Daly obituaries.J.J.F.Andrew Cowper Lawson(1861- 1952)B.A. 1883, M.A. 1885 (both University of Toronto and aGold Medal Scholar); Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins) 1888.Did you read the recent Simon Winchester book, A Crackin the Edge of the World? This account of the great SanFrancisco earthquake of 1906 contains several referencesto the 1908 Report of the San Francisco Earthquake Commission,a group that was chaired by Lawson during hischairmanship of the Department of Geology of the Universityof California at Berkeley. Lawson, born in Scotland,lived in Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver beforehis move to California and is probably best known inCanada for his outstanding contributions to the geology ofthe Canadian Shield.See also Andrew C. Lawson; Scientist, Teacher Philosopherby F. E. Vaughn A. H. Clark Company, 1970 andA.M. Goodwin, A biographical Sketch of Andrew CooperLawson, Geological Association of Canada – Proceedings,Volume 24, 1972.Joseph Burr Tyrrell(1858-1957) B.A. 1881*This illustrious pioneer of Canadian geology achievedmany firsts in exploration and discovery and is celebrated,among many other things, for contributions to geography,glacial geology, stratigraphy, paleontology, and economicgeology. He is a member of the Canadian Mining Hall ofFame. A Toronto school, a park and a street and are allnamed in his honour as is a medal of the Royal Societyof Canada. Tyrrell is the subject a of a new biographicalstudy, Measuring Mother Earth; how Joe the Kid becameTyrrell of the North, by Heather Robertson ( McClellandand Stewart 2007).* In all fairness it should be pointed out that Tyrrell’sdegree was in biology, though it is probably reasonableto expect that he took some geology courses in his undergraduatecareer. His professional education was `on thejob’ when he was a summer field assistant at the GeologicalSurvey of Canada.7

Barbara Sherwood Lollar,Professor,Department of GeologyContaminant Hydrogeology and Hydrocarbon GasesCurrent research in the Stable Isotope Laboratory (SIL)focuses on two main areas of stable isotope geochemistry:contaminant hydrogeology and hydrocarbon gases and theirimplications for deep subsurface microbiology. In thisarticle I will highlight some of the ongoing work in the lab.Contamination of groundwater resources with petroleumhydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents is widespread inboth rural and urban settings and represents one of the mosturgent challenges facing environmental science. The SIL atthe University of Toronto is one of the first to have successfullydeveloped and applied techniques for using compoundspecific stable carbon isotopes to investigate controls on theorigin of these priority pollutants and on their transport andfate in the subsurface. Research in the lab has provided anessential foundation for applying compound specific carbonisotope analysis (CSIA) in groundwater - characterizing theisotopic fractionation associated with dissolution, volatilizationand adsorption of a wide variety of priority pollutants– including chlorinated solvents, alkanes, aromatichydrocarbons and fuel additives such as MtBE. Ph.D.student Mike Howlett is currently conducting a microcosmstudy investigating stable carbon isotope fractionation duringaerobic and anaerobic chlorobenzene biodegradationby natural microbial flora from a site contaminated withchlorinated benzenes. In addition, he is in the midst of anovel set of experiments investigating hydrogen isotopefractionation during degradation of chlorinated ethanes.Using analytical technologies developed in the SIL, Mikeis working on the leading edge of hydrogen isotope analysis,conducting the first online hydrogen isotope microbialdegradation experiment.Also focusing on contaminant hydrogeology, M.Sc.student Tiffany Johnson is continuing work on vinylchloride degradation. Vinyl chloride (the building block ofplastics), is a known carcinogen and a ubiquitous groundwatercontaminant. Tiffany will be using carbon isotopePostdoc Ken Voglesonger collectingsubsurface samples from a base metalmine.8analysis to determine degradation mechanisms of vinylchloride under aerobic conditions, and will be working todetermine the controls on isotopic fractionation of vinylchloride under anaerobic conditions, where variability infractionation has been reported. Results from her researchare key to determining the ability of isotope analysis toquantify vinyl chloride degradation in the field.PhD student Mike Howlett analyzingchlorobenzenesIn addition to research on organic contaminants, SIL’sresearch on the origin and fate of hydrocarbon gases in

groundwater systems continues. It is generally recognizedthat the first simple organic molecules on earth andelsewhere in the solar system must have been formed byabiogenic reactions. To date it had been largely assumedthat after the evolution of life on earth, biologically mediatedreactions overprinted evidence of this pre-bioticabiogenic history. Our research is the first indication thatabiogenic reactions that contributed to the formation ofprimary organic molecules on the early earth continued toplay a significant role in the production of hydrocarbons inthe Precambrian rocks of the earth’s crust. We reported thefirst direct evidence for inorganic synthesis of methane andhigher hydrocarbons in crystalline rocks of the CanadianShield from Kidd Creek Mine (Timmins, Ontario) based onthe carbon and hydrogen isotopic values of C1-C4 alkanes(Sherwood Lollar et al. (2002)).Research in Fracture Fluid, Hydrocarbon and H2 Gases andDeep Subsurface MicrobiologyIn addition, one of the most exciting scientific discoveriesof the past decade has been the discovery that microbiallife exists in the subsurface at depths hitherto unanticipated- the so-called “deep biosphere”. Work in our lab, in collaborationthe Indiana Princeton Tennessee team sponsoredthrough the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), addressesthe question of whether the abundant hydrocarbon andhydrogen gases we have documented in mines in PrecambrianShield rocks in Canada, Finland and in South Africamay serve as chemical reactants or substrates supportingmicrobial populations in the deep subsurface. This nationaland international research consortium studies the origin,evolution, distribution and future of life on Earth and in theuniverse.Over the past 5 years, our research group has focused ongeochemical reactions sustaining deep subsurface microbiologythrough both experimental work and field studiesin mines more than 3.5 Km beneath the surface in PrecambrianShield rocks. See www.indiana.edu/~deeplife formore information. Postdoctoral Fellow Ken Voglesonger’sand PhD student Steffi Tille’s research is focused on understandingthe details of the geochemical water-rock reactionsproducing substrates, understanding the cycling of carbonspecies and the transition from abiotic (geologically) dominatedfractures and those where active microbial communitiesdominate.The geologically stable Precambrian cratons of Earth maybe among the closest terrestrial analogues to single-plateplanets such as Mars. Our research demonstrates that thehabitability of the Earth’s deep crust is not restricted to sitesof localized hydrothermal activity such as mid-ocean vents.While postulated vents have been suggested as potentialsources for CH4 reported in the Martian atmosphere, andas possible targets for exploration for life on Mars, thePrecambrian Shield fracture water research suggests analternative model whereby gases such as H2 and CH4 derivedfrom alteration of the Martian crust might be sequesteredin fractures and episodically released analogous to theterrestrial Precambrian cratons. Ongoing investigation intofracture-controlled geologic energy for life in PrecambrianShield sites in the Arctic where permafrost and clathratedeposits are common will provide additional constraints onthe habitability of the Earth’s deep “cool” biosphere andimportant implications for the search for life on Mars.In other SIL news, this past summer saw the graduation ofDr.’s Jennifer McKelvie, Michelle Chartrand, Silvia Manciniand Sarah Hirschorn.9

TORONTO, a new Canadian meteorite.In 2006 Steve Kissin (Ph.D. 1974) and Graham Wilson PDF/RA 1981- 2004 (Rucklidge)published a paper, describing a new meteorite, in the journal Meteoritics and PlanetaryScience. The specimen was brought to the Royal Ontario Museum in 1997 bythe owner Mrs. Hildegarde Weltner. She had been given the specimen by the widowof the finder, a Mr. Karl Heinz. The exact provenance is unknown but he is believedto have found the meteorite while on a canoe trip in Quebec in the 1970’s or 1980’s.As is common in the field of meteorite science, the sample has been given a name –TORONTO, after the university where it was first examined.Professor John Rucklidge, Claudio Cermignani, Shawn McConville, GeorgeTaylor and Karyn Gorra were involved in various aspects of the sample preparation andcharacterisation.Scotiabank Marine Geology Research LaboratoryThe Scotiabank Lab in our department is much smaller nowthat its Director, Steve Scott, has retired to emeritus statusbut nevertheless has had a busy year.10Filipa Marques of Lisbon joined the lab in 2007 as a postdoctoralfellow in a joint appointment with theCREMINER Research Laboratory of the University ofLisbon under the direction of Professor Fernando Barriga.Filipa is working on a project involving melt inclusions involcanic rocks on the modern seafloor and in ancient terrains.Melt inclusions are tiny samples of magma that weretrapped in large crystals (phenocrysts) as they grew in thesilicate liquid. They contain a record of the pre-, syn- andpost-eruptive history of the rocks. Of particular interestare high concentrations of metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, Au) andother ore constituents (Cl, H2O, CO2) in the vapour cavitiesof the inclusions that provide clues as to how “giant”ore bodies may form in volcanic rocks. Areas under currentexamination are the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the vicinity ofthe Azores and the Iberian Pyrite Belt of Portugal and Spainthat hosts ore deposits in excess of 100 million tonnes.Elitsa, Steve and FilipaElitsa Hrischeva joined the lab in 2006. Her background atSophia University in Bulgaria is in clastic sedimentologythat she is putting to good use studying metals in sedimentsin the vicinity of “black smoker” hydrothermal vents on theocean floor. Her study areas are on the Juan de Fuca Ridgeoff the west coast of North America and in the Manus backarcbasin off the east coast of Papua New Guinea. The latteris a site that Ray Binns of the Australian CSIRO and Stevediscovered in 1998 and a Canadian company, Nautilus Minerals,intends to mine in 2010. Elitsa’s work in the Manusbasin is contributing to the environmental assessment thatNautilus has submitted to the PNG government in anticipationof receiving a mining license. It also has relevance togeochemical signatures in metalliferous sediments that mayprovide an exploration guide to ancient ores on land hostedin volcanic rocks.Steve is the Chief Scientist of a project to upgrade researchand teaching at the China University of Geosciences in Beijing.Steve and wife Joan spent a month in Beijing, amongother things organizing and presenting a short course on oredeposits models and exploration with lectures and hands-onlabs. The 300 participants came from universities, governmentfield parties and private companies across China.In 2007 Steve gave invited presentations in Carlsbad,California, to an American investment group interested inmarine mining and also to industrial, financial and scientificgroups, focussing mainly on the theme of ocean mining.S.D.S.Photo: Jim Panou

Alumni Create a New Graduate ScholarshipAt the October 2007 Departmental reception Laurie Curtis,Ph.D. 7T8, President and CEO Intrepid Mines Ltd., announceddonations to the recently created EXPLORER’SFUND, by himself, Cameron Allen B.Sc. 7T0, M.Sc. 7T2,Ph.D. (Cambridge, 1975) and Teck Cominco Ltd. Cam’semployer, totaling $150,000. These generous donationshave been matched by the University’s Graduate StudentEndowment Fund, creating a permanent capital sum of$300,000. The donors have stipulated that annual interestfrom the endowment will create a graduate scholarshipto be named The Jeff Fawcett and John Gittins GraduateExplorer’s Fund and the University will add an additional50% to the earned interest, thus creating a major graduatescholarship. In addition, the award has been designated bythe donors “To be awarded to one or two graduate studentsin geology whose research is focused on the applicationof petrology, mineralogy or field mapping to the study ofeconomic geology and ore deposits, or whose work appliesthese fields to other sub disciplines of Earth Science”. Johnretired in 1995 and Jeff in 2002. Between them they contributedover seventy years of service to the Department ofGeology (called Geological Sciences when they both joinedthe faculty in the early 1960’s) and were responsible forthe igneous and metamorphic petrology programs for mostof that time.Laurie Curtis with John Gittins and Jeff Fawcett at the scholarshipannouncementIn MemoriamWe note with great regret the deaths of the following:Dr. Joseph Mandarino, Curator ofMineralogy, Royal Ontario Museum;Joe was cross appointed to the departmentfor several years and taughtboth undergraduate and graduatecourses in Mineralogy.Dr. Oleg Bogdanovski , Oleg aformer laboratory technician in theCosmochemistry laboratory and thenin the Jack Satterly laboratory fromSummer 2005 until Spring 2007.Professor Derek York, Division ofGeophysics, Department of Physics;though never formally cross appointedto Geology, Derek York waswell known to both faculty and studentsthrough lectures, seminars andgraduate supervisory committees.Mr. Bill Little, a graduate of the Mining Geologyprogram, circa 1958, who identified most of all withour department. (see Newsletter #15, page 12).11

2007 Graduates and Award WinnersGraduating UndergraduatesGraduate Award WinnersB.Sc.Hye-Yoon ChungJohn GrantLaura LeeMonica PaschakisThe P.C. Finlay, Q.C. President’s FellowshipAbin DasTudorel CiuculescuThe Griffis Memorial ScholarshipGerald Bryant12Graduating Graduate StudentsM.Sc.Ph.D.Abin DasAllison DayJamie FairchildTravis RamsaySarah HirschornSilvia ManciniMandana MarianoJennifer McKelvieUndergraduate Award WinnersYounglan ShinDuane SmytheJean-Paul TsotsosBianca PerrenLesley RoseHalan WangThe Coleman Gold Medal in GeologyHye-Yoon ChungThe Roger E. Deane Memorial Scholarshipin GeologyNicole De BondThe H.V. Ellsworth Undergraduate Awardin MineralogyNicole De BondThe Alexander MacLean Scholarship in GeologyRonald Pak Lun NgThe Edward Blake Scholarship in GeologyMichelle HwangNSERC Undergraduate Student Research AwardsNicole De Bond Thomas MeulendykAngela Falcon Ronald Pak Lun NgSarah HutchisonThe H.V. Ellsworth Graduate Awardin MineralogyShannon Carto Duane SmytheShan DongChristopher WhiteJennifer Macauley Matt WilliamsRobert Reglinski Yongtai YangThe Margaret Amelia Miller ScholarshipJames WalkerThe Peacock Memorial PrizeAdrian Van RythovenMary H. Beatty ScholarshipLaura KarreiThe Dr. Norman Keevil President’s Fellowship inGeologyOguz GogusNSERC Canada Graduate ScholarshipShannon Carto Kerry TokarykJennifer Kyle Adrian Van RythovenOntario Graduate Scholarships in Science andTechnologyOluwatosin Akinpelu Laura LeeChristopher CharlesMike HowlettThomas EckertLisa TuttyJohn EliadesConnaught FellowshipChristoph SchrankStephanie TilleGraduate Admission AwardsTiffany Johnson Laura KarreiJennifer Macauley Laura LeeTravel GrantsSeema AhmandAbin DasSteve DenyszynOguz Gogus

News of Former Students1960’s and 70’sAndrew Hynes B.Sc. 1969Andrew Hynes graduated from the MPC ‘Physics andGeology’ program in 1969. This program required constantshuffling between the Physics department and the Geologydepartment, then in the Mining Building. He then went tothe University of Cambridge, to work on the petrologicaland structural setting of one of the Greek ophiolite complexes.These were the early days of the application ofplate tectonics to geology, and he recalls that it was onlyduring his time at Cambridge that the first analyses of midocean-ridgebasalts became available. How times havechanged!Following his sojourn at Cambridge, Andrew spent a yeardoing regional mapping with the Geological Survey ofZambia before returning to Toronto, where he spent a yearat Erindale College working on a set of Earth-science filmswith Tuzo Wilson and pinch-hitting for some of the teachingrequirements there, and a year at the St-George campusas a sabbatical replacement for Steve Kesler. At the time,the department had a distinctly Australian flavour, due tothe several Aussies that had come over to U of T throughthe Tony Naldrett connection. He obtained an AssistantProfessor position at McGill University in 1975.With the exception of sabbatical leaves, Andrew has spenthis career at McGill, rising through the ranks to a FullProfessor, and heading the department from 1987 to 1991.He has worked primarily on problems of Precambriantectonics. He worked for several years in the Grenvilleorogen of eastern Quebec, groundtruthing the seismic datawith structural studies along the Manicouagan Reservoir.He was co-transect leader for the Aibitibi-Grenville Tran-Ed Spooner with alumni Catherine Beckett (B.Sc.8T5), MartynBeckett (B.Sc. 8T4, M.Sc.8T7) and Dennis Waddington (B.Sc.7T0, M.Sc.7T3)sect during its later stages, and oversaw the synthesis ofthe results from this transect. More recently, he has beeninvolved with interpretation of the Lithoprobe sections inthe Western Superior region. As well as field-based studies,Andrew has worked on theoretical aspects of plate tectonics,including causes for back-arc spreading, the dynamicsof extrusion of high-pressure rocks and the effect of awarmer mantle on Precambrian tectonic processes. He hasfound the combination of physics and geology in his backgroundinvaluable, although it has resulted in rather eclecticresearch activities.Roger Hewins Ph.D. 1971 (Naldrett group).Although still officially employed by Rutgers Universitywhere he has spent most of his career, Roger now lives inParis, France for much of the year where he is continuinghis research on meteorites. He has active contacts withseveral of his Toronto contemporaries.Ted DillonB.A.S. 1974 U of TM.Sc. 1976 U of TMBA 1989 U of TPatricia DillonB.Sc. 1974 U of TB.Ed. 1976 U of T13Steve Kissin and Roger HewinsTed and Pat moved into a small downtown condo in Vancouverin April 2007 leaving behind their home of 20 yearsin Oakville, Ontario and their 2 daughters who are both infourth year university in Ontario. Pat was transferred to

14head office by her employer of 28 years, Teck ComincoLimited, and has assumed the position of Manager, Businessand Government Relations. Ted was fortunate to moveinto the equivalent position of Manager, Merchant Bankingin the Vancouver office of his employer, Roynat Capital.Since graduation as a geological engineer in 1974, Tedheld a variety of positions in the mining industry includingProject Geologist with Campbell Chibougamau Mines andProject Manager with Gulf Minerals. After a contract withthe Ontario Geological Survey studying talc and graphitein southeastern Ontario, Ted saw the writing on the wallwith respect to opportunity within the mining industry andreturned to U of T to complete his MBA. This allowedhim to morph into a financier. Ted worked with the Bank ofMontreal and Canada Trust before joining Roynat Capital.As a commercial lender, Ted has the opportunity to workwith a wide variety of businesses beyond the resourcesector and he held a position on the Board of Directors ofGolftown for several years before its IPO. Now in Vancouverthere is additional opportunity to work with US-basedenterprises.After graduation with her education degree, Pat taughthigh school science in Mississauga spending the summermonths, while Ted was in the field, working for TeckCorporation. The short story is she was made an offer shecouldn’t refuse and so after 2 1/2 years of teaching shejoined Teck as a Project Geologist. Pat has been very activein industry associations and was the first woman presidentof the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy andPetroleum in 2000-2001. It was particularly rewarding forPat to spend 3 years (1998-2001) seconded to the LassondeMineral Engineering department after Pierre Lassondemade his transforming gift. Pat will complete her 2-yearterm as President of the PDAC in March 2008. It has beenan exciting time to be President as the association celebratedits 75th anniversary and hosted the largest, internationalexploration and development convention ever in 2007 andthe global mineral industry continues to experience incrediblegrowth and strong commodity prices (as of December2007).As to our favourite memories of our time as undergraduatesat U of T, there are a few that come immediately to mind:– Being partnered together for Tweed field camp and beinggiven the remotest mapping area.– Getting engaged at the beginning of fourth year - proposalwas made and tearfully accepted on the second floorof the historic Mining Building.– Dancing at parties at Frank Beales’ farm.– The camaraderie within our close knit group of geologyand geological engineering students– The approachability and the openness of the faculty toideas and suggestions.– The struggle with structural geology, the dreaded whiteminerals test and the fun of field trips.– The support and encouragement of so many professors–Norris, Currie, Scott, Fawcett, Naldrett, Beales, Gorman,Goodwin, Schwerdtner, Kesler to name a few.We’ve just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary, haveembarked on a new adventure in BC, and have already builtour retirement home in Wasaga Beach for when the timecomes. We had a great time at U of T and it provided uswith a solid foundation for our lives - Life is Great!Andrew Bau Ph.D. 1977 (Currie group)I left Toronto in 1977 andspent two years in Yellowknifeworking for the Departmentof Indian Affairsand Northern Developmentas a project geologist. Idid field mapping for twoyears in the Northwest Territories.Then I transferreddown to Calgary and evaluatedthe resource potentialof Indian reserves forBritish Columbia, Albertaand Saskatchewan. I wasalso involved in land claim negotiations. I moved to the oilindustry two years later and worked for BP Canada (nowTalisman) on their Cold Lake oil sand project. Two yearslater I moved again, this time to Husky Oil and worked onvarious enhanced oil recovery projects in the Lloydminsterheavy oil area, China and Indonesia. I left seven years laterand went to work for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board(known as ERCB at that time). There I was responsible forcomputer applications for the geological group. I understandthey are still using some of the computer programs Iwrote. After nine years, I went back to Husky and workedon an oil field revitalization project in China for two yearson a rotation basis. Then I went a full circle and went backto the Lloydminster heavy oil area. Until recently, I wasthe only geologist looking after all their thermal projectsand potential in the Lloydminster area, looking after aboutone-quarter of Husky’s heavy oil production. Now I have asecond geologist working with me. I am married with twosons attending the University of Calgary.

Bill Sercombe B.A.Sc. 1978 (Geological Engineering)It was good to visit the campus last October and meet a fewfamiliar faces at the Deparment’s Faculty Club reception.The new year has now come and not much else is new sohere is an update.I’m still working in Houston for a couple of more years ona Deep Water Gulf of Mexico project until my son finisheslaw school in Florida and I can finally depart the southeastU.S.I almost retired last year and went back to do a degree atWestern in my hometown London on my personal interestin mass extinctions. That fell through with the law school“event” as I didn’t want to be far from my son. I did presenta poster on extinctions in Athens at the A.A.P.G. conventionwhere it was well received and I was invited to re-presentit in South Africa for 2008.I’ve also joined a couple of guys from Calgary in a smalloil company start up and we have several projects goingand we hope something will actually come of them in thenext couple of years....we shall see......1990’sNawojka Wachowiak B.Sc. 1997, M.Sc. 2001 (SpoonerGroup)After graduation Nawojka spent several years with HSBCas a commodity analyst, culminating with a five year stayin New York City. She is pleased to have returned home toToronto where she is now an equity research analyst withBMO Capital Markets (but misses NYC).Kimberley Scully B.Sc. (Hons) Geology Specialist 9T8;M.Sc. 0T0 (Supervisor: Dan Schulze).Just days after defending my M.Sc. thesis during earlyJanuary 2000, I jetted to Victoria, BC to begin a Ph.D. inmantle petrology with Dante Canil at the University ofVictoria. Even though living near the beach in Victoria wasidyllic, after 2.5 years I realized a life of research wasn’tfor me, so I headed back east to Peterborough to be ProjectLeader of Diamond Services at Lakefield Research. Underthe tutelage of Bruce Jago (U of T grad too!) I quicklylearned heaps about interpreting microdiamond data. Ieven saw a few big diamonds. After one year with Lakefield,I was offered a project geologist position with BHPBilliton Minerals exploration in Vancouver, so it was backto the west coast!Heather Macdonald, Christine Norcross, Michelle Joyette, BrendaMacMurray and Nawojka Wachowaik at the 2007 Alumni Receptionat the Fairmont Royal YorkI spent the next 2 years variably living in Vancouver andNaujaat (Repulse Bay), on the north-west coast of Hudson,right on the Arctic Circle. It was a fantastic two years, duringwhich our exploration program expanded from me anda little drill crew to a 50-person camp. I didn’t spend a lotof time doing geology with so many people to manage andcoordinate, but I enjoyed every minute of my time in thearctic.After so many summers spent shivering up north, I felt likeI’d won the lottery when I was offered the chance to moveto South Africa to work with our Africa exploration team.I moved to Johannesburg in March 2005 and took up therole of project generation for diamonds for BHPB SouthAfrica. Contrary to popular perception, Johannesburg is afabulous city and nowhere near as dangerous as you firstthink. South Africans are such wonderfully friendly peoplethat I made close friends in no time (although I’m sure myfunny accent and Canadian sense of humour helped). Thebulk of my work was based in Johannesburg, but I did getthe chance to camp in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana fora soil-sampling program (we woke up one morning to findmother and cub lion tracks through the camp!), and twotrips to our advanced exploration program in north-eastAngola (where we have an armoured bulldozer to createroads because of the very high concentration of explosiveremnants of war on our tenements). I can’t exaggeratehow much I got out of working and living in Africa. It isa challenging place, but the people are so strong and willno doubt grow and develop with the increasing presence ofinternational mining companies over the next decade.After a year in Joburg I was offered the rather prestigiousjob of being the Technical Assistant (some would say “bagcarrier”)to the Global Exploration Manager and the VP ofExploration, so I was relocated to Melbourne, Australia.The position was particularly challenging as I was throwninto being a mining analyst with absolutely no experience.I did, however, have the privilege of assisting in developingexploration strategy, reviewing projects with the explora-15

16tion executive, and writing a monthly report for the BHPBExecutive Committee (I made sure that my name wasdifficult to find in case the results weren’t as stellar as we’dhoped!).After only 6 months in Melbourne the exploration executiveswere relocated to Singapore, and I went with them. Ididn’t spend much time in Singapore or Melbourne – withso much vacation time saved up during all my moving, Ispent tonnes of time doing even more travelling, to NewZealand, Hawaii (to make up for not going on the U of Tgeology Hawaii field trip back in 1996), and Indonesia.After just three months living in Singapore I realized thatI wanted to take on more responsibility in the health andsafety group and so took up the position of Health, Safety,Environment and Community (HSEC) Program DevelopmentAdvisor and relocated to Perth, Australia. And I stilllive in Perth after 9 months!Hard to believe I’ve done all of this in just 10 years! Needlessto say, with all the moving, my rock collection hasdwindeled considerably. If you’re ever in Perth and needan enthusiastic (albiet somewhat disoriented) tour guide,give me a shout! kimberley.scully@bhpbilliton.com .Matt Manson M.Sc.1990, Ph.D. 1996 (Halls Group).I view my time in the department with fondness. It startedwith a sense of mild horror, as I experienced for the firsttime the unique experience of field work with Henry Halls,and ended with much respect and friendship. I am particularlygrateful to Henry for the support he showed to avery green graduate student. In the Geology Departmentgenerally, it was always a humbling experience being in themidst of people so obviously capable in their work.I drifted into mineral exploration before I finished writingmy thesis, and spent time in the NWT with diamond explorationand Scotland with gold exploration before I madethe conscious and essential decision to focus on finishing.I had caught the bug of mineral exploration, however, andafter graduating I spent most of the next two years, from1996-1997, working for a junior called Ambrex in Brasil,exploring for diamonds then gold and later participating inthe discovery of the Aripuana Zn-Cu VMS in Mato Grosso.Then followed time as a freelance contractor in Brasil,Mexico, Canada and Venezuela. During this time I alsobegan consulting for Aber, which became a fulltime positionin 1999. Between 1999 and 2005 I had the enviabletask of working to set up Aber’s diamond marketing operationsahead of Diavik going into production in 2004, Withthe acquisition of Harry Winston, my career in diamondshad gone from primary exploration in Brazilian jungles toluxury retailing on New York’s 5th Avenue in the span of 6years.In 2005 I left Aber to join the Agnico-Eagle group and runa controlled subsidiary of theirs called Contact DiamondCorporation. Contact was one of the oldest companieson the TSX, and had been listed in the 1920s originallyas Sudbury Contact Mines Ltd. Agnico had re-focusedthe company towards diamonds with some success in theNew Liskeard region of Ontario. In addition to pursing anexploration agenda, my brief at Contact was to pursue agrowth agenda by way of an acquisition or similar corporatetransaction. The deal that emerged was a businesscombination between Contact and Stornoway, with Stornowaysimultaneously making an unsolicited offer for theoutstanding shares of Ashton. The Ashton takeover was asurprisingly bitter and public battle that included severalfirsts in Canadian securities law. This transaction occupiedour lives for most of 2006. The offer was ultimately successful,however, and the three companies have now beenfully amalgamated as one business. With Eira as CEO ofthe “new Stornoway” in Vancouver and myself as Presidentin Toronto, we are attempting to create a genuine mid-tierCanadian diamond exploration and development companywith Renard as the core asset. We expect the completion ofa pre-feasibility study at Renard by the spring, and we hopethe project will become Quebec’s first diamond mine with a10-15 year mine life.On the domestic side, I am married with three children.mmanson@stornowaydiamond.comChristine Norcross, B.Sc. (Geology and Chemistry) 1995,M.Sc. (Geology) 1997.Thomas Schuster, B.Sc. (Geology) 1996After graduation I moved to the west coast where I joinedITS Bondar Clegg and subsequently its successor ALSChemex. During my seven years with the labs I cultivateda business development role, maintaining a solid link betweenthe lab and the exploration community. I developedan extensive network of contacts both through work and byvolunteering with local mining organizations and in 2005 Idecided to rejoin the junior mining community. Since thenI have worked for both exploration and mining investmentcompanies in roles which include communications, investorrelations, project evaluation and sustainability initiatives.Thomas Schuster started his career as a contract geologistworking in Timmins, Ontario for Outokumpu Mines. From1997 until 2004 he covered the junior mining sector for TheNorthern Miner in Vancouver, where he reviewed projectsof interest to the mining and investment community. Thisincluded on-site geological reviews of projects locatedthroughout the world. In 2005 and 2006 Thomas workedin the sector as a freelance technical writer and marketing

of my M.Sc. And Steve, if you are reading this, the giantpancake restaurant is still going strong.Jun Cowan, Michelle Cote and Trevor Boyd at the 2007 AlumniReception at the Fairmont Royal Yorkconsultant, with his clients having included investmentnewsletters, junior and mid-tier mining corporations, andresource investment magazines. Thomas now works as amining analyst based in Vancouver for Fraser Mackenzie,an institutional brokerage firm headquartered in Toronto.Thomas and I married in 2001 and we have happily settledhere in Vancouver, where we enjoy many outdoor activitiesincluding sailing, kayaking and golf. We both still love totravel and continue to do so both for work and pleasure.Seeing many of our former classmates at the PDAC inMarch is still one of the highlights of our year!Greg Slater M.Sc. 96, Ph.D. 0T1 (Sherwood Lollar Group)After spending six years in the department of Geologycompleting two graduate degrees I moved on to new areaand undertook an NSERC PDF at Woods Hole OceanographicInstitution. I am now happy to be back in SouthernOntario at McMaster University where for the past fouryears I have been a Tier II Canada Research Chair in EnvironmentalIsotope Biogeochemistry in the Department ofGeography and Earth Sciences.My research is now split between environmental remediationand the application of compound specific isotopesto understand sources and biodegradation and researchinvestigating biosignatures associated with microbial communitiesliving in extreme environments. The former workis largely locally focused on location such as HamiltonHarbour. The major component of the latter is carried outat Pavilion Lake, BC (in collaboration with Dr. DarleneLim, another U of T alum), where we are investigating thebiological role in the formation of the unique freshwatermicrobialites (modern stromatolite analogues) found inthe lake This project is of particular significance to me asit also allows me to go back to the lakes of the Caribooplateau that I started my graduate career working on as partI have excellent memories of my time at U of T. It wasboth a great learning experience and an excellent community.I think that the sense of community at U of T isas strong or stronger than anywhere else in academia andthis is a strength that should be maintained. In particularRockfest is one of the best traditions I know of providingan opportunity both to learn about the research of otherdepartmental members via talks, and even more over refreshments.And while the tree in front of the GSU may begone and the new paintjob is terrible, I sincerely hope thatthe members of the geology department are continuing thegreat interactions and learning that I recall from my timethere.2000’sNurcahyo Basuki Ph.D. 2006 (Spooner Group) is currentlyworking on a post-doc on testing evidence for primary, seafloor deposition of ~3.2 Ga-old sulphate (barite) in the BarbertonGreenstone Belt, S.Africa using “hot cathode” CL,before returning to the Bandung Institute of Technology inIndonesia.Sergio Gelcich Ph.D. 2006 (Spooner group) is successfullybringing together a group of S.American geologists fromcountries such as Panama and Chile in a VMS explorationprogram in the Dominican Republic.Jake Hanley Ph.D. 2007 (Mungall Group) has been appointedto a tenure track position at St. Mary’s, Halifaxfollowing an NSERC post-doc at the ETH, Zurich wherehe worked on LA-ICP-MS analysis of single fluid and meltinclusions.Stefan Ioannou B.A.Sc. 1998, Ph.D 2004 (Spooner Group)is working as an Analyst with Haywood Securities herein Toronto and taking cruise ship holidays with his wifearound the Hawaiian islands.Lars Weiershaeuser Ph.D 2005 (Spooner Group) is workingas a consultant with SRK, also here in Toronto andclaims to be renovating the kitchen of his and his wife’shouse - other people are, apparently however, skeptical.Yannick Beaudoin M.Sc. 2001, Ph.D. 2006 (Scott Group)Following 6 years of exploration work with FalconbridgeLtd, including 3 with the International Exploration Group,Yannick found his dream job when he joined the UnitedNations Environmental Programme’s (UNEP) Shelf Programmein late 2006. The UNEP Shelf Programme wasdeveloped in response to a UN General Assembly mandate17

Yannick Beaudoin continuedcalling for technical assistance to be provided to developingstates and small-island developing states that are pursuingthe delineation of the outer limits of their continental shelf.Yannick has been actively training and assisting NationalTask Forces in Madagascar, Mauritania, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon,Senegal, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Micronesiaand Angola. As science and diplomacy are intricatelylinked for this issue, Yannick has grudgingly been obligedto don suit and tie for awareness raising activities at AfricanUnion summits, UN diplomatic missions in New York andthe State Parties of various UN conventions.In addition to the UNEP Shelf Programme his current focusis on the development of an Environmental InformationService for the extractive sector that includes oil and gasand traditional as well as seafloor mining. Yannick creditsmuch of his current opportunities to the time spent withinthe Department of Geology family and in particular withthe support and encouragement of his supervisor and colleaguesin the Scotiabank Marine Geology group.TheExplorersFundSupporting thenext generation ofGeoscientists at theDepartment of GeologyFor information on the Explorers Fund visitwww.geology.utoronto.ca/explorers.htmAcknowledgementsWe acknowledge with thanks donations from the following:18Cameron AllenAndrew F. BauCanadian Institute of Miningand Metallurgy - Toronto BranchCarnegie Institution of CanadaJennifer A. ClarkLaurie CurtisKathryn A. DavidJ. Jeffrey and Sylvia FawcettDonald G. GrattonBruce JagoDerek LeeJ. Douglas and Sheila D. MacdougallProspectors and Developers Association of CanadaJohn and Mary Louise RileyDean F. RogersLeslie RuoKevin A. ShawStornoway Diamond Corp.Teck Cominco LimitedDennis and Janet WaddingtonNicholas R. WemyssZaparo Ltd.

The Explorers FundAs announced in 2007, this Fund has been established tosupport the recruitment and training of the next generationof geoscientists. Both undergraduate and graduate studentswill be supported by scholarships and by the enhancementof their academic experience through support for fieldtraining. A detailed description of the Fund, its objectivesand its administration, is available from the DepartmentChair, Professor Sandy Cruden at 416 978 3021 or via e-mail at chair@geology.utoronto.caWhat are the benefits to donors?In addition to making a major contribution to geoscienceeducation at the University of Toronto, donors can anticipatethe following benefits and recognition:Tax benefits: A tax receipt will be issued for all donations.Donations of stock and securities, flow-through shares andpledges of stock options lever significant tax savings tothe donor: the donor will not be subject to capital gains taxon donations of publicly listed stocks and securities whenshares are donated to the Explorers Fund rather than sellingand donating the proceeds. The value of the tax receiptwill be based on the market closing price on the day theUniversity takes legal receipt of stock/securities into ourbrokerage account. Charitable donations can be claimed forup to 75% of net income. A five-year carry-forward on anyunused donation amount is permitted.Recognition of donors: All donors to The Explorers Fundwill be recognized in the department’s annual AlumniNewsletter and on a virtual Donation Wall on the departmentalwebsite.Naming opportunities: Donors who contribute a minimumof $50,000 to the Graduate Explorers Fund or aminimum of $20,000 to the Undergraduate Explorers Fundwill have the option to name an Explorers Scholarship (inaccordance with U of T’s Policy on Naming). Naming opportunitiesare also available on multi-year pledges.The University of Toronto respects your privacy. We do not rent,trade or sell our mailing lists. If you do not wish to receive futuresolicitations from the Department of Geology, please contact us at416-978-2139 or address.update@utoronto.ca.YES… I would like to support the next generation ofgeoscientists through The Explorers Fund.Name:_________________________________________Address:_______________________________________City___________________________________________Province________________ Postal Code ____________Telephone with Area Code_________________________E-mail Address__________________________________Are you a grad of UofT? If so, what year? ____________I would like to contribute $__________ over _____years* to support (* a reminder will be sent for multi-year pledges):I would like to make a one-time contribution of$________Graduate Explorers Scholarship Fund – to supportgraduate students in geosciences (Project 0560010837)Undergraduate Explorers Scholarship Fund – tosupport undergraduate students in geosciences (Project0560010902)Annual Explorers Fund – to support undergraduateeducation, undergraduate and graduate field trainingand/or wherever need is greatest (Project 0560010831)Method of payment:My cheque is enclosed (payable to The University ofToronto).I would like to make a donation of Stocks,Securities, Flow through Shares or Pledges ofStock Options. (Please contact Monica Lin at416-946-5616 / mlin@artsci.utoronto.ca.Please charge my donation to my credit card:VISA MasterCard American Express______ / ______ / ______ /______ ______ / ______Card NumberExpiry Date______________________ /Name as it appears on the card___________________SignatureA tax receipt will be issued for all donations.Charitable Business Number 1081 62330 RR0001 SolicitationCode: 057003511819

The Alumni Newsletter was compiled and edited by Jeff Fawcett and prepared for printing by Karyn Gorra. We aregrateful to Sandy Cruden, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Steve Scott, Ed Spooner, Colin Bray, Steve Kissin and GrahamWilson, Professor R.B. Ferguson (Emeritus Professor, University of Manitoba). Thanks, too, to the alumni who sent lettersand biographical notes.Comments and contributions are most welcome – especially news of former students. Send your contribution by regularmail or e-mail.The Editor, Alumni News,Department of Geology,University of Toronto,22 Russell St.Toronto M5S 3B1.phone: 416 978 3022;fax: 416 978 3938E-mail: fawcett@geology.utoronto.cawww.geology.utoronto.caThe University of Toronto respects your privacy. We do not sell, rent or trade our mailing lists. If you no longer wish toreceive newsletters from the Department of Geology, please contact us.For Alumni please call (416) 978-2139 or e-mail address.update@utoronto.ca.For Friends of Geology, please call (416) 978-3022 or email welcome@geology.utoronto.caJoin us at the annualUniversity of Toronto, GeologyAlumni Reception in TorontoTuesday March 4th, 2008at the Fairmont Royal YorkLibrary Room5:00pm to 7:30 pmName the people and graduation years.The fi rst two people to correctly answer thesequestions will get two free drink tickets at ourAlumni Reception during the PDAC. See SandyCruden or Jeff Fawcett.Visit us at Booth # 538at the 2008 PDAC