Dr. Roger Paulen GSC (HSH336)
Mineral Dispersal Trains in a Modern Glacial Context
Roger C. Paulen, Research Scientist
Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada
Glaciation has resulted in deposits of metal-rich till down-ice from mineral
deposits that are much larger exploration targets than their bedrock sources.
An understanding of the complexity of ice-sheet dynamics is essential to
interpreting the dispersal patterns in till and successfully searching for
mineralized sources. Exploration for mineral deposits combines indicator
mineral methods and geochemical studies of recovered heavy minerals to
provide information on mineral deposit types and potentially the deposit
location. Drones and LiDAR have also become important tools for exploration
in glaciated terrain. This presentation will review how these approaches are
being applied to a variety of mineral deposit types with an example from
southwest Nova Scotia.