Quadrennial COM report to IMA (1994 - 1997)
Following Officers of Commission of Ore Mineralogy for 1994 - 1998 were elected in 1994 at Pisa: Dr. Louis J Cabri (Canada) - Chairman, Dr. Alan J Criddle (UK) - Vice-Chairman, Dr. Nikolai S. Bortnikov (Russia) - Secretary.
During the past 3 years, there have been a number of developments with respect to Commission activity.
1. PROMOTION OF THE COM:
1.1. COM communicated with all National Representatives of IMA to establish contacts for National Representatives of COM. A list of addresses of NR of COM has been completed and updated. The COM recently wrote to the Mineralogical Societies of Austria and Belgium to clarify replacements of NR because those who served have retired. The COM also established an electronic network based in Budapest with the help of George Lovas (Lovas@ludens.elte.hu) to make it easier for communication between the NR and ore mineralogists at large (imacom-l@caesar.elte.hu).
1.2. The COM initiated a compilation of a list of all scientists active in the field of ore mineralogy. A questionnaire has been prepared and is being distributed electronically and by mail among National Representatives and those involved in research on ore mineralogy. Replies received are being processed and the COM is planing to make it available on the Internet: (Heinz-Juergen.Bernhardt@rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de).
2. BUSINESS MEETING
Officers and National Representatives met at EÖTVÖS UNIVERSITY, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 13th July, 1995. The minutes of the Business Meeting at Pisa (1994) were approved. Dr. Yves Moelo reported on the report of the joint sub-committees of the COM and the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names on 'Revision of Sulfosalt Nomenclature and Definition'. He was encouraged to seek a publication format.
3. SHORT COURSES
3.1. The "Advanced Studies in Ore Mineralogy" (ASOM) short course was held at EÖTVÖS UNIVERSITY, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, July 9-14, 1995. The course and an accompanying open session attracted 45 registrants and 8 tutors from seventeen countries. The Organizing Committee comprised: A J Criddle, D J Vaughan, C J Stanley, Gy Buda and T G Weiszburg. Local arrangements were made by: I Gatter, M Jánosi, Gy A Lovas, F Molnár, G Papp and T G Weiszburg. In addition to the COM, the major scientific sponsors were the IMA Commission on History and Teaching of Mineralogy; Eötvös University, Budapest; The Natural History Museum, London; Hungarian Academy of Science; the International Mineralogical Association; IUGS Hungarian National Committee and the Mineralogical Association of Canada. In addition to the three days of lectures/tutorials and practical sessions and the open session, field trips were held on the 9th July to the Matra Mountains and on the 14th July to SE Transdanubia - Lake Balaton region.
3.2. A Short Course on "Modern Approaches to Ore and Environmental Mineralogy" was held in S. Mamede de Infesta, near Porto, Portugal, 8-10 September, 1997, sponsored by the Commission on Ore Mineralogy (International Mineralogical Association) and the Laboratorio do Insituto Geológico e Mineiro, Portugal. There were 41 registered from several countries: Portugal, Spain, UK, France, Belgium, Finland, Argentina, Brazil, Angola, and South Africa. The course was given by lecturers from Canada (Cabri, Jambor, Lastra), UK (Criddle, Stanley, Vaughan), Portugal (Gaspar) and Finland (Lamberg) and draft copies of lectures were available in a bound format. Laboratory sessions were held on ore microscopy, mineral balancing and image analysis. Three extra oral presentations were made on related subjects by Pirard (Belgium), Kojonen (Finland) and Moelo (France). The short course was followed by a field trip to visit the SOMINCOR mines at Neves-Corvo (volcanogenic massive sulfides) during 11 to 12 September.
3.3. A Short Course on AModern Approaches to Ore and Environmental Mineralogy@ is planned for 1998 and will be held in Ottawa August 4-7 (4 days) and August 8 Guelph (1 day), immediately preceding the 17th General Meeting of IMA in Toronto (August 9-14, 1998). Sponsored by the Mineralogical Association of Canada, the Commission on Ore Mineralogy (IMA), and Natural Resources Canada, the course will highlight hands-on experience with specialized laboratory equipment at the Canada Centre for Mineral & Energy Technology and the Geological Survey of Canada. The course will be of interest to research economic geologists, exploration-oriented mineralogists, process mineralogists, environmental mineralogists and related disciplines as well as students who would like the opportunity of learning more about some specialized equipment and applications of concern to them. Topics include: specimen preparation, ore microscopy, textures of ore minerals, crystal chemistry, cathodoluminescence, trace-element analyses, isotopic analysis using high-resolution SHRIMP, image analysis, variable-pressure SEM, and environmental mineralogy.
4. ORGANIZATION OF MEETINGS
4.1. The COM participated in the organization of an International Symposium APrincipal Genetic Problems Related to Mineral Deposits of Magmatic Affiliation" which was held in Moscow, 8 - 10 April 1997. About 200 participants from several countries: Austria, Armenia, Germany, Canada, Macedonia, Greece, Slovakia, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, South Africa, Japan and Russia attended this symposium which included 48 papers and 94 posters. An abstract volume of 311 pages was published.
4.2. The COM will participate in organizing three Sessions on Ore Mineralogy at the 17th General Meeting of IMA in Toronto (August 9-14, 1998): (1) Open session on "Ore Mineralogy", (2) Special session "Ore minerals in hot water", and (3) Special session on "Ore mineralogy of sea floor mineral deposits".
N.S. Bortnikov, Secretary COM/IMA, December 1997
