Derek Leung

• Applied mineralogy
• Critical minerals
• Economic geology
• Curling stones
• Geoscience communication
• Digital manufacturing in the geosciences

Expertise and areas of study

As a classically trained field- and lab-based mineralogist, Dr. Derek Leung’s research focuses on applying mineralogy to interdisciplinary topics, such as economic geology, geoscience communication, and sports science. The core thematic link between these topics is understanding the crystal chemistry of modular rock-forming minerals, including the biotite–pyroxene–amphibole (biopyribole) polysomatic series. These minerals account for 26 % of the crust and 15–40 % of the upper mantle, while representing ~ 23 % of silicate mineral species. By understanding what controls chemical and structural diversity within the biopyriboles, it is possible to infer how rocks formed and evolved through time.

Education

B.Sc. Hons. Laurentian (2015–2019), M.Sc.R. Edinburgh (2019–2021), Ph.D. Laurentian (2021–2025)

Academic appointments

Assistant Professor (since 2025)—University of Regina

Courses taught

Selected recent publications

Campos, I.C., Lafrance, B., Sherlock, R., Creaser, R., Kruse, S., McLaughlin, B., Dunbar, P. & Leung, D.D.V. (2024) The Magino gold deposit, Ontario, Canada: An overprinted Archean intrusion-related gold deposit. Economic Geology 119(7), 1563–1585. 

Leung, D.D.V., Tinkham, D.K., & McDonald, A.M. (2024) Application of thermodynamic modeling (activity diagrams) to carbonated ultramafic rocks associated with orogenic gold environments. Canadian Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology 62(4), 539–549.

Leung, D.D.V. & dePolo, P.E. (2023) GC Insights: The crystal structures behind mineral properties – a case study of using TotBlocks in an undergraduate optical mineralogy lab. Geoscience Communication 6, 125–129.

Leung, D.D.V. & McDonald, A.M. (2023) Picture-perfect petrography: Affordable thin-section scanning for geoscientists in the digital era. Canadian Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology 61(5), 1045–1050.

Leung, D.D.V. & dePolo, P.E. (2022) TotBlocks: Exploring the relationships between modular rock-forming minerals with 3D-printed interlocking brick modules. European Journal of Mineralogy 34, 523–538.

Cartwright-Taylor, A., Mangriotis, M.-D., Main, I.G., Butler, I.B., Fusseis, F., Ling, M., Andò, E., Curtis, A., Bell, A.F., Crippen, A., Rizzo, R.E., Marti, S., LEUNG, D.D.V., & Magdysyuk, O.V. (2022) Seismic events miss important kinematically governed grain scale mechanisms during shear failure of porous rock. Nature Communications 13, 6169. 

Leung, D.D.V. & McDonald, A.M. (2022) Taking rocks for granite: An integrated geological, mineralogical, and textural study of curling stones used in international competition. The Canadian Mineralogist 60(1), 171–199.

Leung, D.D. & McDonald, A.M. (2020) Windmountainite, □Fe³⁺₂Mg₂Si₈O₂₀(OH)₂(H₂O)₄·4H₂O, a new modulated, layered Fe³⁺-Mg-silicate-hydrate from Wind Mountain, New Mexico: Characterization and origin, with comments on the classification of palygorskite-group minerals. The Canadian Mineralogist 58(4), 477–509.