JoAnne Nelson MSc, P.Geo.

Senior Mineral Geologist, Mapping, Northwest B.C.

Education:

BSc in Geology, University of Washington, MSc in Geology, University of BC

Career History:

JoAnne began her career as a high school science teacher in Masset.  She quickly moved on to work for eight years as a geologist for various exploration companies based in Vancouver. In the summers she did active field research and in the winters she analyzed rock samples in the lab. She also continued teaching at UBC and Vancouver Community Colleges.  In 1986, JoAnne joined the British Columbia Geological Survey as a bedrock and metallic minerals mapping specialist.  Since then she has actively pursued exploration and mapping of the Cassiar Mountains, Nation Lakes, the northern Rocky Mountains, the Iskut area, Terrace and the West coast.  In JoAnne’s words, she is on a learning curve that just keeps taking her wider!

Work Profile:

JoAnne is currently a driving force and the lead BC Geological Survey geologist in a major multi-agency project called Edges.  Edges is being jointly run by the Geological Survey of Canada, the Yukon Geological Survey, the United States Survey of Alaska and the BC Geological Survey.  This project is of particular interest for mineral exploration.  It is designed to figure out where the outer parts of the Cordilleran Mountain chain (i.e. the wester part of BC and most of Alaska) originated, when they shifted to their present location and what forces caused them to move.  To determine this, JoAnne and her colleagues are studying acient massive sulphide deposits and trying to find matching geological patterns in other parts of the world.

Specialization:

Tectonics and Metallogeny

Expertise:

Base (and precious) metals, massive sulfide deposits, gold deposits, geological mapping, First Nations coordination.

BC Geographical Areas of Expertise:

Fort St. James to the Yukon border and Prince Rupert to Fort St. John

Recent Projects:

JoAnne has studied the Ancient Pacific Margin (the NatMap project) resulting in the publication of Geological Association of Canada Special Paper 45 in collaboration with the Yukon, Alaska and BC colleagues.  With long-time collaborator, Maurice Colprom, JoAnne co-published in the Geological Society of London, Special Edition, the "Northwest Passage",  an article about the possible origins of part of western BC in the Baltic-northern Scandinavian area and its plate tectonic journey to reach our shores.  She studied the rift area around teh ESKAY deposits to develop an understanding of its makeup.  She was also involved in field work and mapping in the Terrace area.  Through her involvement in Terrace, JoAnne became a driving force in the Mineral's North conference in 2006, helping to organize and co-ordinate the largest participation ever.

Interests:

JoAnne loves to spend the few summer hours that she is not in the field working in her garden or riding her own horses.  JoAnne also plays both the guitar and the fiddle.