Lindsay McClenaghan, MSc student, University of British Columbia

Biography:

I graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 2008 with a BSc in Geology. I began working as a field geologist during the summer seasons as an undergraduate student and had accumulated two years of field experience before beginning my MSc studies at the University of British Columbia. As a consulting geologist I acquired a variety of exploration experience working on several deposit types such as Archean gold, copper-molybdenum porphyry, sedimentary exhalative lead-zinc deposits, unconformity type uranium, and kimberlitic diamonds. My experience ranges from grass roots exploration programs to resource definition stage projects. I enjoy travelling and recently participated on the UBC Society of Economic Geologists field trip to Western Australia. I am also looking forward to presenting an extended abstract on the Newton gold deposit at the 11th Biennial Society of Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits Meeting in Antofagasta, Chile.

Project: Alteration Minerals and the Paragenetic Evolution of Newton Deposit, British Columbia: an Unusual Style of Bulk Tonnage Gold Mineralization

The Newton gold deposit is an early stage exploration project run by Amarc Resources Ltd. The project area is located on the Nechako plateau in south central British Columbia, Canada. The disseminated polymetallic gold mineralization could represent the intersection between an epithermal system and a gold-copper-molybdenum porphyry system. My research on the Newton gold deposit involves a multidisciplinary approach of diamond drill core logging, thin section studies, and short wave infrared and X-ray diffraction analysis. Preliminary results have identified two potential end members of alteration styles, sulphide zonation and a preliminary mineral association for the gold mineralization. Further studies will consist of Re-Os dating of molybdenite and U-Pb dating of intrusive phases to help link the mineralization to an intrusive event. Oxygen and sulphur isotope studies on clay minerals and sulphides respectively will be done to trace the fluid sources and the evolution of the mineralizing fluid. This study of the Newton gold mineralization will present detailed geologic setting, genetic and exploration models for a locality not previously studied. My research has the potential to benefit the province of British Columbia economically by encouraging further exploration for this new style of mineralization.