BCGS Technical Talk – February 20, 2020

Speaker: Randy Enkin, Geological Survey of Canada – Pacific, Natural Resources Canada

Title: Linking Geology and Geophysics: Mineralogy and Lithology from Physical Properties

Date/Time: Thursday, February 20, 2020 @ 4:30pm PST

Location: 1st Floor Boardroom B (Suite 111), 409 Granville St. (UK Building at Granville and Hastings), Vancouver

Abstract:

Linking Geology and Geophysics: Mineralogy and Lithology from Physical Properties
Randy Enkin, Paleomagnetism and Petrophysics Laboratory and Section Head, Sedimentary Systems and Processes; Geological Survey of Canada – Pacific, Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada

Effective geophysical mineral exploration requires an integrated approach to understanding the geochemistry, mineralogy, lithology, and geological processes that form deposit systems. Rock physical properties provide the link between geophysics and geology.  This presentation focuses on density and magnetic susceptibility, their distribution based on the Canadian Rock Physical Property Database (GSC Open File 8460), and the mineralogical settings of ferrous and ferric iron which explains their distribution. We move beyond simple categorization of rock types according to their physical properties, to developing a quantitative mineral mixing model based on 3 principal components:  QFC (quartz-feldspar-calcite), FM (ferromagnesian silicates), and M (magnetite). This model permits users of remote sensing data to quantify equivalent rock and mineral types, and develop a spatial view of geological processes.

Based on Enkin, Hamilton, and Morris (2020). The Henkel Petrophysical Plot: Mineralogy and Lithology from Physical Properties. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008818

Biography: