Laura Mateo

Laura Mateo completed her BSc in geology (2009) at the University of the Basque Country in northern Spain. Following completion of her BSc degree, she worked as a project geologist for seven years for the Geological Survey of Chile, in Santiago, Chile, working in the areas of metallogenesis of ore deposits.

This experience presented her with an opportunity to start her MSc program under the supervision of Drs. John Hanchar and Fernando Tornos at Memorial University of Newfoundland (in St. John’s, Canada).

Laura’s MSc project focuses on studying the eventuality of a genetic relationship between iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) and magnetite-apatite (MtAp) deposits. She examined samples from several ore deposits in northern Chile and southern Perú.

One of the more interesting locations investigated in her project is the Montecristo district in northern Chile, which has both types of mineralization. Analyses done in her MSc project include Re-Os dating of molybdenite, 40Ar-39Ar dating of actinolite, U-Pb dating and Hf tracer isotopes in zircon, and whole-rock sulfur, Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopes, and EPMA analyses of major and minor elements and X-ray maps of actinolite, and LA-ICPMS analyses of trace elements in actinolite.

The results will help identifying chronological and geochemical similarities in the IOCG and MtAp mineralization types, and determining if they are related or not, as well as finding out if there is a spatial and/or temporal relationship between the Chile and Perú locations.

The results from this study will contribute to our understanding of these type of deposits in South America and will be useful for mineral exploration purposes elsewhere in South America and globally.

Previous Recipients:

    • In 2023, The Hawley Medal was awarded to Andrew McDonald of Laurentian University, Chris Beckett-Brown of the OGS, and Beth McClenaghan of the GSC for their paper entitled:
      “Trace Elements Characteristics of Tourmaline in Porphyry Cu Systems Development and Application to Discrimination.”
    • In 2022, The Hawley Medal was awarded to Drs. Paula C. Piilonen and Glenn Poirier (Canadian Museum of Nature), William Lechner, Ralph Rowe (Canadian Museum of Nature), and R. Peter Richards (Oberlin College) for their paper entitled:
      “ZEOLITE MINERALS FROM WAT OCHENG, TA ANG, RATANAKIRI PROVINCE, CAMBODIA – OCCURRENCE, COMPOSITION, AND PARAGENESIS.”
    • In 2021, The Hawley Medal is awarded to Drs. Andrew J. Kaczowka (Cameco Exploration), T. Kurt Kyser (deceased, formerly from Queen’s University), Tom G. Kotzer (University of Saskatchewan), Matthew I. Leybourne, and Daniel Layton-Matthews (Queen’s University). The paper is entitled:
      “Geometallurgical ore characterization of the high-grade polymetallic unconformity-related uranium deposit” The Canadian Mineralogist, September 2021; Vol. 59, part 5, 813-845 https:// pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-
      abstract/59/5/813/608140/ Geometallurgical-ore-characterization-of-the-high.
    • In 2020, The award for the best paper published went to Drs. Zeinab Azadbakht (Ontario Geological Survey) and David R. Lentz (Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick) for their paper:
      “High-Resolution LA-ICP-MS Trace-Element Mapping of Magmatic Biotite: A New Approach for Studying Syn- to Post-Magmatic Evolution”, which appeared in The Canadian Mineralogist v58n3, pp 293–311
      (https://doi.org/10.3749/canmin.1900101). Zeinab Azadbakht has been the R
    • In 2019, this award went to Drs. Elliot A. Wehrle and Andrew M. McDonald (Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University) for the following paper:
      “Cathodoluminescence and Trace-Element Chemistry of Quartz from Sudbury Offset Dikes: Observations, Interpretations and Genetic Implications” The Canadian Mineralogist, 2019, v57(6), pp947–963 (https://doi.org/10.3749/canmin.1900049). This contribution combines cathodoluminescence (CL) data and trace
    • In 2018, the Hawley Medal awarded to the best paper published in The Canadian Mineralogist went to Rémy S. Poulin, Daniel J. Kontak, and Andrew M. McDonald of Laurentian University (Canada) and Beth McClenaghan of the Geological Survey of
      Canada for the following paper:
      “Assessing Scheelite as an Ore-Deposit Discriminator Using its TraceElement and REE Chemistry” in The Canadian Mineralogist Vol. 56, pp. 265-302, May 2018.
    • In 2017, the medal was awarded to Gil F. Tansman, Paul S. Kindstedt, and John M. Hughes for their paper:
      “Minerals in Food: Crystal Structures of Ikaite and Struvite from Bacterial Smears on Washed-Rind Cheese” (The Canadian Mineralogist v55, pp. 89-100, January 2017).
    • In 2016, the award went to Albert Chan, David M. Jenkins, and M. Darby Dyar for their paper:
      “Partitioning of Chlorine between NaCl Brines and Ferro-Pargasite: Implications for the Formation of Chlorine-rich Amphiboles in Mafic Rocks”, which appeared in the January 2016 issue of Canadian Mineralogist (v54, pp 337–351).
    • In 2015, the award went to Sarah C. Gordon and Andrew M. McDonald for the following paper:
      “A STUDY OF THE COMPOSITION, DISTRIBUTION, AND GENESIS OF PYRRHOTITE IN THE COPPER CLIFF OFFSET, SUDBURY, ONTARIO,” Canadian Mineralogist Vol. 53, part 5, September 2015.
    • In 2014, it is awarded to Fernando G. Sardi and Adriana Heimann for their paper,
      “Pegmatitic beryl as indicator of melt evolution: example from the Velasco District, Pampeana Pegmatite Province, Argentina, and review of worldwide occurrences” (Canadian Mineralogist 52: 809-836).
    • In 2013, the Hawley Medal Awarded went to Felix V. Kaminsky, Richard Wirth, and Anja Schreiber:
      “CARBONATITIC INCLUSIONS IN DEEP MANTLE DIAMOND FROM JUINA, BRAZIL: NEW MINERALS IN THE CARBONATE-HALIDE ASSOCIATION,” Canadian Mineralogist 51: 669-688.
    • In 2012, this year’s award was presented to B. Lalinská-Voleková, J. Majzlan, T. Klimko, M. Chovan, G. Kucˇerová, J. Michnˇová, R. Hovoricˇ, J. Göttlicher and R. Steininger for their paper:
      “Mineralogy of weathering products of Fe-As-Sb mine wastes and soils at several Sb deposits in Slovakia” (Canadian Mineralogist 50: 481-500).
    • In 2011, the Hawley Medal went to Susanne Göb, Thomas Wenzel, Michael Bau, Dorritt Jacob, Anselm Loges, and Gregor Markl. The award winning paper was:
      "The redistribution of rare-earth elements in secondary minerals of hydrothermal veins, Schwarzwald, Southwestern Germany." Canadian Mineralogist 49: 1305-1333 The paper describes the association and chemical compositions
    • In 2010, the Hawley Medal went to Joel D. Grice for the best paper published in The Canadian Mineralogist Grice JD (2010). The role of beryllium in beryllosilicate mineral structures and zeolite formation. Canadian Mineralogist 48: 1493-1518
      In 2009, the Hawley Medal went to David London for the best paper published in The Canadian Mineralogist London D (2009). The origin of primary textures in granitic pegmatites. Canadian Mineralogist 47: 697-723
    • In 2008, the Hawley Medal went to Anderson, Wirth, and Thomas for the best paper published in The Canadian Mineralogist in 2008 Anderson AJ, Wirth R, Thomas R (2008). The alteration of metamict zircon and its role in the remobilization of high-field-strength elements in the Georgeville granite, Nova Scotia. Canadian Mineralogist 46: 1-18
    • In 2007, the Hawley Medal was awarded to Dr. D. Barrie Clarke of Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Entitled “Assimilation of Xenocrysts in Granitic Magmas: Principles, Processes, Proxies and Problems” (volume 45, pages 5–30)
    • In 2006, the Hawley Medal was awarded to François Farges, Ralf Siewert, Carl Ponader, Gordon Brown Jr., Michel Pichavant, and Harald Behrens for their paper
      “Structural environments around molybdenum in silicate glasses and melts. II. Effect of temperature, pressure, H2O, halogens and sulfur.” Canadian Mineralogist 44: 755-773.