PGO Photo Contest

Instructions:

This voting period runs from May 9th to May 23rd, 2025.

 

Eligible voters include all Registrants in good standing, Geoscientists-in-Training (GITs), and student members.  

 

Please note that each eligible member may vote only once. Please use the email address you provided to PGO when submitting your vote. Your email address will be checked against our system to verify your eligibility and ensure a single vote per eligible participant.

 

Kindly select your top three favorite pictures, ranking them in order of preference (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place). Please remember to assign each ranking to a different picture—repeating your vote for the same image will result in disqualification.

 

Thank you so much for your participation!

 

Professional Geoscientists Ontario

Photo 1: Photo taken at 3 Aces property in the Selwyn Mountains, SE Yukon, July 2024. Photos are of geologists doing field mapping relating to gold exploration.

Photo 2: Photo taken at 3 Aces property in the Selwyn Mountains, SE Yukon, July 2024. Photos are of geologists doing field mapping relating to gold exploration.

Photo 3: Photo taken at 3 Aces property in the Selwyn Mountains, SE Yukon, July 2024. Photos are of geologists doing field mapping relating to gold exploration.

Photo 4: The prominent geological features of Arrowhead Beach in Kingston, Ontario, where metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks underlie the area. Situated along the shores of Lake Ontario, this site reflects a complex geological history shaped by glacial activity, erosion, and faulting.

Photo 5: Field Methods students are focusing on analyzing the prominent geological features of the Frontenac Axis, where high-grade metamorphic and plutonic rocks underlie the Kingston area. The observations made during this lab session were analyzed to determine how features can be used to explain the depositional environment of the area.

Photo 6: At the Joyceville Roadcut in Kingston, Ontario, igneous rocks were examined and geological measurements were made to determine unknown rock types and piece together the geologic history of the region. This work is part of a broader effort to understand the depositional environment and tectonic evolution of the Frontenac Axis.

Photo 7: Another day out in the field. This is a bladder pump and it is used for GW monitoring.

Photo 8: Another day out in the field. This is significant to the Geoscience profession because part of our work as environmental geoscientists is supervising drillers.

Photo 9: Another day out in the field. 

Photo 10: When prospecting on an early exploration project in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia, I took out my Brunton to take a structural measurement. In the compass mirror, I noticed my colleague examining a rock sample. This photo represents a moment of reflection, both literally and figuratively. Working in such an incredible landscape reinforced to me how geoscientists can shape society’s interactions with the Earth. Geoscience isn’t just about rocks, but also responsibility. Although I was taking a single measurement, its impact could extend far beyond my compass and the outcrop. In the end, we are mapping the future of how the Earth’s resources are understood, managed, and protected. 

Photo 11: This photo was taken in the west Chilcotin region of British Columbia during a field program of prospecting. The project area is remote and needs to be accessed via helicopter, highlighting the logistical challenges of mineral exploration in many parts of Canada’s vast landscapes. In the ridge above the helicopter, different rock units, structures, and alteration styles are visible – demonstrating the amount of field data waiting to be collected and used to improve the geological understanding of areas in Canada. Early-stage, low-impact mineral exploration activities like prospecting form the foundation of Canada’s mining industry. Geoscientists play a key role in undertaking this work, which leads to the discovery and assessment of mineral resources. These activities are essential to develop a sustainable supply of critical, precious, and base metals needed for advancing green technologies and supporting Canada’s economic growth.

Photo 12: I took this photo during a field program of prospecting for an exploration project in British Columbia. In it, my colleague stands looking out over the Coast Mountains in the west Chilcotin region. When the project was worked 10 years earlier, the rocks in the foreground were all covered by a glacier. By 2024, that glacier had retreated approximately 500 metres. Although all the newly exposed bedrock provided a lot of valuable geological data, it also served as a rather stark reminder of our changing planet. As geoscientists, our work often focuses on the Earth’s history and present-day processes, but this photo represents the importance of looking ahead – we must also be forward-thinkers and apply our skills towards navigating this uncertain future responsibly.

Photo 13: It’s a photo of Grindavik, Iceland before the quasi recent volcanic eruption. It was taken on September 13th 2023. We were there for layover of a few hours. After going to the Blue Lagoon, we ventured to Grindavik. Little did we know that this place was never going to be the same. Moreover, after the eruption, geologists looked at the fault maps and noted that the town was built without regards for the geological formations. We have to be smart about our decisions and public protection.

Photo 14: Sample of chrysocolla under chalcedony and druzy quartz from the Lady Franklin Mine last worked around the 1890s for copper. Currently part of a major copper and critical mineral exploration and development project by Transition Resources southwest of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia.

Photo 15: Not my area of expertise, but Oceanography is a discipline of Geoscience. The Giant Clam pictured was taken with my Olympus TG4 underwater camera. These clams are listed as endangered and can be walked amongst at low tide at Hideaway Bay, Queensland, Australia. They are an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. The Great Barrier Reef is thriving!

Photo 16: A sample of quartz with haematite and needle or filament gold. Collected from the Commonwealth Gold Mine last worked around the 1890s for gold west of Proserpine in the Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia. Currently being explored and developed by Armfest Gold.

Photo 17: 

Location: Baffin Island, Nunavut.

The purpose of the survey was to identify and delineate underground ice bodies along a proposed railroad alignment using the GPR technology. 

Photo 18: 

Into Daylight

Enramada tungsten mine, Yungas, La Paz Province, Bolivia

Engineering staff leaving the mine in front of me (being responsible for technical collaboration and supply chain due diligence), after an in-depth visit to understand the deposit’s potential.

Collaboration along the supply chain is important to assure most appropriate approach to future production looking into safe working conditions and optimized recovery. At the same time, securing critical raw materials for a western refinery.

Photo 19: 

After a long day

Cantung mine, NWT, Canada

The blue hour, looking from the warmth of the geology office to a lonely miner returning to the office.

In collaboration with the mine staff, looking at reserve calculations and mine plans to underpin the long-term offtake contract of the mine with the refinery I am working for. In the end, all the work was in vain due to collapsing tungsten prices, and the mine closed for good almost ten years ago

Photo 20: 

Proudly presented

Artisanal tungsten mine, Western Province, Rwanda

A storekeeper proudly presenting the recently panned tungsten concentrate during a due diligence visit of an artisanal tungsten mine in the Western Province, Rwanda.

Collaboration with artisanal mines in Central Africa is an important building block for making their products acceptable to the international market and thus providing livelihood for the miners and development perspectives for their communities. This includes training and giving a helping hand to introduce some mechanized equipment to improve safety and productivity. In exchange, offtake opportunities for critical minerals develop for western smelters.

Photo 21: 

Location: Nanticoke,Ontario

The decommissioning of the Nanticoke Coal Plant in Ontario.

This photo, taken during the decommissioning of the Nanticoke Coal Plant in Ontario, captures a pivotal moment in Canada’s transition from coal-fired energy to cleaner, sustainable alternatives. As an Environmental Field Inspector and geoscientist, I was proud to contribute to this historic environmental movement. This work reflects the vital role geoscientists play in protecting the public and environment—by assessing environmental risks, supporting clean energy transitions, and ensuring that decommissioned industrial sites are restored safely and responsibly.