News, Events & Reporting

Launch of the iMAGE-CREATE Web Site: A Resource for Trainees − In January 2021, iMAGE-CREATE launched its extensive project web site as a resource for its trainees. In addition to the program description and events page, the web site is a one-stop platform for members and affiliates that includes course listings, research project updates, on-line training, recruiting, and links to partner programs and institutions. Mark this page for future opportunities and developments of the program.

iMAGE-CREATE participates on 3 research cruises to the end of 2020 − iMAGE-CREATE trainees spent more than 70 days at sea in 2020, learning the essential elements of seabed mapping and sampling, including a trans-Atlantic geosurvey aboard the R/V Maria S. Merian (MSM88-2), exploration of the Kings Trough north of the Azores aboard the R/V Meteor (M168), and testing of new sonar technology with Kraken Robotics aboard the R/V Atlantic Kingfisher off the Grand Banks. Training at sea will continue in 2021 with the first cruise of the year aboard the R/V Sonne (SO280) starting January 8 on an Iceland-Azores mapping transect.

iMAGE-CREATE at the Geological Association of Canada Annual Meeting, May 2021 − iMAGE-CREATE will host a Special Session at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Association of Canada in London, Ontario, in May, 2021. The session entitled “Advances in Marine Geology and Geodynamics and Their Application to Understanding Modern and Ancient Seafloor Metallogeny”, will showcase the work of the CREATE members and their partners in Metal Earth (Special Session SS-08: https://gacmac2021.ca/). This session will highlight studies of current processes of crustal growth in the oceans using modern marine geophysical datasets, collected during ocean-going expeditions, by regional monitoring and satellite missions, together with sampling of the seafloor, to understand the tectonic evolution of different domains of oceanic and arc crust. We invite contributions that use these datasets to advance our knowledge of marine geological processes and apply what is learned to ancient greenstone belts and accreted terranes. This session is a contribution to ongoing studies in the CFREF Metal Earth and the new NSERC CREATE in Marine Geodynamics and Georesources.

GEOMAR Seafloor Mapping Summer School in Partnership with iMAGE-CREATE, May 2021 −

GEOMAR (Helmhotz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany) is hosting the GEOMAR-CREATE Seafloor Mapping Summer School in May, 20201. 15 members from Canada and Europe will participate in the 10-day program, which includes intensive introductory training in seafloor geology and remote predictive geological mapping techniques essential to explore the 70% of the Earth’s surface under water. Students learn techniques of data compilation and integration, accessing data repositories, how to process different data sets such as multibeam bathymetry and geophysical data, how to set up map projects in ArcGIS, and how to interpret the compiled data in terms of the geological attributes of the seafloor. The main part of the course is delivered as a “virtual sea-going expedition” with simulated real-time data collection and processing, tailored to both in-person and online participation.

Georesources and Geohazards Seminars of the Helmholtz Program Earth & Environment −

iMAGE-CREATE trainees participated in the first workshop on Hazards and Resources of the Earth & Environment Program at the Helmholtz Centers, GEOMAR and GFZ. In addition to the 2-day workshop in December, iMAGE-CREATE members participated in 6 seminars on topics ranging from marine mineral resources (21 September), geothermal energy (19 October), numerical modelling and metal transport (9 November), subduction in early Earth history (19 November), hydrogen storage potential in the crust (23 November), and de-risking geothermal energy (14 December). The virtual workshops on georesources and geohazards were attended by more than 125 participants.

iMAGE-CREATE at PDAC, March 7-10, 2021 − iMAGE-CREATE is partnering with the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Center to host a “virtual booth” at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) meeting in Toronto, which will be attended by 25,000+ professionals from industry and government. This event gives our trainees access to global connections, including leaders in the resources industry, investors and professional colleagues worldwide. In addition, iMAGE-CREATE trainees will present at the Student Minerals Colloquium at PDAC, which is one of the most important industry networking opportunities for our members.

https://www.pdac.ca/convention/exhibits

https://merc.laurentian.ca/seg-smc