Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits are mineral accumulations that host some of the world’s most essential metals for clean energy and technology.
Memorial University geologist Dr. Stephen Piercey of the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Science has received $718,360 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Alliance Missions Grants to lead a groundbreaking study of the deposits in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada.
“We’re looking at deposits as old as 2.7 billion years old to much younger deposits, approximately 500-350 million years old, in the Newfoundland Appalachians and B.C.-Yukon Cordillera,” Dr. Piercey said. “These deposits and their evolution can also give us insights into how Earth evolved, including how its oceans and Earth’s heat flow have shaped the distribution of metals we rely on today.”
His funding is part of a significant investment announced by the Government of Canada earlier this year to support leading-edge researchers and future leaders, allowing them to collaborate and develop new ideas.
“This research is about understanding where our critical minerals come from and how we can find and use them more efficiently. It’s also about preparing the next generation of geoscientists to meet this growing demand for metals as we electrify the economy.”
Strong foundation
Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, formed by metal-bearing fluids circulated by submarine volcanic activity, are already significant sources of copper and zinc globally.
But they also host elements like cobalt, gallium, germanium and indium, which are essential for technologies such as electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors and smartphones.
Dr. Piercey’s team is exploring how these critical minerals become enriched in volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits and how magmatism, tectonic activity and deformation and metamorphism (heat and pressure) cause them to migrate or concentrate over time.
The project builds on work Dr. Piercey and his collaborators have done for decades, using archived geological samples supplemented with new fieldwork on specific deposits.
Their research will span Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and the Yukon over the next three years.
The lab to the field
Dr. Piercey hopes the work will help provide an updated metallogenic model for the volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit type that can be used in Canada and around the world.
Having refined critical mineral deposit models will provide key information that mining companies and governments can use to secure domestic supplies of critical minerals.
The project also connects with partners in Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, including the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador, the British Columbia Geological Survey and the British Geological Survey, to compare findings across continents and refine global models for critical minerals.
A mix of existing rock samples and new collection efforts will fuel the lab work, using both conventional methods and advanced technologies like laser ablation microanalysis, which allows researchers to detect trace amounts of critical elements in the critical minerals being studied.
“Many critical metals are at really low concentrations in rocks and minerals, and this methodology allows us to determine ultra-trace levels of elements in these minerals, at levels equivalent to a teaspoon of Kool-Aid in an Olympic-sized swimming pool,” Dr. Piercey said.
Telling better stories
For Dr. Piercey, the work goes beyond scientific models.
It’s about communicating why minerals matter.
“Most people don’t think about where the copper in their EV batteries or the indium in their phone screen comes from,” he said. “We need to do a better job telling those stories and connecting exploration to everyday life.”
He often uses a berry-picking analogy to explain the mineral exploration-to-mining pipeline.
“Exploration is like finding berry patches. Once the patch is discovered, we look at how many berries there are, what kinds and whether they’re good or spoiled. Miners extract those berries, and engineers process them, turn them into jam, scones, and tarts — or mineral processing and finished products. But without that first step of finding berries, there’s no jam.”
Training tomorrow’s talent
With the creation of thousands of new geoscience jobs expected in the coming years, preparing students is a top priority.
The Mining Industry Human Resources Council of Canada forecasts more than 190,000 new workers will be needed for the sector by 2033, including geoscientists along the entire mining value chain.
“There’s a massive need for talent in this space. We’re not just doing cutting-edge science.”
Three master’s students from Memorial University, Laurentian University and Queen’s University and one post-doctoral fellow from Memorial are working on Dr. Piercey’s project, as is a Memorial University research assistant.
“There’s a massive need for talent in this space,” he said. “We’re not just doing cutting-edge science. We’re making sure students have the technical and field skills to lead in industry or research.”
Sustainable future, local benefits
Ultimately, he wants to see discoveries benefit local communities: through jobs, partnerships and more sustainable practices.
Along with the benefit of training locally grown talent, the research aims to reduce our environmental footprint in exploration and development.
“Having sustainably discovered resources are key for thriving communities — I want to see these deposits discovered and mined in my backyard where we can monitor them and ensure it is done meeting the strictest environmental and regulatory standards,” Dr. Piercey said. “Further, I want to see local communities in the province benefiting from these resources.
“Improving how we explore and process materials will make sure communities benefit from what’s in their backyard,” he continued. “We need to explore responsibly and efficiently, leave a minimal environmental footprint and we need people trained to do this properly.”
