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Dr. Sean Mc Clenaghan

Assistant Professor (Geology)
MUSEUM BUILDING

 mcclens@tcd.ie

 3531896 1585


Biography

In 2013, Dr. Sean Harrison McClenaghan, BSc., MSc., PhD., PGeo was appointed to the Assistant Professor position in Economic Geology in the Department of Geology, Trinity College Dublin. Sean has been an active researcher in mineral deposits geology for 15 years, with a wide range of professional experience in governments, academia and the exploration industry. He is an expert on the trace-element geochemistry of hydrothermal systems, in particular Pb-Zn massive sulfide deposits. Focussed research has taken advantage of the most up to date, state of the art analytical techniques available (e.g., Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, Laser-Ablation ICP-MS) with the goal of dissecting ore-forming systems. Classic research streams have focussed on the form and distribution of Au in volcanic and shale-hosted massive sulfides as well as dissecting high temperature feeder zones in the search for useful trace-element vectors. Some of his more recent work has focussed on the trace-element systematics of hydrothermal apatite in large Zn-Pb deposits. Through the course of this research, Sean elucidated controls on Rare Earth Element (REE) transport and deposition, revealing anomalous signatures in phosphate minerals. Practical industry-directed studies have focussed on the analysis of ores, concentrates and waste tailings with the goal of optimizing production. Much of the research output detailed here has focussed on the application of advanced geochemical techniques to the exploration (vectoring) for Pb-Zn deposits and development of ore resources. In the coming years, focus will be directed towards applying this advanced research expertise on Irish ore systems with the goal of fostering knowledge, exploration and development of Ireland's mineral wealth.

Research Projects

 Novel geochemical methods for mineral exploration in Irish peatlands
 Fingerprinting isotopic signatures for metal enrichment in European trees: developing vectors for mineral exploration
 Characterising dispersed metal plumes in surficial soils and sediments in the Irish Midlands: Using isotope fingerprints to develop vectors in mineral exploration

Representations

Details Date
Editor Gangue Newsletter, Mineral Deposits Division, Geological Association of Canada 2012-2014
Peer Reviewer of papers for Mineralium Deposita, Ore Geology Reviews, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis 2010-2014
Test Bank Contributor for Pearson Publishing 2013-2014

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum 2008 2014
Geological Association of Canada, Mineral Deposits Division 2006 2014
Society of Economic Geologists 2003 2014
Atlantic Geological Society 2004 2014
Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits 2003 2014
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada 2008 2014
Dehnavi A.S, McFarlane C.R.M, Lentz D.R, McClenaghan S.H, Walker J.A, Chlorite-white Mica Pairs†composition as a micro-chemical guide to fingerprint massive sulfide deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp, Canada, Minerals, 9, (2), 2019, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Remi Coltat, Yannick Branquet, Pierre Gautier, Hector Campos Rodriguez, Marc Poujol, Ewan Pelleter, Sean McClenaghan, Gianreto Manatschal, Philippe Boulvais, Unravelling the root zone of ultramafic‐hosted black smokers‐like hydrothermalism from an Alpine analog, Terra Nova, 31, (6), 2019, p549-568 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Kamber, B.S., McClenaghan, S.H., Drakou, F., Taking apart a highly zoned Pb-Zn-Ag-Cu-Au orebody using mineralogy and mineral chemistry: implications for mineral processing, Konferens i Mineralteknik, 2018, 2018, pp1-11 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Turner, O., Hollis, S., Guven, J., McClenaghan, S.H., Establishing a geochemical baseline for the Lower Carboniferous stratigraphy of the Rathdowney Trend, Irish Zn-Pb orefield, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 196, 2018, p259-269 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Turner, O., McClenaghan, S.H., Trace-element variation in pyrites within the Derryville ore body, Lisheen mine, Ireland, Biennial Meeting of the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits, Quebec, Canada, 23 August 2017, 2017, pp689 - 692, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Riegler, T. and McClenaghan, S.H., Authigenic potassic silicates in the Rathdowney Trend, southwest Ireland: New perspectives for ore genesis from petrography of gangue phases in Irish-type carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb deposits, Ore Geology Reviews, 88, 2017, p140-155 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Riegler, T., McClenaghan, S.H., Potassic and phyllic alteration in the Rathdowney trend: new perspectives from petrography on ore genesis for the Irish base metal ore field, Ore Geology Reviews, 88, 2017, p140 - 155, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Dehnavi, A.S., McFarlane, C.R.M., Lentz, D.R., McClenaghan, S.H., Application of in situ LA-ICP-MS systematics for quantitative volatile trace-element measurement in sulfide minerals: Case study of massive sulfide deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp, Canada, , Mineral Resources: Discovery and Utilization, Proceedings of the 14th Quadrennial International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits Symposium, Kunming, China, August 19-22, 2014 , 1, International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits, 2014, pp3 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Pilote, J.-L., Barr, S.M., Wilson, R.A., McClenaghan, S.H., Kamo, S., McNicoll, V.J., and Bevier, M.L., Precise age and petrology of Silurian-Devonian plutons in the Benjamin River - Charlo area, northern New Brunswick, Atlantic Geology, 48, 2012, p97 - 123, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
McClenaghan, S.H., Walker, J.A., and Lentz, D.R., Trace-element contents of base-metal concentrates from the Caribou Mine, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick: Implications for the recovery of indium from mill products. , Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, 2010, 1, 27, Report, PUBLISHED
  

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Zhong S., Seltmann R., Zhu J., McClenaghan S., Editorial: Accessory mineral geochemistry and its application in mineral exploration, Frontiers in Earth Science, 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Qing Sun, Xiaobo Zhao, Chunji Xue, Reimar Seltmann, Sean H. McClenaghan, Yangjie Li, David T.A. Symons, Neoproterozoic tectonic shift from collisional orogenesis to intraplate extension in the Yili Block, southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, PRECAMBRIAN RESEARCH, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Zhou, Lingli, Riegler, Thomas, Bonnetti, Christophe, McClenaghan, Sean, Kamber, Balz, Revisiting the Happy Jack Uraninite Reference Material: A Combined Electron Beam and Laser Ablation In Situ Study, GEOSTANDARDS AND GEOANALYTICAL RESEARCH, 46, (4), 2022, p735 - 749, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
McClenaghan, S.H., Thorne, K.G., Rogers, N., Granite-related mineralization and alteration in the Acadian Plutonic Belt: Implications for Sn-W-Mo-Cu exploration in central New Brunswick., Field Guidebook B1, Fredericton, Geological Association of Canada/Mineralogical Association of Canada, May, 2014, 85, Report, PUBLISHED
McClenaghan, S.H., 'Geology of the Benjamin River area (NTS 21 O/16h), Restigouche County, New Brunswick', Plate 2012-1, New Brunswick, Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, 2012, -, Map, GIS map, PUBLISHED
McClenaghan, S.H., 'Geology of the Charlo River area (NTS 21 O/16g), Restigouche County, New Brunswick.', Plate 2012-2, New Brunswick, Department of Natural Resources; Minerals, Policy and Planning Division, 2012, -, Map, GIS map, PUBLISHED
McClenaghan, S.H., and Al, T., Environmental geochemistry, reclamation, and remediation techniques as applied in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Association of Applied Geochemists, 2009, 1, 126, Report, PUBLISHED
Zagorevski, A., Rogers, N., van Staal, C.R., McClenaghan, S.H., and Haslam, R., Tectonostratigraphic relationships in the Buchans area: A composite of Ordovician and Silurian Terranes, Report 07-1, St. John's, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Natural Resources, Geological Survey, 2007, 103, 116, Report, PUBLISHED

  

Awards and Honours

Award Date
William Harvey Gross 2014
Barlow Memorial Medal 2008
Magee Third Century Postgraduate Merit Award 2005
W.J. Wright Graduate Fellowship 2003
John F.H. Teed, Q.C. Memorial Prize in Science 1993
Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Undergraduate Award 1993

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

My research focuses on dissecting ore deposit systems through the application of bulk geochemical and advanced micro-analytical techniques. Much of this research has centred on the petrology of volcanic and shale-hosted exhalative massive sulphide (Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag-Au) deposits in the Appalachians and Precambrian Canadian Shield of North America. I continue to actively research hydrothermal exhalative systems in addition to other mineral deposit types such as the carbonate hosted Zn-Pb deposits of the Irish Midlands, Devonian granite-hosted Sn-W-Mo deposits and a wide range of epigenetic Au, Ag, and base-metal systems.