Donnelly Archibald

Dr. Donnelly Archibald has a BSc Honors in Earth Sciences from StFX University (2010), an MSc in Geology from Acadia University (2012), and a PhD in Geology from the University of Adelaide (2016). He is an early career researcher at StFX University and his current research focuses are magmatic processes, petrochronology, Appalachian-Caledonian tectonics, and lithium pegmatites. His research program is multifaceted and he has strong research collaborations globally. Dr. Archibald is the primary investigator on a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Alliance funded work with partners at Memorial University, the Newfoundland Government, and industry investigating the origin of recently discovered lithium pegmatites in southern Newfoundland. Fundamental aspects of the geology of the lithium pegmatites in southern Newfoundland are unknown, including the mineralogy, age(s), extent, structural controls, the lithium sources, and economic potential. Dr. Archibald is leading the multidisciplinary and holistic investigation into (i) the processes controlling the transport of lithium from its source to host rocks, (ii) the magmatic emplacement processes that resulted in the formation of the lithium-rich rocks, (iii) the lithium source(s), (iv) structure and deformation that controlled the transport and the present expression of lithium-rich rocks, and (v) the character and extent of associated metamorphic aureoles. He applies similar approaches while studying other lithium pegmatites in Atlantic Canada. Dr. Archibald's also investigates the timescales of magmatic processes by studying the complex relationships between magmatism, tectonics, and the generation of continental crust using a combination of field and petrochronological studies.