Measurement of magnetic, electrical and other physical properties on rocks and unconsolidated sediments, to link geological mapping and geophysical surveys
The Paleomagnetism and Petrophysics Laboratory provides measurements in three complementary fields.
For mineral exploration purposes, physical property measurements are made on rock hand samples or drill core segments. The principal measurements are density and porosity, magnetic susceptibility and remanence, electric resistivity and chargeability, and P-wave velocity. Advanced rock magnetic measurements are made to determine petrogenesis and alteration, and to characterize sedimentary sources.
Paleomagnetic measurements are made on oriented samples to date hydrothermal events, to define and date structural deformation, and for paleogeography and magnetostratigraphy.
Marine sedimentary cores are logged using photographic and X-ray imaging, gamma density, P-wave velocity, magnetic susceptibility, color spectrophotometry and X-ray fluorescence for elemental composition.
Specialized analysis and method development.
Collaborative projects are treated on a case-by-case basis and selected through a proposal system. Criteria for collaborative projects include that the project is aligned and contributes to advancing laboratory strategic goal and that it is closely aligned with current Geological Survey of Canada program. Collaborative projects are undertaken on a cost-recovery basis.
- Energy
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Mining, minerals and metals
- Ocean industries
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| AGICO JR6A Rock Remanence Spinner Magnetometer | Paleomagnetism and natural remanent magnetization (NRM) measurements |
| AGICO JR5A Rock Remanence Spinner Magnetometer | Paleomagnetism and natural remanent magnetization (NRM) measurements |
| Schonstedt GSD-5 Alternating Field Demagnetizer | Paleomagnetism stability and multicomponent analysis treatments |
| ASC Scientific TD-48 Thermal Demagnetizer | Paleomagnetism stability and multicomponent analysis treatments |
| Princeton Measurements Micromag 2900 Alternating Gradient Magnetometer | Rock and mineral magnetic characterization measurements |
| J-Meter Coercivity Spectrometer | Rock and mineral magnetic characterization measurements |
| Gamry Reference 600+ Potentiostat and Solartron SI 1260 Frequency Analyzer | Electric Impedance Spectrum measurements for resistivity and chargeability |
| Geotek Whole Core Multi-Sensor Core Logger | Whole core physical properties of marine sediment cores (gamma density, P-wave velocity, magnetic susceptibility) |
| Geotek Split Core Multi-Sensor Core Logger (on loan from Royal Roads University) | Photography and split core physical properties of marine sediment cores (magnetic susceptibility, X-ray fluorescence) |
| Universal HE425 X-Ray and Konica Minolta Regius 110 Digital Image Processor | X-ray imaging of marine sediment cores |