Introduction:

The workshop begins with a review of the descriptive geology of porphyry deposits, including rock, hydrothermal alteration, and vein types. This will be followed by discussions on state-of-the-art theories on porphyry formation from petrological, geochemical, mineralogical, and structural points of view. This first part of this workshop will provide a geologic framework for discussing the application of the geochemical workflow.

The second part of the workshop will begin reviewing basic chemistry principles and geochemical and mineralogy concepts. This will be followed by discussing and applying a workflow to interpret multielement major and trace element data to infer lithogeochemical units, hydrothermal alteration types, dominant sulfide, sulfate, and oxide types, and trace element footprints (Scott Halley’s method). Digestion and assay techniques, data quality, statistics, multivariate analysis, and calculated mineralogy will be discussed.

The participants will have hands-on experience interpreting real porphyry deposit data using ioGAS. Basic use of ioGAS will be covered; however, previous familiarity is encouraged. The geochemical interpretations will be performed considering the porphyry geology discussed in the first part of the workshop. The hands-on experience will take at least 40% of the workshop time.

The last portion of the workshop will discuss auxiliary techniques for identifying minerals and how to merge mineralogical data with the compositional data studied before. A special focus will be given to short-wave infrared spectroscopy (SWIR). The application of other techniques, such as optical petrography, FTIR, Qemscan, TIMA, XRD, EMP, and ICP-MS, will be reviewed.

Topics covered include:

Porphyry geology – Understanding the process that led to the formation of porphyry deposits: magmas, intrusions, tectonics, porphyry dikes, hydrofracturing processes, and porphyry deposit formation.

Veining and alteration – Understanding the spatial distribution of veins and alteration within a porphyry deposit: geochemistry and mineralogy of hydrothermal alteration and the different types of porphyry veins and alteration halos and their cross-cutting relations. 

Introduction to geochemistry – basic chemical and mineralogical principles underpinning the study and interpretation of compositional data. Different types of digestions and assays.

Lithogeochemistry – How to infer lithogeochemical units using immobile trace elements.

Petrology of igneous rocks – Petrology and mama chemistry.

Elemental gains and losses and trace element footprints – How to infer hydrothermal alteration types studying mobile elements. Trace element footprints of hydrothermal alteration.

Sulfides, sulfates, and oxides – Infer the sulfide and sulfate species using compositional data.

Elemental gains and losses – How to apply short-wave infrared spectroscopy principles and how to integrate SWIR data with compositional data for better interpretations. Introduction to FTIR.

– Use ioGAS^TM to study and interpret real-world compositional and spectral data.

Course Format and Delivery:

The course will be delivered in person over a 5-day intensive program integrating lectures by Dr. Cernuschi and group assignments for course participants. It is structured to be highly applied and maximize the interaction between Dr. Cernuschi and the participants. Case studies will highlight the course material and provide a highly applied approach to project exploration, evaluation, and development.

An integral part of the course is small group work, whereby participants are divided into smaller groups to work on real-world geochemical data sets and produce interpretations using ioGAS based on each segment of the course material. The results are discussed with the class. 

Course materials and lectures will be presented in English. Discussions can also be provided in Spanish.

 Requirements:

-Basic knowledge of economic geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry are encouraged but optional.

-Laptop with trial version of ioGAS. Familiarity with the software is appreciated.

Dr. Federico Cernuschi is an independent consultant based in Punta del Este, Uruguay. He specializes in the geology and geochemistry of magmatic and hydrothermal ore-forming processes, focusing on the exploration and development of porphyry deposits. He integrates classic hand-lens observations and Anaconda-style mapping, core-logging, and construction of cross-sections with the study of multi-element geochemical and spectral mineralogy data sets. Fede provides continued support to First Quantum Minerals and services to companies like Rio Tinto, Lundin, and several junior explorers. In these roles, he has worked on exploration projects of varied geology and age across more than 20 countries. He has provided training in geology and geochemistry to multiple global exploration teams. His education includes UDELAR, Uruguay (B.S.), and Oregon State University (M.S. and Ph.D.).

$3697 CAD: early registration by Fri, May 30, 2025)  |  $3897 CAD: late registration after Fri, May 30, 2025
(Approximately $2715 USD for the early fee |  $2865 USD for the late fee)

Fee includes: (5) full days of instruction, catered lunch and breaks each day, shortcourse notes and participation certificate  
 

10% discount for 5 or more participants from within the same company. 5% discount for 3 or more participants from within the same company.

Payments accepted by cheque, wire and bank transfers, and all major credit cards.

Space is limited for all courses. Register early to avoid disappointment.
KLS Geological reserves the right to cancel short courses that do not meet the minimum attendance requirements.

Minimum of 16 participants required by the early registration date
Maximum of 30 participants overall

Register here to pay by credit card, wire/bank transfer, cheque, and e-transfer; by filling in the attached registration form, and sending it back by email.

Please contact Karie Smith at karie@klsgeo.com for more information....

Past Course Comments:

"I really enjoyed the KLS SC74 Geology and Geochemistry course with Professor Federico. The course was well-structured, engaging, and easy to follow, with clear explanations of even the more complex geochemical principles. I particularly appreciated learning how to integrate geochemistry with hyperspectral databases, as well as gaining a workflow that I can apply directly to my work. Overall, it was a great learning experience with valuable insights and practical applications, and I appreciated the possibility for me to connect remotely, which made it more accessible and convenient.”  
- Analia Delsouc, Senior Project Technical Specialist, Teck Resources Limited- Vancouver, Dec 2024

"Fede was really good at explaining things, breaking them down and supporting his points with real life examples. One of course's strengths was using and working with real data sets that dont necesarely make sense (you know how it actually goes in real life). Material was very good, I liked that he didnt provide the slides right away, forced us to take notes and be more present in the course.”  
- Diana Ojeda, Geologist, Teck Resources - Vancouver, Dec 2024