Bio
Research
Dr. Spry’s research interests are in economic geology, mineralogy and petrology, and the geochemistry of metallic mineral deposits. He is particularly interested in the petrological, mineralogical, structural, geochronological (Re-Os), light (S, C, O and H) and light and non-traditional stable isotope (Te, Zn, Cd), and fluid inclusion characteristics of epithermal and mesothermal gold deposits, as well as the effects of metamorphism on massive sulfide deposits. Current research projects include: the origin of metamorphosed Proterozoic base metal-gold deposits (Colorado); the origin of gold telluride deposits in Greece; the use of trace elements in oxides, silicates, and sulfides as exploration guides to metamorphosed Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag-Au ores; the origin of nodular sillimanite rocks and their genetic relationship to metamorphosed massive sulfide deposits; and the crystallographic characterization of precious metal sulfides and sulfosalts (see sulfosalt “Spryite” named after Spry).
Research Projects
Trace element chemistry of common silicates (garnet, biotite, staurolite, chlorite), oxides (gahnite, magnetite), and sulfides (pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite) as guides in the exploration for metamorphosed Proterozoic massive sulfide deposits in the the Bergslagen district (Sweden) and central Colorado
The mineralogy and geochemistry (fluid inclusions and stable isotopes) of epithermal and mesothermal gold deposits and porphyry style copper and/or molybdenum deposits, Greece (with Panos Voudouris, University of Athens; Vasilios Melfos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).
Teaching
Geol 105 – Gems and Gemstones
Geol 316 – Optical Mineralogy
Geol 365 – Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
Geol 420/520 – Mineral Resources
Geol 507 – Midwestern Geology Field Trip
Detailed Course Descriptions
Recent Refereed Publications
- Cawood, T.-K, Rozendaal, A., and Spry, P.G., 2022. Discussion: Syn-metamorphic sulfidation of the Gamsberg zinc deposit, South Africa. Mineralogy and Petrology, in press.
- Spry, P.G., Mathur, R.D., Teale, G.S., and Godfrey, L.V., 2022, Zinc, sulfur and cadmium isotopes and Zn/Cd ratios as indicators of the origin of the supergiant Broken Hill Pb-Zn-Ag deposit and other Broken Hill-type deposits, New South Wales, Australia. Geological Magazine, in press.
- Frank, K.S., Spry, P.G., O’Brien, J.J., Koenig, A., Allen, R.L., and Jansson, N.F., 2022. Magnetite as a provenance and exploration tool to metamorphosed base metal sulfide deposits in the Stollberg ore field, Bergslagen, Sweden. Mineralogical Magazine, 1-24. doi:10.1180/mgm.2022.39.
- Spry, P.G., McFadden, S., Teale, G.S., Alers, B., Shallow, J.M., and Glenn, J.M., 2022. Nodular sillimanite rocks as field indicators to metamorphosed massive sulfide deposits. Ore Geology Reviews, 141, 104632.
- Stergiou, C.L., Melfos, V., Voudouris, P., Papadopoulou, L., Spry, P.G., Peytcheva, I., Dimitrova, D., and Stefanova, E., 2022. A fluid inclusion and critical/rare metal study of epithermal quartz-stibnite veins associated with the Gerakario porphyry deposit, northern Greece. Applied Geoscience, 12, 909. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020909.
- Voudouris, P., Repstock, A., Spry, P.G., Frenzel, M., Mavrogonatos, C., Keith, M., Tarantola, A., Melfos, V., Tombros, S., Zhai, D., Cook, N.J., Ciobanu, C.L., Schaarschmidt, A., Rieck, B., Kollitsch, U., and Falkenberg, J., 2022. Physicochemical constraints on indium-, tin-, germanium-, gallium-, gold- and tellurium-bearing mineralizations in the Pefka and St Philippos polymetallic vein- and breccia deposits: new insights into the critical element potential of Greece. Ore Geology Reviews, 140, 10438.
- Roberts, J.A., Groat, L.A., Spry, P.G., and Cempírek, J., 2021. Telluride mineralogy at the Deer Horn Au-Ag-Te-(Bi-Pb-W) deposit, British Columbia: Implications for the generation of tellurides. Canadian Mineralogist, 60, https://doi.org/10.3749/canmin.1900103.
- Spry, P.G., and Teale, G.S., 2021. A classification of Broken Hill-type deposits: A critical review. Ore Geology Reviews, 139, 103935.
- Voudouris, P., Melfos, V., Mavrogonatos, C., Photiades, A., Moraiti, E., Rieck, B., Kolitsch, U., Tarantola, A, Scheffer, C., Morin, D., Vanderhaeghe, O., Spry, P.G., Ross, J., Soukis, K., Vaxevanopoulos, M., Zaimis, S., Magganas, A., Kati, M., and Katerinopoulos, A., 2021. The Lavrion mines: a unique site of geological and mineralogical heritage. Minerals, 11, 76. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11010076, 22 p.
- Stergiou, C.L., Melfos, V., Voudouris, P., Spry, P.G., Papadopoulou, L., Chatzipetros, A., Mavrogonatos, C., Filippidis, A., 2021. The geology, geochemistry and origin of the porphyry Cu-Au-(Mo) system at Vathi, Serbo-Macedonian Massif, Greece. Applied Sciences, 11, 479, 39 pages.