Events & Courses

The meeting was co-organized by the Mineral Deposits Studies, Tectonic Studies, Volcanic and Magmatic Studies and Geochemistry Groups of the Geological Society, together with the Applied Mineralogy Group of the Mineralogical Society.

The meeting focused on megastructures, their control on magmatic activity at all levels of the Earth, and their control on the formation of mineral deposits globally. This breadth reflects the eclectic philosophy of Sir Lewis Fermor. The meeting structure and high quality keynotes aimed to encourage significant cross-fertilization of ideas between the specialist groups.

Bridging these disciplines, we were honoured to announce Professor Bob Bodnar of Virginia Tech as the Fermor Lecturer.

Sessions:

1. Lithospheric Controls on Minerals, Magmas and Megastructures

   • Regional distributions, super volcanoes, crustal scale structures, diamonds and the deep mantle.

   Keynotes:

   • John Thompson (Teck Cominco)
   • Basil Tikoff (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

2. Minerals. Magmas. Megastructures

   • Giant magma chambers, timing and rates of processes, giant ore deposits.

   Keynotes:

   • Martin Sharpe (Veremo Minerals / Ridge Mining)
   • Valerio Acocella (Rome)
   • Lucilla Benedetti (Aix-en-Provence)

3. 1 + 2 = M³ - Integration & Synthesis

   • Fluid, metal and magma fluxes through structures.

   Keynotes:

   • Steve Cox (Australian National University)
   • Brent McInnes (CSIRO Exploration & Mining)

Download Lecture Abstracts:

• Fermor Lecturer Professor Bob Bodnar (Virginia Tech): The role of minerals, magmas and megastructures in the whole-Earth water cycle
• Valerio Acocella (Rome): Caldera formation and the role of the regional tectonic setting
• D.J. Kirwin (Ivanhoe Mines Ltd): Unidirectional solidification textures, miarolitic cavities and orbicules: Field evidence for the magmatic to hydrothermal transition.
• Brent McInnes (CSIRO Exploration & Mining): Determining the 4D Thermal Evolution of Magmatic-Hydrothermal Ore Systems using Thermochronology and Numerical Modelling.
• Stephen F Cox & Steven Micklethwaite (Australian National University): Controls on fluid redistribution and localisation of lode gold deposits in crustal-scale fault systems – a case for golden aftershocks
• Martin R Sharpe & Chris A Lee (Veremo Minerals): Controls on the Evolution of the Bushveld Complex and the PGE-BMS-, Chromite-, and Ti-V-Magnetite–Bearing Sequences, Interpreted from Geochemical Stratigraphy.
• Sarah C Sherlock (The Open University): Ar-Ar Dating of Fault Rocks and Mylonites
• Basil Tikoff (University of Wisconsin-Madison): The western Idaho shear zone megastructure and its influence on the initiation of the Yellowstone hotspot