Skills & Opportunites

To broaden their experience, students who work on land are going to sea to witness active tectonics and ore formation in the oceans, and students of marine science are learning about the deep geological history of the continents. Both are learning how comparisons of modern and ancient analogs can benefit their research and what can be gained from a rich understanding of the origin of the Earth’s crust and its contained mineral resources.

Among the specific skills that are urgently needed is the ability to convert diverse geoscience knowledge into regional geological maps that can guide resource exploration, hazard assessment, and new approaches to sustainability. Canada is a leading participant in global mapping initiatives, such as the GEBCO-Nippon Seabed 2030 Challenge, as part of our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But experts acknowledge that there are not enough trained geoscientists to interpret all of the data collected for these programs.

iMAGE-CREATE is ensuring that Canadian students can make significant contributions to these challenges and also provide Canadian companies and public institutions with a strong competitive advantage in discovery geoscience. The next generation must be able to create and work with new models of the crust to make the discoveries of the future. In the energy sector, large-scale crustal modeling revolutionized deep discoveries of oil and gas; similar advances are now needed in the search for minerals and clean energy resources.

“The next generation of geoscientists must be able to create and work with new models of the crust to make new discoveries at depth.”

Students in iMAGE-CREATE are being trained in crustal imaging techniques and terrane mapping, geophysical data collection and analysis, and modeling of structural, magmatic and hydrothermal processes. They are learning to use complex research platforms, from seismic arrays and geodetic networks that cross the land-to-sea transition to state-of-the-art analytical laboratories. They are accessing world-class research facilities in joint projects with other disciplines, and they are being co-supervised by leading scientists, as well as industry and government stakeholders, in different institutions.

For example, access to ship time is a key part of the iMAGE-CREATE training plan. Our partners at GEOMAR, FAU and BGR (see PEOPLE & PARTNERS) spend more than 500 days at sea every year, representing a significant opportunity for training of CREATE students. A ship-time registry has been initiated to identify those opportunities, taking advantage of efforts of the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research, SCOR, and InterRidge to ensure that early career geoscientists are on every ship.

“The next generation of geoscientists must be able to create and work with new models of the crust to make new discoveries at depth.”

“Beyond hydrocarbons: We need explorationists to find new minerals for the clean energy transition”

December 2020 AAPG Explorer