Energy, Mines, and Resources

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Maurice Colpron

Project Geologist

Maurice conducts regional mapping programs for the Yukon Geological Survey. He has been involved in mapping rocks of the Yukon-Tanana terrane in the Glenlyon (105L), Laberge (105E), Finlayson Lake (105G), and Stewart River (115N/115O) map areas, as part of the Ancient Pacific Margin NATMAP project, and has also mapped rocks of Stikinia and Whitehorse trough in northern Laberge (105E) and adjacent parts of Glenlyon (105L) and Carmacks (115I) map areas. Maurice is co-editor of Geological Association of Canada Special Paper 45, the synthesis volume derived from the Ancient Pacific Margin NATMAP project, and author of regional compilation maps and syntheses of Cordilleran terranes and metallogeny. His current mapping activities are contributions to the Edges project, a collaborative initiative with the Geological Survey of Canada and the B.C. Geological Survey.
His expertise lies primarily in the fields of structural geology and tectonics, although he has also delved into the fields of geochemistry, geochronology (40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb), metamorphic petrology, stratigraphy and sedimentology. Maurice has extensive mapping experience both in the Appalachians and the Canadian Cordillera. He has worked as a geologist for the Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources du Québec (Québec Appalachians), the B.C. Geological Survey Branch (Selkirk Mountains) and the Government of the Northwest Territories (Mackenzie Mountains) prior to joining the Yukon Geological Survey in 1998. His mineral deposit experience lies primarily in establishing the stratigraphic and structural settings of volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits, although he has also worked on projects evaluating the setting of (and the potential for) sediment-hosted stratiform copper (Kupferschiefer-type), Mississippi Valley-type Zn-Pb, and paleoplacer (TiO2) deposits. Maurice is currently involved in studies of Cu-Au mineralization hosted by Early Jurassic granitoids intruding the Yukon-Tanana terrrane, including the Minto deposit.
Maurice completed a B.Sc. in geology from Université du Québec à Montréal, an M.Sc. from the University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. He is Adjunct Professor in the departments of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University, in Burnaby, B.C., and at Carleton University, in Ottawa. He is Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

(867) 667-8235
maurice.colpron@gov.yk.ca

Selected Publications:

  • Colpron, M. and Nelson, J.L., 2009. A Palaeozoic Northwest Passage: Incursion of Caledonian, Baltican and Siberian terranes into eastern Panthalassa, and the early evolution of the North American Cordillera. In: Accretionary Orogens through Space and Time, P.A. Cawood and A. Kroner (eds.), Geological Society of London, Special Publication (in press).
  • Colpron, M. and Friedman, R.M., 2008. U-Pb zircon ages for the Nordenskiold formation (Laberge Group) and Cretaceous intrusive rocks, Whitehorse trough, Yukon. In: Yukon Exploration and Geology 2007, D.S. Emond, L.R. Blackburn, R.P. Hill and L.H. Weston (eds.), Yukon Geological Survey, p. 139-151.
  • Colpron, M., Gordey, S.P., Lowey, G.W., White, D. and Piercey, S.J., 2007. Geology of the northern Whitehorse trough, Yukon (NTS 105E/12, 13,  and parts of 11 and 14; 105L/4 and parts of 3 and 5; parts of 115H/9 and 16; 115I/1 and part of 8) (1:150 000 scale). Yukon Geological Survey, Open File 2007-6.
  • Colpron, M., Nelson, J.L. and Israel, S., 2007. A transect through the accreted terranes of the northern Canadian Cordillera - from Cassiar, British Columbia to Kluane Lake, Yukon. Yukon Geological Survey, Open File 2007-3, 84 p.
  • Colpron, M., Nelson, J.L. and Murphy, D.C., 2007. Northern Cordilleran terranes and their interactions through time. GSA Today, vol. 17, no. 4/5, p. 4-10.
    Nelson, J.L. and Colpron, M., 2007. Tectonics and metallogeny of the Canadian and Alaskan Cordillera, 1.8 Ga to present. In: Mineral Deposits of Canada: A Synthesis of Major Deposit Types, District Metallogeny, the Evolution of Geological Provinces, and Exploration Methods, W.D. Goodfellow (ed.), Mineral Deposit Division, Geological Association of Canada, Special Publication 5, p. 755-791.
  • Colpron, M. and Nelson, J.L. (eds.), 2006. Paleozoic evolution and metallogeny of pericratonic terranes at the ancient Pacific margin of North America, Canadian and Alaskan Cordillera. Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 45, 523 p.
  • Colpron, M., 2006. Tectonic assemblage map of Yukon-Tanana and related terranes in Yukon and northern British Columbia (1:1,000,000 scale). Yukon Geological Survey, Open File 2006-1.
  • Colpron, M., Gladwin, K., Johnston, S.T., Mortensen, J.K. and Gehrels, G.E., 2005. Geology and juxtaposition history of Yukon-Tanana, Slide Mountain and Cassiar terranes in the Glenlyon area of central Yukon. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 42, p. 1431-1448.
  • Colpron, M., Logan, J.M. and Mortensen, J.K., 2002. U-Pb zircon age constraint for late Neoproterozoic rifting and initiation of the lower Paleozoic passive margin of western Laurentia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 39, p. 133-143.