Several students finished their graduate studies in 2008. Sheri Lyon defended her thesis entitled “Sources of magnetic and gravity anomalies on the Scotian shelf southeast of Cape Breton Island and onshore-offshore geological correlations using geophysical modeling”, co-supervised by Sandra Barr and adjunct professor Sonya Dehler (GSC Atlantic). Sheri is now working in mineral exploration in northern Ontario. In February, Gabriel Nelson, supervised by Peir Pufahl, defended his thesis on “Chemical and physical paleoceanographic constraints on Paleoproterozoic phosphorite and iron formation accumulation, Baraga Group, Michigan, USA”. Gabe is now working in Australia and you can read an update on his activities elsewhere in this newsletter. Chris Bates was the first student to complete a project-based MSc in Applied Geomatics in the area of geoscience. His project was entitled “Sea-level changes in the Bay of Fundy region: isostatic and eustatic controls”, supervised by Ian Spooner and adjunct professor Tim Webster (CoGS), was completed in August, and Chris is now working in Halifax. In December, Andrea Lundrigan (Locke) defended her thesis on “Glacial stratigraphy and till geochemical dispersion controls associated with the Brazil Lake Pegmatite, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia”, supervised by Cliff Stanley and Ian Spooner. Andrea completed her thesis while meeting the demands of a fulltime job as a geo-environmental scientist with AMEC Earth & Environmental in St. John’s, as well as motherhood (her daughter Audrey is now approaching 2 years old).

Continuing students and their projects are:

• Stephanie Anderson: Chemical sedimentology of Paleoproterozoic phosphatic iron formation in the Labrador Trough and the evolution of the early ocean. Supervisor: P. Pufahl.
• Tim Collins: Using LIDAR to evaluate snowpack variability in the Front Ranges, Canadian Rockies. Supervisors: I. Spooner, C. Hopkinson (AGRG) (MSc in Applied Geomatics).
• Cole Edwards: Paleoproterozoic bacterial ecosystems. Supervisor: P. Pufahl.
• Edwin Escarraga: Field relations, petrology, and tectonic implications of Devonian-Carboniferous(?) plutons in the Antigonish Highlands, Nova Scotia. Supervisor: S. Barr.
• Dan MacDonald: Mineralogy and paragenesis of the Ni-Mo-layered sulfide horizon: a potentially new type of stratiform SEDEX deposit, Yukon Territory, Canada. Supervisors: P. Pufahl, L. Groat. On leave, 2008-2009.
• Tamara Moss: Lithogeochemistry of hydrothermal alteration at the Pampalina porphyry Cu deposit, Region 2, Chile. Supervisor: C. Stanley
• Pizye Namkamba: Geology, geochemistry, and mineralogy of the Three Mile Plains U deposit, Nova Scotia. Supervisor: C. Stanley.
• Meredith Roik: Using LIDAR to investigate subsidence features in the Glace Bay region, Cape Breton Island, NS. Supervisors: I. Spooner, T. Webster (AGRG) (MSc in Applied Geomatics)
• David Swanton: Geology and mineralization in the Whycocomagh Mountain area, Cape Breton Island. Supervisor: S. Barr.
• Feseha Tesfai: Petrogenesis of the Lower Coverdale Ti-V-P gabbro-anorthosite suite, southeastern New Brunswick. Supervisor: S. Barr
• Matthew Tucker: Geology and mineralization in the Faribault Brook area, western Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Supervisor: S. Barr

Index of Issue 20 (2008)