Contact Information
School: School of Earth Sciences - Centre for Exploration Targeting
Address: The University of Western Australia (M006), 35 Stirling Highway,6009 Perth, Australia
Office Phone:
Email: crystal.laflamme@uwa.edu.au
About
Crystal is an assistant Professor at Laval University, Québec, Canada.
Her research interests focus on understanding volatile cycling on Earth and determining how we can utilise the isotopic composition of volatiles to better predict areas of metal fertility. In general, her research focuses on elemental mobility and isotopic fractionation through geochemical reservoirs to understand the evolution of the Earth’s crust forming processes and how that is related to mineral systems science.
To understand volatile and metal cycling, fluid composition and source, and metal transport we can apply innovative geochemical and isotopic tracer techniques. These tracer techniques require a sound understanding of ore deposit geology and regional -scale tectonic processes that drive fluids. as part of the Capricorn Distal Footprints study and in conjuction with the Mineral Resources Institute of Western Australia, She is collaborate with Industry, government, and academics to understand lithospheric architecture, fluid pathways, and metal endowment using these tracers. This work demostrates that large-scale tectonic process control volatile (and metal) cycling.
Because the volatile sulfur is a transporting ligands for metals, understanding the cycling of sulfur is also critical to understanding metal endowment. For that reason She works closely with the Mineral Exploration and Mining Industry to understand sulfur cycling at the camp, deposit and ore shoot scale. To do so, She developed methods and reference materials needed to acquire routine analyses of sulfur isotopes. This methodology has then been applied to a number of ore deposits to understand cycling of volatiles at different time periods and in different geodynamic setting on Earth.
Collaborations
Although her research is primarily in Australia, She has an ongoing collaboration with the Danish Geological Survey of Greenland and the ARC’s Centre for Excellence in Core to Crust Fluid Systems. For this collaboration, She has participated in expeditions to NW Greenland.
Further, much of her research has focused on understanding the regional geology of areas within the Canadian Shield with both the Geological Survey of Canada in Nunavut and the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador in northern Labrador.
Media Coverage
Sulfur could hold key to the next generation of mining deposits – Australia Broadcast Corporation.
Additional Information
ORCID ID: click here
UWA Profile: click here