Dr. Piilonen will be presenting on her Minerology field work in British Columbia, Norway and Cambodia.

Bio:

Dr. Paula Piilonen is a research scientist in the Mineralogy Section at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa where she has worked for the last 24 years. She completed a B.Sc. in geology at Laurentian University (1997), a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at the University of Ottawa (2001), and a post-doctoral fellowship at Université de Marne-la-Vallée (France, 2002) before starting with the Museum in 2002. Her work is focused on the mineralogy, crystal chemistry and behavior of rare elements in alkaline systems, in particular the minerals that are formed during late-stage autometasomatic or hydrothermal processes. Her fieldwork has brought her to Norway, Cambodia, Thailand, the USA and across Canada including Baffin Island, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, and the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. She lives in rural Dunrobin on the Ottawa River with her husband, Reni, and their very entitled cat Fergus. She is an avid squash player, a certified Muay Thai instructor, enjoys mountain biking, kayaking and fishing on the Ottawa River but more likely can be found relaxing on the deck with a beverage watching the sunsets.

Abstract:

In the last 4 years, the mineralogists at the Canadian Museum of Nature have undertaken fieldwork at a variety of alkaline localities in southeastern British Columbia, namely at the Mount Mather Creek carbohydrothermal sodalite breccia, and the Moose Creek Valley in the Ice River Alkaline Complex. Both of these collecting localities are found within the British Columbia Alkaline Province, a northwest trending belt 150 wide located along the boundary between the Omineca and Foreland belts of the Canadian Cordillera. The alkaline rocks within this belt are mainly Mississippian to Devonian in age and include 43 of the 44 economic rare earth element (REE) deposits in British Columbia.  Although neither Mount Mather Creek or the Ice River Alkaline Complex are economic critical element deposits, they are both excellent occurrences to help shed light on the paragenesis of alkaline intrusions, as well as produce some amazing mineral specimens.

This talk will look at the geology and mineralogy of the Mount Mather Creek breccia and the newly discovered Moose Creek Valley dike. Stay tuned for some geology, chemistry, and lots of photos of beautiful scenery and minerals!

Please note that we will be meeting for an in person presentation by Dr. Piilonen at Emmanuel Anglican Church, 287 Harrington St., Arnprior. This location is accessible for those with limited mobility.

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