Anderson, Melissa O

University of Toronto
Department of Earth Sciences

22 Ursula Franklin St., Toronto
Ontario, Canada M5S 3B1

Research website:  https://www.melissaoanderson.com/

Research Interests

My research examines hydrothermal vent sites on the seafloor, known as seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits. These deposits are the modern analogs for ancient volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits that are mined on land. I focus on regional metallogenic studies that explore the relationships between regional geodynamics, crustal accretion processes, and hydrothermal activity in order to understand the fundamental geological controls on the size, location, and composition of these deposits. My work includes:

• Field studies of active vent sites and volcanoes on the ocean floor
• Seafloor geological mapping at deposit scales (1:500), basin-scales (1:100,000–1:300,000) and regional-scales (1:500,000–1: 1,000,000)
• Structural interpretations and lineament analyses
• Examination of ore mineralogy, mineral textures, trace element distributions, and mineral precipitation processes
• Alteration studies, including mineralogy, geochemistry, and isotope systematics
• Comparisons of modern and ancient deposits to better understand ore-forming processes through time