Past Projects

Highlights of completed geoscience-related projects. A full list of publications is at the end of this page. My work history is on my LinkedIn profile.

University of Toronto Mississauga: Earth Science Field & Lab Coordinator

I worked for five years with the Earth Science Program at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus. My role supported undergraduate geology teaching, including lab exercises and field courses. I developed teaching materials, managed lab spaces and equipment, and oversaw logistics and budgets. I assisted fauclty and instructors in all fundamental geology courses.

I enjoyed helping to lead field courses, with the highlight being three visits to the Rocky Mountains with Professor Lindsay Schoenbohm and Professor Jochen Halfar for a fourth year capstone field-based course.

I organized public outreach events, summer camp activities, and participated in pedagogical-based conferences. Through the pandemic I created virtual teaching materials, including two petrological atlases that I co-authored with Professor Heidi Daxbury and Phillip Ruscica:

Petrological Atlas of Southern Ontario: Central Gneiss Belt

Petrological Atlas of Southern Ontario: Central Metasedimentary Belt

Rock Mechanics Projects

While I attended graduate programs in the Department of Mining Engineering the University of British Columbia, working with Professor Michael Hitch on greenhouse gas emissions in the mining industry, I also worked with Professor Rimas Pakalnis in the UBC Geomechanics Lab. We conducted various rock strength tests, including UCS and direct shear strength, interpreting and reporting results to both commercial and academic clients.

I worked with Professor Pakalnis in his ground control consulting, visiting open pit and underground mines with stability issues. I created 3D stress models for our clients and advised on design approaches to manage ground control issues. Clients included Lac Des Iles Mine in Ontario, Palmarejo Mine in Mexico, and Turquoise RidgeMine in Nevada.

Mineral Exploration

Upon completing my undergraduate degree in earth science at Dalhousie, I moved west to work in hard rock mineral exploration. My work was primarily in the northwest region of British Columbia, with focus on porphyry copper deposits. My work included bedrock mapping, drill core logging and program management, and various geochemical surveys. The work was often very remote, frequently helicopter-supported. I appreciated the opportunity to consult and work with local communities and First Nations groups.

I enjoy all stages of exploration work, from planning and staking, to to long physical days outdoors collecting data, to interpreting and reporting on results.

Refereed Contributions

Ballantyne, S., Roworth, M., Pakalnis, R., Caceres, C., & Mawson, S. (June, 2013). Developments in Empirical Approaches to Mining in Frozen Rock Mass [Paper and oral presentation]. American Rock Mechanics Association Meeting, San Francisco.

Ballantyne, S., Hitch, M. (November 2009). A Review of Mineral Carbon Sequestration: Technical Expectations and its Potential Roles in Carbon Management Policies [Paper and oral presentation]. Symposium on Environmental Issues and Waste Management in Energy and Mineral Production, Banff.

Hitch, M., Ballantyne, S., Hindle, S., (2009). Revaluing mine waste rock for carbon capture and storage, International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 24(1), 64-79.

Selected Non-refereed Contributions

Ballantyne, S., Anderson, M., & Stewart, M. (2023, May 24-27). Ore Body Architecture in Snow Lake: Metamorphosed and Deformed Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deposits [Poster presentation]. Geological Association of Canada - Mineralogical Association of Canada Joint Annual Meeting, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

Ballantyne, S., Ruscica, P. (May 2022). Bringing Southern Ontario’s Local Geology into the Classroom [Oral Presentation]. GAC-MAC-IAH-CNC-CSPG Conference, Halifax.

Ballantyne, S., Ruscica, P., Daxberger, H., Ashwell, P. (2022) Atlas of the Central Gneiss Belt Bedrock Geology in Southern Ontario: LiDAR-Derived Digital Outcrops, 3D Hand Samples, Petrography, and Geochemistry. ecampus Ontario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/atlasofsouthernontariocentralgneissbelt/

Daxberger, H., Ruscica, P., Ballantyne, S., & Ashwell, P. (2022) Atlas of the Central Metasedimentary Belt Bedrock Geology in Southern Ontario: LiDAR-Derived Digital Outcrops, 3D Hand Samples, Petrography, and Geochemistry. OpenLibrary, ecampus Ontario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/altasofsouthernontariocmb/

Ballantyne, S. (2010). Greenhouse gas emissions in mining operations: challenges and opportunities in British Columbia, Canada. [MASc thesis, University of British Columbia]. https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0071551

Ballantyne, S., Hindle, S., Jacobs, A. “Integrating CO2 Management in BC’s Mining Industry: Research at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering” Poster, presented at CIM 2010, May 2010. Won “Best Student Poster Award”.

Ballantyne, S. Adam, J., Krezsek C., Grujic, D. “Analogue models of salt dynamics and sedimentary basin evolution on passive margins” Poster, presented at the Society of Economic Geologists Conference, May 2006. Won “Best Student Poster award”.

Ballantyne, S. (2006). Analogue Models of Salt Dynamics and Sedimentary Basin Evolution on Passive Margins: Implications for Offshore Nova Scotia Hydrocarbon Exploration. [Honours Thesis, Dalhousie University].