University of Ottawa − The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences brings internationally recognized programs in Precambrian geology, mineral resources, sedimentology, hydrogeology, environmental geochemistry, geohazards and climate change. It houses world-class facilities for analytical chemistry, geochronology, and mineralogy, including leading-edge André E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy Laboratory. In partnership with the Geological Survey of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Nature, its members participate in large field-based research projects across Canada. The 13 full-time faculty plus technical staff and 16 adjunct professors also contribute to one of Canada’s largest Environmental Science Programs.
Carleton University − The Department of Earth Sciences at Carleton University hosts 14 full-time professors and 26 adjuncts. It operates state-of-the-art laboratories in its Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology Research Center (IGGRC), which includes three class-100 clean laboratories for sample preparation, a Triton TI thermal ionization mass spectrometer, and a Neptune MC-ICP-MS for isotope analysis. Carleton has a strong reputation for its experiential learning, both in the field and in the laboratory, and has a highly active educational outreach program, including partnerships with the Sprott School of Business, Geography and Northern Studies, Environmental Science, and Engineering.
Dalhousie University − The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences has 14 professors and 8 instructors in fields as diverse as ecology, health, geochronology, petroleum geoscience, Arctic geology, mineral deposits, seismology, and numerical and analog modeling. There is a strong emphasis on marine geology and geophysics, tectonics, high-temperature and experimental geochemistry/petrology and earth surface processes. The Department hosts a wide range of analytical and experimental facilities as well as the expanded Marine Geology and Sedimentology Laboratory (MarGinS Lab). It also leads the newly established $14.7M National Seismic Imaging Facility, which is exploring Earth structure and seismic hazards, including in the oceans.
University of Toronto − The Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto hosts 30 full-time faculty across three campuses, with expertise in geochronology, isotope geochemistry, ore deposits, experimental petrology, mineralogy, tectonics, paleoecology, biogeochemistry, and geophysics. The department is at the forefront of U-Pb dating in the Jack Satterly Geochronology Laboratory, which is the birthplace of modern ID-TIMS methods. Researchers maintain state-of-the-art analytical facilities, including LA-ICP-MS (soon to be an LA-MC-ICP-MS), MICRO-FTIR, INAA, XRD, XRF, and laboratories for experimental petrology, environmental research (3 GC/MS), geobiology, stable isotopes, and high-performance computation. The department maintains close ties with the Royal Ontario Museum in its research and training.
Memorial University − The Department of Earth Sciences at Memorial University hosts 31 faculty members who specialize in igneous and metamorphic petrology, mineral deposits, sedimentology, paleontology, petroleum geology, tectonics, geophysics, and environmental geosciences. Researchers maintain a full array of analytical facilities in the world-class Earth Resources Research and Analysis (TERRA) Center, including high-resolution and multi-collector ICP-MS, SIMS, TIMS, FEG-SEM with CL, electron microprobe, XRD, XRF, and gamma spectrometry. The Johnson GeoCenter, open to the public, showcases the geology of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the department is a launching point for access to the spectacular geology of the region, from the Grenville Province in the west, through the central volcanic belt (Iapetus Ocean), to the Avalonian microcontinent.
Mount Royal University − The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Mount Royal University hosts 18 full-time faculty in interdisciplinary fields that focus on the planet’s lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere and their interactions. Mount Royal has a long history of teaching excellence at the undergraduate level and consistently ranks among the top teaching universities in Canada. With strong support from the energy sector, it’s faculty in geoscience specialize in environmental sustainability, surface science, petrology, geochronology and tectonics, sedimentary basins, ore deposits, field methods, natural resources management and geographic information systems. The department is a launching point for field studies in the Canadian Cordillera and the shield margin, where faculty have ongoing research projects.
Laurentian University − Members of the iMAGE-CREATE work closely with Laurentian University and the Harquail School of Mines through the Mineral Exploration Research Center (MERC). MERC is delivering Canada’s largest-ever research initiative on mineral resources, Metal Earth, funded by the Canada First Excellence Research Fund. Metal Earth is a strategic alliance of researchers from Canadian academia and international research centers, as well as governments and industry that is exploring why certain metals are present in such large quantities in some areas of the Canadian Shield and not in others. The study focusses on a series of unprecedented geophysical transects across the Shield, supported by large-scale geological mapping and geochemical surveys.
The University of Ottawa has entered into a five-year partnership with Metal Earth to examine how active plate tectonics in the oceans can inform the understanding of mineral endowment in the Precambrian Shield.
