Rafael Bacha, Ph.D.
Last updated on January 10, 2024Engagement Specialist
Rafael conducts geoscience outreach at the Survey. He works to connect First Nations, local communities, government, the minerals industry, public safety agencies, environmental scientists, other research organizations, and the public to the geology and mineral resources of the province. Rafael builds relationships with First Nations communities, serving as the primary liaison to enhance engagement with Survey geologists and to establish support for field programs.
Education
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil and University of Queensland, Australia (B.Sc., 2015)
Universidade de Brasília, Brazil (M.Sc., 2019)
Carleton University (Ph.D., 2024)
Expertise
Rafael started his research career investigating the relationship between the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea and global climates with an 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic study of the Paraná-Etendeka Large Igneous Province in South America. In 2016, Rafael transitioned to research the origin of orogenic gold deposits in Brazilian greenstone belts, spending three years working as an exploration geologist. He has also worked as a as a Mineral Development Analyst for the federal government (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada). Rafael is currently completing his Ph.D. at Carleton University, examining the effects of mafic intrusive rocks on base metal sediment-hosted deposits in the Central African Copperbelt. Rafael joined the Survey in 2023.
Publications
2023
Bacha, R.R.B., Mungall, J.E., and Ernst, R.E., 2023. Petrogenesis of the Katangan mafic rocks, Zambia: Insights from lithogeochemistry, large igneous province classification, and petrological modeling. Results in Geochemistry, Volume 12, 100027.
2022
Bacha, R.R.B., Waichel, B.L., and Ernst, R.E., 2022. The mafic volcanic climax of the Paraná-Etendeka Large Igneous Province as the trigger of the Weissert Event. Terra Nova, Volume 34, 28-36.
2021
Bacha, R.R.B., Toledo, C.L.B., Silva, A.M., and Mungall, J.E., 2021. Alkali element mobility as a vector for gold mineralization: An example from Central Brazil. Geochemistry, Volume 81, Issue 4, 125808.
2013
Waichel, B.L., Tratz, E.B., Pietrobelli, G., Jerram, D.A., Calixto, G.R., Bacha, R.R., Tomazzolli, E.R., and Silva, W.B., 2013. Lava tubes from the Paraná-Etendeka Continental Flood Basalt Province: Morphology and importance to emplacement models. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Volume 48, 255-261.