Current Projects

Members and affiliates of the iMAGE program are currently working on 37 different projects, spanning the three major themes of the CREATE. They include 21 projects directly supported by CREATE funds and 16 projects by students who are closely affiliated with the program. These projects are being conducted around the world [see KMZ file].

Current research includes projects on crustal growth in the Western Superior, the Brazilian Craton, the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, the Great Basin of Nevada, the Alpine Orogen and five modern back-arc basins (Izu-Bonin-Mariana, North Fiji, North Lau, Mediterranean, Aegean). Research on the restless Earth includes studies of the Queen Charlotte Fault, Haida Gwaii and the Cascadia Margin. And our work on georesources is focused on magmatic-hydrothermal systems and their geological, geochemical, and geophysical characteristics at the world’s mid-ocean ridges (Indian Ocean, Mid-Atlantic, Reykjanes) and in modern volcanic arc and backarc systems (the Luzon arc in the Philippines, the Solomons, New Hebrides, Tonga-Kermadec). Advances in all of these projects are being driven by new technologies, including geophysical inversions, ocean drilling, new remote-sensing techniques, and data science approaches, in particular machine learning and remote-predictive mapping.

Projects of iMAGE-CREATE Members:

Superior Province crustal growth (Dan Stepner, PhD uOttawa) – crustal growth and recycling in the Archean, using a combination of U-Pb-Hf in zircons, major and trace element analyses, along with long- and short-lived isotopic studies.

Solomon Islands subduction zones magmatic-hydrothermal systems (David Summer, MSc Toronto) – lithotectonic mapping of the seafloor around the Solomon Islands using bathymetric and geophysical data and the geology of associated seafloor massive sulfide deposits.

Thermochronology of the Alpine orogeny (Jennifer Spalding, PhD uOttawa) – use of apatite fission track data to derive thermal histories of crustal processes related to the timing of metallic ore and hydrocarbon deposition.

Back-arc basin sequence stratigraphy (Jessie Kehew, MSc uOttawa) – history of sedimentation during the opening of the Lau Basin using high-resolution acoustic imaging with comparison to inter-assemblage sedimentary basins of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt.

Magmatic-hydrothermal systems of the Jean Charcot Troughs (Jonathan Umbsaar, MSc Toronto) – geochemical characterization and trace metal behaviour in sulphide deposits of the Jean-Charcot Troughs and comparisons with other SW Pacific sites.

Magmatic-hydrothermal systems of the Niua Volcanic Complex, Tofua Arc (Kallie Stone, BSc Memorial) – depositional processes and efficiencies of metals in the Niua South hydrothermal system using MATLAB code to derive metal fluxes.

North Fiji Basin tectonic fabrics (Katherine Power, BSc uOttawa) – automated analysis of microplate spreading fabrics during the opening of the North Fiji Basin based on bathymetry, magnetics, and gravity (supported by SEG Undergraduate Research Award)

Queen Charlotte Fault (Maochuan Zhang, PhD Dalhousie) – using active- and passive-source seismic data to characterize crustal and upper mantle velocity structure, fault zone architecture and pathways, and rheology of the Queen Charlotte Fault off British Columbia and Alaska.

Lau Basin magmatic productivity (Michael Ryan, MSc uOttawa) – mapping and analysis of four crustal assemblages of the Lau and North Fiji basins to determine variability and controls on large-scale magmatic productivity.

Mariana back-arc geodynamics and hydrothermal systems (Octavio Acuña Avendaño, PhD Toronto) – lithospheric controls on magmatic-hydrothermal systems in the Mariana back-arc, including the temporal evolution and geochemical characteristics at regional scales.

North Fiji Basin crustal-scale geodynamics (Rebecca Mensing, PhD uOttawa) – crustal accretion processes and evolution of the North Fiji Basin at 1:1 million scale, based on marine geophysical data integrated with geological sampling.

Great Basin extension and magmatism (Sabrina Chan, MSc Carleton) – using major/trace elements and isotopes to study Eocene igneous activity in the Great Basin ignimbrite province and better define the Phanerozoic and Precambrian basement boundaries.

Fluid-rock interactions in submarine magmatic-hydrothermal systems (Sarah Moriarty, PhD Memorial) – using stable isotopes to constrain fluid/rock interactions in the IODP Brothers Volcano drill site, sediment-covered and sediment-free mid-ocean ridges, and ultramafic settings.

Remote-predictive mapping of the Reykjanes Ridge (Sofia Panasiuk, BSc Toronto) – application of novel techniques for geological mapping of structures on the tectonically active submarine Reykjanes Ridge, and links to hotspot influences at local and regional scale.

Tectonic structure of the Haida Gwaii region, British Columbia

(Taylor Tracey Kyryliuk, MSc uOttawa) − investigating the connection between the offshore adjacent triple junction and a 2012 earthquake that using a newly deployed array of submarine and terrestrial seismic stations.

Crustal growth of the Brazilian craton (Victor Garcia, PhD uOttawa) − studying the formation of the oldest crust in south America using whole-rock and trace element geochemistry and especially long- and short-lived Sm-Nd isotopes.

Luzon Volcanic Arc, Philippines (William Midea, MSc uOttawa) − documentation of the magmatic evolution of the super-endowed Luzon arc porphyry Cu-Au belt, through compositional variation of zircon, amphibole and Fe-Ti oxides, including thermobarometry to identify fertile intrusions.

Litho-and chronostratigraphic sections of modern arc-backarc terranes (Tatiana Sitnikova, PhD uOttawa) − developing type sections for modern arc-backarc systems (Izu-Bonin-Mariana), including recognition of major unconformities as a guide to interpretation of greenstone belt assemblages.

Trace-element fingerprinting of submarine magmatic-hydrothermal systems (Jacob Tidwell, MSc uOttawa) − using regional trace metal fingerprints of submarine magmatic hydrothermal systems to assess crustal contributions and regional mineral potential, comparing modern and ancient analogs.

Tectonics of the Mexican subduction zone (Marie-Pierre Nantel, MSc Carleton) – using physical properties of the earthquake source to compare and contrast earthquakes and analyze the tectonics and seismic hazards of the Mexican subduction zone.

Application of machine learning to interpretation of seismology (Hao Mai, PhD uOttawa) − improving detection and location of earthquakes using machine learning, with application to land and marine data sets.

Projects of iMAGE-CREATE Affiliates:

Lithogeochemical evolution and geochronology of the Lau back-arc basin opening (Marc Fassbender, PhD uOttawa) − using major and trace element geochemistry and geochronology of mafic and felsic arc and back-arc assemblages across the northern Lau Basin to track basin evolution.

Origin and evolution of the North Fiji Basin Triple Junction (Mary Besaw, MSc uOttawa) − detailed mapping and structural analysis of the NFBTJ and comparison with triple junction evolution in other microplate mosaics

Arc rifting and submarine caldera complexes of the Tonga-Kermadec system (Alexandra Gray, MSc uOttawa) − detailed mapping and structural analysis of the Monowai Graben and volcanic complex of the northern Kermadec-Southern Tonga arc.

Global subduction zone modeling (Morgan McLellan, PhD uOttawa) −

Seisimic structure of the Cascadia Margin (Jeremy Gosselin, PhD uOttawa) −

Seisimic structure of the Cascadia Margin (Stephen Mosher, PhD uOttawa) − using techniques from machine learning to automatically detect, classify, and locate sources of seismic energy, especially those recorded by ocean-bottom instruments

Novel developments in seabed mapping technology (Caroline Gini, PhD Memorial) − testing and application of the synthetic aperture sonar technique for high-resolution geological mapping of the seabed (supported by Kraken Robotics).

Mafic-ultramafic and sediment-hosted MOR hydrothermal systems (Dennis Sanchez Mora, PhD Memorial) − geochemical and mineralogical characterization of the Lucky Strike (MAR) and Escanaba Trough seafloor hydrothermal systems.

Marine U-series geochronology (Natalie McNeil, MSc Memorial) −

Structural record of subduction and exhumation on Evia, Greece (Taylor Ducharme, PhD uOttawa) – study of the geochronology and styles of deformation associated with subduction and extrusion of HP metamorphic rocks on the island of Evia

Metallogeny of the Cyclades mineral belt (Sandra Wind, PhD uOttawa) − study of the regional trace element and isotopic characteristics of polymetallic vein systems of the Cycladic mineral belt in relation to basement evolution.

Geochemistry and geophysics of the Phanerozoic-Precambrian boundary in northern Nevada (Paul Auerbach, PhD Carleton) − using mantle convection models and tomographic data from the EARTHSCOPE array and parallel chemical and isotopic transects across the terrane boundary.

4D geophysical inversions of large-scale submarine magmatic-hydrothermal systems (Chris Galley, PDF uOttawa-GEOMAR) − using numerical modeling and 3D inversions of geophysical data (magnetics, electromagnetic) to model the subseafloor architecture and associated hydrothermal alteration.

Central Indian Ridge structural evolution and metallogeny (Meike Klischies, PhD CAU Kiel-GEOMAR) − crustal accretion processes and evolution of the Central Indian Ridge and Rodriguez Triple Junction based on marine geophysical data and geological sampling.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge structure evolution and metallogeny (Sebastian Graber, PhD CAU Kiel-GEOMAR) − crustal accretion processes and evolution of large-scale hydrothermal upflow in TAG Hydrothermal Field of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge based on integration of marine geophysical data.

Metallogeny of sediment-hosted submarine magmatic-hydrothermal systems (Sofia Martins, PDF GEOMAR) − record of subseafloor hydrothermal fluid flow and alteration in sediments of the North Iceland offshore rift (Grimsey) and Mediterranean arc-backarc systems (Tyrrhenian Sea, Aegean)

Lau Basin magmatic productivity (Ryley Penner, BSc Mount Royal) – mapping and analysis of volcanic centers of the SE Futuna Assemblage, northern Lau Basin to determine variability and controls on large-scale magmatic productivity.