Energy, Mines, and Resources

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Don Murphy

Head, Bedrock Geology


Following a recent re-organisation, Don Murphy became Head of the new Bedrock Geology group at YGS, an amalgamation of the Regional Geology and Oil and Gas groups. Since starting with YGS at its inception in 1992, Don’s position within YGS has included both scientific and supervisory responsibilities. With the recent amalgamation, Don will be highly involved in rebuilding, re-focusing and managing both the minerals- and oil-and-gas-oriented programs as well as completing final publications from his Finlayson Lake and western Yukon projects.
Don came to the Yukon from Vancouver, BC where he had completed a term as a research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada, following up post-doctoral research in the Cariboo Mountains of British Columbia. His career has included mapping-based research projects in Venezuela and the Great Basin of the western United States in addition to work in British Columbia and Yukon. Don has a PhD from Carleton University (1985), an MSc from Stanford University (1980) and a BSc from the University of Pennsylvania (1976).
In 1996, Don completed a regional mapping project in the ‘McQuesten Mineral Belt’ of western Selwyn Basin looking at the potential for syngenetic mineral deposits and investigating the granitoid-related gold deposits of that area. From 1996 until 2005, the complexly deformed and metamorphosed rocks of Yukon-Tanana Terrane’s Finlayson Lake massive sulphide district became his focus. In 2006, Don moved westward to the far side of Yukon-Tanana terrane to investigate the little known Windy-McKinley terrane in Stevenson Ridge and northern Kluane map areas as a core part of the joint Geological Survey of Canada-YGS-BCGS Edges project under the GSC’s Geomapping for Energy and Minerals program. He currently is working on final publications from the Windy McKinley and Finlayson projects.

(867) 667-8516
don.murphy@gov.yk.ca


Selected Publications

  • Piercey, S.J., Peter, J.M., Mortensen, J.K., Paradis, S.J., Murphy, D.C., and Tucker, T.L., 2008. Petrology and U-Pb geochronology of footwall porphyritic rhyolites from the Wolverine volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit, Yukon, Canada: Implications for the genesis of VMS deposits in continental margin environments. Economic Geology, v.108, p.5-33.

  • Colpron, M., Nelson, J.L. and Murphy, D.C., 2007. Northern Cordilleran terranes and their interactions through time. GSA Today, v. 17, p. 4-10.

  • Gabrielse, H., Murphy, D.C., and Mortensen, J.K., 2006. Cretaceous and Cenozoic dextral orogen-parallel displacements, magmatism and paleogeography, north-central Canadian Cordillera. in Haggart, J., Monger, J.W.H. and Enkin R., eds. Paleogeography of the North American Cordillera: evidence for and against large-scale displacements, Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 46, p. 255-276.

  • Murphy, D.C., Mortensen, J.K., Piercey, S.J., Orchard, M.J. and Gehrels, G.E., 2006. Mid-Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic tectonostratigraphic evolution of Yukon-Tanana and Slide Mountain terranes and affiliated overlap assemblages, Finlayson Lake massive sulphide district, southeastern Yukon. in Colpron, M., and Nelson, J. L.,eds., Paleozoic Evolution of Pericratonic Terranes at the Ancient Pacific Margin of North America, Canadian and Alaskan Cordillera, Geological Association of Canada Special Paper 45, p. 75-105.,

  • Piercey, S.J., Murphy, D.C., Mortensen, J.K., and Creaser, R.A., 2004. Mid-Paleozoic initiation of the northern Cordilleran marginal back-arc basin: Geological, geochemical and neodymium isotopic evidence from the oldest mafic magmatic rocks in Yukon-Tanana terrane, Finlayson Lake district, southeast Yukon, Canada. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.116, p.1087-1106.

  • Groat, L.A., Marshall, D.D., Giuliani, G., Murphy, D.C., Piercey, S.J., Jambor, J.L., Mortensen, J.K., Ercit, T.S., Gault, R.A., Mattey, D.P., Schwarz, D., Maluski, H., Wise, M.A., Wengzynowski, W., and Eaton, D.W. 2002. Mineralogical and geochemical study of the Regal Ridge emerald showing, southeastern Yukon. The Canadian Mineralogist, vol. 40, p. 1313-1338.

  • Piercey, S.J., Mortensen, J.K., Murphy, D.C., Paradis, S., and Creaser, R.A. 2002. Geochemistry and tectonic significance of alkalic mafic magmatism in the Yukon-Tanana terrane, Finlayson Lake region, Yukon. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 39, p.1729-1744.

  • Piercey, S.J., Paradis, S., Murphy, D.C., and Mortensen, J.K., 2001. Geochemistry and paleotectonic setting of felsic volcanic rocks in the Finlayson Lake volcanic-hosted massive sulfide district, Yukon, Canada. Economic Geology, vol. 96, p.1877-1905.

  • Piercey, S.J., Murphy, D.C., Mortensen, J.K. and Paradis, S., 2001. Boninitic magmatism in a continental margin setting, Yukon-Tanana terrane, southeastern Yukon, Canada. Geology, vol. 29, p. 731-734.