McDonald, Andrew M.

Mineralogy has traditionally been considered to be that area of the Earth Sciences directly related to the study of the chemistry, structure and occurrence of minerals. Nowadays however, mineralogists have found that their expertise is in great demand in a number of areas including material science and the development of new technologically useful products(e.g. new zeolitic-like compounds), mineral exploration (e.g.location and characterization of VMS and Au ore deposits) as well as in a global sense towards understanding the evolution of our planet.

My research is directed at using mineralogy as a tool in the geosciences. Although I still conduct investigations/characterizations of new mineral species, I am also interested in applying mineralogy and crystal chemistry as a means of understanding the evolution of alkaline rocks, exploring for Au and rare metals (e.g. Ta, Nb) and understanding how the atomic structures of minerals relate to their observed physical and optical properties.

Currently, I am involved in a number of personal and collaborative research projects at the graduate and post-graduate levels. These include:

The crystal chemistry of aegirine from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec (with P. Pillonen, L.U. & A.E. Lalonde, Univ. of Ottawa)
The mineralogy and crystal chemistry of titanosilicates from hyperalkaline rocks
The volcanology and genesis of diamondiferous kamafugites, Paros Da Minas, Minal Gerais State, Brazil (with R.E. Whitehead, H.L. Gibson, M. Byron, L.U. & D.H. Watkinson, Carleton Univ.);
Tourmaline mineralogy of rare-element pegmatites, NW Ontario (with F. Breaks, Ont. Geol. Survey)
The mineralogy of sulphide ores from the North Range, Sudbury Basin (with R.R. Keays, C. Gauld, L.U. & L. Cochrane, B. Thompson, INCO Ltd.);
The crystal chemistry of tourmaline from the Hemlo gold camp, Hemlo, Ontario

Current Graduate Students

Ph.D.

Cafagna, Fabio
B.Sc. Experimental and analytical studies of S and PGEs in silicate glasses and minerals. [Jugo / McDonald]

M.Sc.

Bygnes, Lindsay
B.Sc. A comparative study of mineralized and unmineralized breccias along the Whistle offset dyke in the North Range of the Sudbury impact structure. [Lafrance / McDonald]

Former Graduate Students

M.Sc.

Bailey, Joshua
B.Sc. (Hons.) Memorial, Mobilization of Ni within high-strain zones Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits in the South Range of the Sudbury Igneous Complex, Ontario: Structural geology and mineral microstructures [Lafrance / McDonald]

Representative Publications

Journal Articles

McDonald, A.M., Cabri, L.J., Rudashevsky, N.S., Stanley, C.J., Rudashevsky, V.N. & Ross, K.C. (2007): Nielsenite, PdCu3, a new platinum-group intermetallic mineral from the Skaergaard intrusion, Greenland. Canadian Mineralogist (submitted for publication March 15, 2007).

McDonald, A.M. & Chao, G.Y. (2007): Martinite, a new hydrated sodium calcium fluorborosilicate hydrate from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec: Description, structure determination and genetic implications. Canadian Mineralogist (Accepted for publication with minor revisions Dec. 21 2006).

Hem, S.R., McDonald, A.M. & Ross, K. (2007): Digitization of Powder and Single-Crystal X- ray Diffraction Films: Process, Errors and Application of the Rietveld Method to Digitized Data. Canadian Mineralogist (Accepted for publication with minor revisions, August, 2006).

Bailey, J., McDonald, A.M., Lafrance, B. & Fedorowich, J.S. (2006): Variations in Nickel Tenor within Sheared Magmatic Sulfide: Thayer Lindsley mine, Sudbury, Ontario. Canadian Mineralogist 44, 1063-1077.

McDonald, A.M., Cabri, L.J., Stanley, C.J., Rudashevsky, N.S., Poirer, G., Ross, K.C., Mungall, J.E., Durham, D.R. & Rudashevsky, V.N. (2005): Ungavaite, Pd4Sb3, a new intermetallic mineral from the Mesamax Northwest Deposit, Ungava Region, Quebec, Canada. Canadian Mineralogist, 43, 1735-1744.

Cabri, L.J., McDonald, A.M., Stanley, C.J., Rudashevsky, N.S., Poirer, G., Durham, D.R., Mungall, J.E. & Rudashevsky, V.N. (2005): Naldrettite, Pd2Sb, a new intermetallic mineral from the Mesamax Northwest Deposit, Ungava Region, Quebec, Canada. Mineralogical Magazine, 69, 89-97.

Bailey, J., Lafrance, B., McDonald, A.M., Fedorowich, J.S., Kamo, S. & Archibald, D.A. (2004): Mazatzal-age (1.7-1.6 Ga) deformation of the South Range of the Sudbury impact structure at the Thayer Lindsley mine, Ontario. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 41, 1491-1505.

Rudashevsky, N.S., McDonald, A.M., Cabri, L.J., Nielsen, T.D.F., Stanley, C.J., Kretser, Y.L. & Rudashevsky, V.N. (2004): Skaergaardite, PdCu, a new platinum-group intermetallic mineral from the Skaergaard intrusion, Greenland. Mineralogical Magazine, 68, 615-632.

McDonald, A.M. & Chao, G.Y. (2004): Bobtraillite, Na15Sr12Zr14Si42B6O138(OH)6·12H2O, a new mineral species from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec: Description, structure determination and relationship to benitoite and wadeite. Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 43, 751-762.

Piilonen, P.C., Rancourt, D.G, Evans, R.J., Lalonde, A.E., McDonald, A.M. & Shabani, A.A.T. (2004): The relationships between crystal-chemical and hyperfine parameters in members of the astrophyllite-group: A combined 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. European Journal of Mineralogy, 16, 989-1002.

McDonald, A.M. & Chao, G.Y. (2004): Haineaultite, a new hydrated sodium calcium titanosilicate from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec: Description, structure determination and genetic implications. Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 42, 769 – 780.

Piilonen, P.C., McDonald, A.M. & Lalonde, A.E. (2003): Insights into astrophyllite group minerals. Part II. Crystal chemistry. Canadian Mineralogist Vol. 41, 132 - 159.

Piilonen, P.C., Lalonde, A.E., McDonald, A.M., Gault, R.A. & Larsen, A.O. (2003): Insights into astrophyllite group minerals. Part I. Nomenclature, composition and development of a standardized general formula. Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 41, 107 - 132.

McCormick, K.A., C.M. Lesher, C.M., McDonald, A.M., James, R.S. and Fedorowich, J.S. (2002): Chlorine and alkali geochemical halos in the footwall breccia and sublayer norite at the margin of the Strathcona embayment, Sudbury structure, Ontario. Economic Geology, Vol. 97, 1509-1519.

McCormick, K.A., Fedorowich, J.S., McDonald, A.M. & James, R.S. (2002): A textural, mineralogical and statistical study of the Footwall Breccia within the Strathcona embayment, North Range, Sudbury Structure. Economic Geology, Vol. 97, 125-143.

Conference Presentations

McDonald, A.M. & Cirelli, J. (2006): A new approach to the determination of hexagonal:monoclinic ratios in geological samples. Mineral Process Modelling, Simulation and Control Conference (June, 2006).

Hem, S.R. & McDonald, A.M. (2006): The use of phosphorescent image plates in X-ray diffraction: digitization, integration and Rietveld Analysis. GAC-MAC Joint Annual Meeting, Montreal, QC (May, 2006).

McDonald, A.M. (2006): Platinum-Group Minerals. Can. Micro. Assoc., Brock University, St. Catharines, ON (May, 2006).

McDonald, A.M. & Cabri, L.J. (2005): Problems and solutions in the mertieite clan of Platinum-Group Minerals: The important role of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses in PGM studies. GAC-MAC Joint Annual Meeting, Halifax, NS (May, 2005).

Bailey, J., Lafrance, B., McDonald, A.M. & Fedorowich, J.S. (2004): New U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar timing constraints on the ductile deformation of the Sudbury Igneous Complex. GAC-MAC Joint Annual Meeting, St. Catharines, ON (May, 2004).

Gammell, R.R, Lesher, C.M., McDonald, A.M., Farrow, C.E.G. & Weresczynsky, M. (2004):Thompson, B.32, Weresczynsky, M.23, 1 As-Rich Ni-Cu-PGE Mineralization in the Garson Mine, Sudbury, Ontario. GAC-MAC Joint Annual Meeting, St. Catharines, ON (May, 2004).

Piilonen, P.C, Lalonde, A.E., McDonald, A.M. & Gault, R.A. (2002): Insights into the paragenesis of astrophyllite group minerals in alkaline intrusions. Int. Mineral. Assoc., Edinburgh, Scotland.

Andrew M. McDonald

ProfessorMineralogy

Content

Professor
Mineralogy