Category Archives: Geology

New publications from my research group (02/06/14)

Posted on February 6, 2014 by stevepiercey

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. The combination of fieldwork, teaching, and just being generally busy, hasn’t provided much time for extra-curricular writing. I’m taking a bit of a departure from previous posts, and just providing an … Continue reading →

Posted in Analytical Geochemistry, Appalachians, Economic Geology, Exploration Geochemistry, Geochemistry, Geology, Gold, Gold Deposits, Lead, Lithogeochemistry, Mineral Resources, Quality Control, Seafloor Massive Sulfides, Volcanogenic Massive Sulfides, Zinc | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Noble Metals, Subcontinental Lithosphere, and Ni-Cu-PGE Deposits

Posted on May 28, 2013 by stevepiercey

Recent research by Kamenetsky et al. published in Geology provides insight into the nature of the parental magmas potentially responsible for the formation of nickel-copper-platinum group element (Ni-Cu-PGE) deposits in intra-plate environments.  Previous researchers have illustrated the importance of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Copper, Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geology, Layered intrusions, Magmatic Sulfides, Mineral Resources, Nickel, Platinum Group Elements, Recently Published | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Classic papers in Economic Geology: Campbell and Naldrett (1979) – The Influence of Silicate-Sulfide Ratios on the Geochemistry of Magmatic Sulfides

Posted on May 15, 2013 by stevepiercey

Magmatic sulfide deposits are critical sources of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and platinum group elements (PGE) globally.  These deposits form from the segregation of a sulfide liquid from a silicate liquid, similar to oil separating from water, due to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Papers, Copper, Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geology, Layered intrusions, Magmatic Sulfides, Mineral Resources, Nickel, Platinum Group Elements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recently published: Economic Geology Special Issue on the Pebble Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo Deposit

Posted on May 2, 2013 by stevepiercey

The May issue of Economic Geology is a special issue on the Pebble Cu-Au-Mo deposit,  located near Iliamna, Alaska, edited by Karen Kelley, James Lang, and Robert Eppinger.  The issue is the culmination of a multi-year, multi-disciplinary collaborative research project between … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Copper, Cordillera, Economic Geology, Exploration Geochemistry, Geochemistry, Geochronology, Geology, Geophysics, Gold, Gold Deposits, Mineral Resources, Orogenesis, Porphyry Copper, Recently Published, Stable Isotopes, Tectonics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Classic papers in Economic Geology: Fallick et al. (2001) – Bacteria were responsible for the magnitude of the world-class hydrothermal base metal base metal sulfide deposit at Navan, Ireland

Posted on April 30, 2013 by stevepiercey

Irish-type zinc-lead deposits represent a distinctive sub-class of the carbonate-hosted zinc-lead deposit family, having geological features and genetic models that are hybrids between sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX; also known as clastic zinc-lead deposits) and Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits.  They are important … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Biogeochemistry, Carbonate-hosted deposits, Classic Papers, Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geology, Geophysics, Ireland, Irish-type deposits, Lead, Mineral Resources, Seafloor, Seafloor Massive Sulfides, Sedimentary exhalative deposits, Sedimentology, Stable Isotopes, Zinc | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sedimentary origin of gold and uranium in the Archean Witwatersrand Supergroup, South Africa

Posted on April 23, 2013 by stevepiercey

New research by Depiné et al. published in Mineralium Deposita provides critical evidence to the origin of gold and uranium in the Archean Witwatersrand Supergroup in South Africa. The Witwaterstrand Basin in South Africa accounts for 40% of the world’s gold … Continue reading →

Posted in Archean, Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geology, Gold, Gold Deposits, Mineral Resources, Paleoplacer, Sedimentology, Uranium | Leave a comment

The origin of banding in banded iron formations (BIF)

Posted on April 16, 2013 by stevepiercey

Banded iron formations (BIF) and iron ore are globally important resources of iron that have very distinctive textures.  Well-preserved BIF contain iron-rich bands consisting of iron oxides (e.g., hematite, magnetite), iron silicates (e.g., stilpnomelane), and iron oxyhydroxides (e.g., greenalite), that … Continue reading →

Posted in Banded Iron Formations, Economic Geology, Geology, Iron Ore, Mineral Resources, Submarine Volcanism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recently published: Elements – One Hundred Years of Geochronology

Posted on April 10, 2013 by stevepiercey

This is more of a notification than a post.  The February issue of Elements magazine has a great collection of papers on One Hundred Years of Geochronology.  While geochronology is not a field of economic geology, it is a tool … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geochronology, Geology, Geophysics, Recently Published | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Classic Papers in Economic Geology: Hekinian et al. (1980) – the first description of seafloor massive sulfide deposits

Posted on April 8, 2013 by stevepiercey

This is my first post in the classic papers series.  I have a passion for volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, so I thought it would be fun to write a short blog on a classic paper that described and documented … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Papers, Copper, Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geology, Lead, Mineral Resources, Seafloor, Seafloor Massive Sulfides, Submarine Volcanism, Volcanogenic Massive Sulfides, Zinc | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bacteria, Oxygen, and Gold!

Posted on April 1, 2013 by stevepiercey

New research published in Economic Geology by Tomkins provides insight into the importance of atmospheric evolution and bacteria in controlling the distribution of orogenic gold deposits (and resources) during the planet’s history. Orogenic (mesothermal) gold deposits form from gold-bearing fluids that are … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Biogeochemistry, Economic Geology, Geochemistry, Geology, Gold, Gold Deposits, Mineral Resources, Orogenesis, Tectonics | Leave a comment