Geology

Geology

Steve Prevec

Associate Professor
Geochemistry and Petrology

Ph.D.   University of Alberta (Canada)
M.Sc.   McMaster University (Canada)
B.Sc. (Hons) Geology   McMaster University (Canada)
PGDipHE   Rhodes University

Phone: +27 (0)46 603-8313 or -8309

E-mail:  s.prevec(at)ru.ac.za

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My interests involve the study of mafic intrusions and associated high grade metamorphic rocks, based on field and thin section petrography, major, trace and radioisotope geochemistry, and geochronology. Often associated with these rocks is Cu-Ni±PGE sulphide and oxide mineralisation in various settings, whose origins and distribution are closely tied to the magmatic petrogenesis and/or subsequent metamorphism. A more detailed description of my research interests can be found here‌‌.

• Rift-associated mafic intrusions (mostly Precambrian) and associated rocks
• Large meteorite impact melt evolution

TEACHING

• EAR101: Introductory Earth Sciences
• GLG102: Petrology
• GLG2 and 3: Igneous petrology
• GLG2 field course (with Afsoon Kazerouni)
• Honours: Magmatic ore-forming processes
• MSc Exploration programme: magmatic ores in mafic intrusions
• MSc field course on magmatic ore deposits

POST-DOCTORAL EMPLOYMENT

• Senior Research Officer, BPI Geophysics / Hugh Allsopp Laboratory, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (1998-2004)
• Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada (funded in part through a research/exploration contract with Inco Ltd.) (1994-1998)
• GEOTOP, University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada (funded by analytical contracts with Cominco) (1992-1994)
• Geochronology Section, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada (1991-1992)

SELECTED PAPERS

30 published papers in refereed journals, internally-reviewed outputs, and book chapters. Selected recent offerings listed here. 

• MAIER, W., PREVEC, S. A., SCOATES, J. S., WALL, C. J., BARNES, S. -J. and GOMWE, T. 2017. The Uitkomst intrusion and Nkomati Ni-Cu-Cr-PGE deposit, South Africa: trace element geochemistry, Nd isotopes and high-precision geochronology. Mineralium Deposita 10.1007/s00126-017-0716-x.

• HOWARTH, G.H., and PREVEC, S.A. 2013. Trace Element, PGE and Sr-Nd isotope geochemistry of the Panzhihua mafic layered intrusion, SW China: Evidence for fractionated PGE-depleted picritic parent magma. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 120, 459-478.

• HOWARTH, G.H., PREVEC, S.A. and ZHOU, M.-F. 2013. Timing of Ti-magnetite crystallisation and silicate disequilibrium in the Panzhihua Mafic Layered Intrusion: Implications for ore-forming processes. Lithos170–171, 73-89.

• HOWARTH, G.H. and PREVEC, S.A. 2013. Hydration versus oxidation:  Modelling implications for Fe-Ti oxide crystallisation in mafic intrusions, with specific reference to the Panzhihua Intrusion, SW China. Geoscience Frontiers 4, 555-569.

• GANINO, C., HARRIS, C., ARNDT, N., PREVEC, S.A. and HOWARTH, G.H. 2013 Assimilation of carbonate country rock by the parent magma of the Panzhihua Fe-Ti-V deposit (SW China): evidence from stable isotopes. Geoscience Frontiers 4, 547-554.

• ZHOU, M.F., CHEN, W.T., WANG, C.Y., PREVEC, S.A., LIU, P.P. and HOWARTH, G.H. 2013. Two stages of immiscible liquid separation in the formation of Panzhihua-type Fe-Ti-V oxide deposits, SW China. Geoscience Frontiers 4, 481-502.

• CHUTAS, N.I., BATES, E., PREVEC, S.A., COLEMAN, D.S. and BOUDREAU, A.E. (2011) Sr and Pb isotopic disequilibrium between co-existing plagioclase and orthopyroxene in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa: microdrilling and progressive leaching evidence for sub-liquidus contamination within a crystal mush. Contributions to Mineralogy & Petrology 10.1007/s00410-011-0691-7.

• HOWARTH, G.H., SKINNER, E.M.W. and PREVEC, S.A. (2011) Petrology of the hypabyssal kimberlite of the Kroonstad group II kimberlite (orangeite) cluster, South Africa: Evolution of the magma within the cluster. Lithos 125, pg. 795-808.

• SMITH, J., LEE-THORP, J., PREVEC, S., HALL, S. and SPÄTH, A.  (2010) Pre-Colonial Herding Strategies in the Shashe-Limpopo Basin, Southern Africa, Based on Strontium Isotope Analysis of Domestic Fauna. Journal of African Archaeology, Vol. 8 (1) 2010.

• PREVEC, S.A. and BAADSGAARD, H. (2005) Evolution of Paleoproterozoic mafic intrusions located within the SIC thermal aureole: isotopic, geochronological and geochemical evidence. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 69, 3653-3669.

• PREVEC, S.A., ASHWAL, L.D. and MKAZA, M.S. (2005) Mineral disequilibrium from the Merensky pegmatoid, western Bushveld Complex, South Africa: new Sm-Nd isotopic evidence. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 149, 306-315.

• PREVEC, S.A., COWAN, D.R. and COOPER, G.R.J.  (2005) Uplift and impact at the site of the world's largest nickel deposit: the Levack Gneiss Complex revisited. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 42, 1-9.

• PREVEC, S.A., ANHAEUSSER, C.R. and POUJOL, M. (2004) Origin and evolution of late mafic dykes in an Archaean gneissic assemblage, Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa. South African Journal of Science 100, 549-555.

• PREVEC, S.A. (2004) Basement tracing using Mid-Proterozoic anorthosites straddling a palaeoterrane boundary, Ontario, Canada. Precambrian Research 129, 169-184.

• PREVEC, S.A. (2002) H₂O: a functional analogue for continental margin rift tectonics? Economic Geology Research Institute Information Circular No. 366, 17 pp.

• PREVEC, S.A. and CAWTHORN, R.G. (2002) Thermal evolution and interaction between impact melt sheet and footwall: a genetic model for the Contact Sublayer of the Sudbury Igneous Complex, Canada. Journal of Geophysical Research 107(0), 10.1029/2001JB000525.

Abstracts

• DE BRUYN, J.A. & PREVEC, S.A. (2018) Polyphase zircon growth in the thermal aureole of the Sudbury Impact Structure, Canada. Igneous and Metamorphic Studies Group 10th Annual Conference (IMSG), South Africa.
• NTSALUBA, B. & PREVEC, S.A. (2017) Petrogenesis of the Mount Ayliff Complex: evidence from Cr–spinel geochemistry. Igneous and Metamorphic Studies Group 9th Annual Conference (IMSG), South Africa.
• ARUNACHELLAN, Y. & PREVEC, S.A. (2017) Constraints on mineralisation in the MG 1 and 3 chromitites, Bushveld Complex, South Africa.. Igneous and Metamorphic Studies Group 9th Annual Conference (IMSG), South Africa.
• NTANTISO, M. & PREVEC, S.A. (2017) Constraints on the emplacement of the Colesberg Sill, Karoo Supergroup. Igneous and Metamorphic Studies Group 9th Annual Conference (IMSG), South Africa.
• PREVEC, S.A., LARGATZIS, S.A. and RAINES, M.E. (2016) Constraints on the origins of PGE-mineralized chromitite reefs from PGE distributions and isotopic compositions of the Merensky Reef, Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Geological Society of America Penrose Conference, Red Lodge, Montana, U.S.A., August 2016. (invited keynote presentation).
• PREVEC, S.A. and BÜTTNER, S.H. (2016) Multi-phase emplacement of impact melt sheet into the footwall: offset dykes of the Sudbury Igneous Complex, Canada. Igneous and Metamorphic Studies Group 8th Annual Conference (IMSG), Langebaans, South Africa.
• PREVEC, S.A. (2015) Chromite and PGE coprecipitation by crustal contamination or magma mixing revisited: genetic and exploration implications. PACRIM 2015 Hong Kong, China (March, 2015).(invited keynote presentation).
• IORGA-PAVEL, A., COSTIN, G. and PREVEC, S.A. (2015) Comparative study of the petrogenesis of the Main Magnetite Layer in the Northern, Eastern & Western Lobes of the Bushveld Complex. Igneous and Metamorphic Studies Group 7th Annual Conference (IMSG), Pretoria, South Africa.
• HOWARTH, G.H., PREVEC, S.A. and ZHOU, M-F. (2012) Magnetite crystallisation in the Panzhihua Intrusion, SW China: constraints from petrography, geochemistry and H₂O-fO₂ modelling. The 22nd V.M.Goldschmidt Conference, Montreal. Poster at workshop on “Processes that control the composition of Fe-oxides in ore deposits.”
• PREVEC, S.A. and VILJOEN, G. (2012) Contamination, melting and sulphide mineralisation in the basal River Valley Complex, Canada. in 22nd Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference proceedings (Montreal, Canada).