Biography:
Lindsey is a Ph.D. candidate in geology with Professor Lee Groat at the University of British Columbia. Lindsey received her B.Sc. from the University of Michigan Earth Sciences department, where she worked with structural geology professor Ben van der Pluijm. Before pursuing a graduate degree, she worked as a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey in the critical commodities group. Her current Ph.D. research at UBC involves a complete physical, mineralogical, and geochemical characterization and understanding of a rare extrusive carbonatite in BC’s Southeast Region. Lindsey has enjoyed the extensive helicopter-supported fieldwork she has undertaken for this project, all based out of Revelstoke BC.
Project: Carbonatites in the Monashee Complex, Southern Canadian Cordillera: Mantle Source, Tectonic Setting, and Metallogeny
The Monashee complex in southeastern British Columbia hosts 10 carbonatite-alkaline complexes linked to two episodes of alkaline magmatism during the Neoproterozoic breakup of Rodinia and the Late Devonian onset of subduction. Unanswered questions in the Monashee complex include the mantle source of these alkaline rocks and their evolution and emplacement within specific geotectonic environments. The unique magmatic properties of carbonatites mean they offer unparalleled insights into the chemical evolution of the subcontinental mantle. This study hypothesizes that the dated Monashee complex carbonatites retain the isotopic signatures of their mantle source and inform on its chemical changes across time or tectonic setting. The objectives of this study are to investigate the Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of the Monashee complex carbonatite occurrences and to determine the age of one intrusive carbonatite-syenite complex using U-Th-Pb zircon dating.
