Michael Lesher
Encyclopedia
Carl Michael Lesher is an American-Canadian geologist. He is an authority on the geology
and origin of nickel
-copper
-platinum
group element deposits, especially those associated with komatiites, their physical volcanology
and localization, the geochemistry
and petrology
of associated rocks, and controls on their composition.
Lesher was born in Indianapolis
Indiana
USA but has been living and working in Canada
beginning in 1975 and continuously since 1997. He holds BSc and MA degrees in Geology from Indiana University
and a PhD degree in Geology from the University of Western Australia
. Between 1975 and 1979 he worked as an Exploration Geologist and Mineralogist for the Iron Ore Company of Canada
, between 1982 and 1984 he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the J. Tuzo Wilson Research Laboratories of the University of Toronto
, and between 1984 and 1997 he was Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Economic Geology at the University of Alabama
in Tuscaloosa. In 1997 he was appointed Professor of Economic Geology, NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Mineral Exploration, and Founding Director of the Mineral Exploration Research Centre
at Laurentian University
in Sudbury, Ontario. He served as Chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences between 2003 and 2006, and as Director of Mining Initiatives (founding the School of Mines) during 2010-2011. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
(1989 and 1991) and the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University
(1990), an Honourary Professor at the Chengdu University of Technology
(2000), and a Visiting Professor at Indiana University
(2002-2003). Between 1998 and 2002 he was Leader of International Geological Correlation Program Project 427 Ore-Forming Processes in Dynamic Magmatic Systems and in 2010 was Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 11th International Platinum Symposium.
Lesher has authored or co-authored over 350 scientific publications, and has served on the Editorial Boards of Mineralogical Abstracts (1987-1988), the The Canadian Mineralogist (1989-1991), Reviews in Economic Geology (1993-1998), and Mineralium Deposita
(2010-present). In addition to his research he has consulted for mining companies in Australia, Canada, Finland, and the USA.
Medal (2007) from the Mineral Deposits Division of the Geological Association of Canada
, and co-awarded the Julian Boldy Award (2002) by the Geological Association of Canada
, and the Wardell Armstrong Prize (2009) by the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy
. He has served as a Society of Economic Geologists
Thayer-Lindsley Visiting Lecturer (1998-1999) and as an Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy University Lecturer (1997-1998). He is an elected Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists
, the Geological Society of America
, and the Geological Association of Canada
.
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and origin of nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
-copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
-platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
group element deposits, especially those associated with komatiites, their physical volcanology
Volcanology
Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geological, geophysical and geochemical phenomena. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin word vulcan. Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of fire....
and localization, the geochemistry
Geochemistry
The field of geochemistry involves study of the chemical composition of the Earth and other planets, chemical processes and reactions that govern the composition of rocks, water, and soils, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space, and...
and petrology
Petrology
Petrology is the branch of geology that studies rocks, and the conditions in which rocks form....
of associated rocks, and controls on their composition.
Lesher was born in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
USA but has been living and working in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
beginning in 1975 and continuously since 1997. He holds BSc and MA degrees in Geology from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and a PhD degree in Geology from the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. Between 1975 and 1979 he worked as an Exploration Geologist and Mineralogist for the Iron Ore Company of Canada
Iron Ore Company of Canada
Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American M.A. Hanna Company...
, between 1982 and 1984 he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the J. Tuzo Wilson Research Laboratories of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and between 1984 and 1997 he was Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Economic Geology at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in Tuscaloosa. In 1997 he was appointed Professor of Economic Geology, NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Mineral Exploration, and Founding Director of the Mineral Exploration Research Centre
Mineral Exploration Research Centre
The Mineral Exploration Research Centre is a semi-autonomous research centre associated with the Department of Earth Sciences at Laurentian University in Sudbury Ontario, Canada....
at Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
in Sudbury, Ontario. He served as Chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences between 2003 and 2006, and as Director of Mining Initiatives (founding the School of Mines) during 2010-2011. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is a scientific research institute under the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.Basic research in chemistry and related subjects is carried out at the four departments of the institute. The departments are independently led by their Directors.-The departments:The...
(1989 and 1991) and the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
(1990), an Honourary Professor at the Chengdu University of Technology
Chengdu University of Technology
Chengdu University of Technology was founded in 1956 and is located in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China.-History:The university was called Chengdu College of Geology before 1993. In May 2001, two other colleges amalgamated with the CDUT...
(2000), and a Visiting Professor at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
(2002-2003). Between 1998 and 2002 he was Leader of International Geological Correlation Program Project 427 Ore-Forming Processes in Dynamic Magmatic Systems and in 2010 was Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 11th International Platinum Symposium.
Lesher has authored or co-authored over 350 scientific publications, and has served on the Editorial Boards of Mineralogical Abstracts (1987-1988), the The Canadian Mineralogist (1989-1991), Reviews in Economic Geology (1993-1998), and Mineralium Deposita
Mineralium Deposita
Mineralium Deposita, International Journal for Geology, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Mineral Deposits is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. It is the official journal of the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits...
(2010-present). In addition to his research he has consulted for mining companies in Australia, Canada, Finland, and the USA.
Honours and awards
Lesher has been awarded the Duncan R. DerryDuncan R. Derry
Duncan R. Derry was an internationally known Canadian economic geologist. He was largely responsible for the creation of the World Atlas of Geological and Mineral Deposits....
Medal (2007) from the Mineral Deposits Division of the Geological Association of Canada
Geological Association of Canada
The Geological Association of Canada promotes and develops the geological sciences in Canada. The organization holds conferences, meetings and exhibitions for the discussion of geological problems and the exchange of views in matters related to geology...
, and co-awarded the Julian Boldy Award (2002) by the Geological Association of Canada
Geological Association of Canada
The Geological Association of Canada promotes and develops the geological sciences in Canada. The organization holds conferences, meetings and exhibitions for the discussion of geological problems and the exchange of views in matters related to geology...
, and the Wardell Armstrong Prize (2009) by the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy
Institution of Mining and Metallurgy
Institution of Mining and Metallurgy was a British research institution, founded in 1892.In 2002, it merged with The Institute of Materials to form the The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining...
. He has served as a Society of Economic Geologists
Society of Economic Geologists
The Society of Economic Geologists originated from a 1919 gathering of a group of Geological Society of America members who were especially interested in economic geology. The Society was established on December 28, 1920, during a constituting meeting of 60 distinguished professionals...
Thayer-Lindsley Visiting Lecturer (1998-1999) and as an Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy University Lecturer (1997-1998). He is an elected Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists
Society of Economic Geologists
The Society of Economic Geologists originated from a 1919 gathering of a group of Geological Society of America members who were especially interested in economic geology. The Society was established on December 28, 1920, during a constituting meeting of 60 distinguished professionals...
, the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose...
, and the Geological Association of Canada
Geological Association of Canada
The Geological Association of Canada promotes and develops the geological sciences in Canada. The organization holds conferences, meetings and exhibitions for the discussion of geological problems and the exchange of views in matters related to geology...
.
Frequently cited publications
- 2009, Lesher, C.M., and Barnes, S.J., Komatiite-Associated Ni-Cu-(PGE) Deposits, in C. Li and E.M. Ripley (Editors), Magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE Deposits: Genetic Models and Exploration, Geological Publishing House of China, p. 27-101
- 2008, N.T. Arndt, C.M. Lesher, and S.J. Barnes, Komatiite, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 488 pp., ISBN 978-0-521-87474-8
- 2007, Lesher, C.M., Ni-Cu-(PGE) Deposits in the Raglan Area, Cape Smith Belt, New Québec, in Goodfellow, W.D. (Editor), Mineral Resources of Canada: A Synthesis of Major Deposit-types, District Metallogeny, the Evolution of Geological Provinces, and Exploration Methods, Geological Survey of Canada and Mineral Deposits Division of the Geological Association of Canada Special Publication, p. 351-386
- 2005, Arndt, N.T., Lesher, C.M., and Czamanske, G.K., Mantle-derived magmas and magmatic Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits, 100th Anniversary Volume, Society of Economic Geologists, p. 5-23
- 2002, Lesher, C.M., and Keays, R.R., Komatiite-Associated Ni-Cu-(PGE) Deposits: Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Genesis, in L.J. Cabri (Editor), The Geology, Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Mineral Beneficiation of the Platinum-Group Elements, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Special Volume 54, p. 579-617
- 2001, Lesher, C.M., and Burnham, O.M., Multicomponent elemental and isotopic mixing in Ni-Cu-(PGE) ores at Kambalda, Western Australia. Canadian Mineralogist, v. 39, p. 421-446
- 1989, Lesher, C.M., 1989, Komatiite-associated nickel sulfide deposits, Chapter 5 in J.A., Whitney and A.J. Naldrett (Editors), Ore Deposition Associated with Magmas, Reviews in Economic Geology v. 4, Economic Geology Publishing Company, El Paso, p. 45-101
- 1986, Lesher, C.M., Goodwin, A.M., Campbell, I.H., and Gorton, M.P., Trace element geochemistry of ore-associated and barren felsic metavolcanic rocks in Superior Province, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 23, p. 222-237