Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada - I am a professional consulting geologist in Canada's mining industry, focusing on exploration for new mineral deposits and the development of mineral resources. I have been working in the industry since 2019, in gold, base metal, rare earth element (REE), and uranium exploration. I hold a BSc and MSc from StFX University in Earth Sciences with a focus of research on structural geology, tectonics, and field geology. I have conducted research in the mineral belts of Canada, Spain, and Nicaragua. I am a Past President of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia, and a Mining & Energy Committee Member at Geoscientists Nova Scotia, a member of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, Atlantic Geoscience Society, Prospectors Association of Nova Scotia, and Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.
Certificate in Exploration, Studies, Resources & Reserves | University of Toronto - Mining Industry Management Program | (2025)
Masters of Science (Earth Sciences - Geology) | St. Francis Xavier University | Antigonish, Nova Scotia | (2019-2022)
Thesis: Tectonic Evolution of the Chortís Block of Central America (Nicaragua)
Research Project on College Grant: Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) Occurrence
Teaching Assistant & Lab Instructor for Structural Geology Classes
Bachelor of Science with First Class Honors (Earth Sciences - Geology) | St. Francis Xavier University | Antigonish, Nova Scotia | (2015-2019)
Thesis: Tectonic Evolution of the Northern Block Phyllite Quartzite Group, South Portuguese Zone, Spain
Summer Research Assistant (2018)
Secondary Education; Honors with Distinction; Class Valedictorian | Rankin School of the Narrows | Iona, Nova Scotia | (Graduated 2015)
Workshop - Mineral Exploration in Glaciated Terrain: Principles, Applications, and Techniques (2026) - AGS
Short Course - Health & Safety in Mineral Exploration (2019) - PDAC
Workshop - Structural Controls on Gold Deposits (2019) - AGS
Independent Consulting Geologist | (2026-09-01 - Present)
Project Geologist - Regional Exploration and Resource Development | NexGold Mining Corp. | (2025-06-01-2026-08-31)
Exploration Geologist | NexGold Mining Corp. (Signal Gold Inc. until 2025) | (2023-08-01-2025-06-01)
Core Logging Geologist & Field Geologist | New Found Gold Corp. | (2022-10-10-2023-07-31)
Project Geologist | Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. | (2021-12-01 - 2022-10-10)
Contract Geologist | Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. | (2021-03-01 - 2021-12-01)
Field Geologist | St. Barbara Ltd. (Atlantic Gold) | (2019-06-01 - 2019-09-01) & (2020-06-01 - 2020-10-01)
Research Assistant | St. Francis Xavier University | (2018-05-01 - 2018-09-01)
Mining & Energy Committee Member - Association of Professional Geoscientists Nova Scotia (2026 - Present)
CIM National Council Member - MSNS Society Chair (2025-2026)
President of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia (2025-2026)
Atlantic University Geoscience Conference (AUGC) Presentation Judge (2024)
1st Vice President of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia (2024-2025)
2nd Vice President of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia (2023-2024)
Owner of Bras d'Or Exploration (2019-2023)
Co-Owner & Director of Solterra Geo-Resources (2020-2022)
Search and Rescue Team Member | Cape Breton Search and Rescue (2020-2022)
First Aid & CPR/AED Level C
Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC)
Professional Geologist (P.Geo) with APGNS
Leapfrog Geo Fundamentals Training
Target Fundamentals Training
Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Class 5 Driver’s License with no restrictions
Restricted Firearm Possession and Acquisition License (R-PAL)
Incident Command System (ICS) Training
ATV & Off-road Vehicle Training
Chainsaw Safety Training
WHMIS
NextGenGeo Prospect Generation Challenge 1st Place (2020) - Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC)
Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship CGS-M (2019) - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship - Master's (2019) - Province of Nova Scotia & St. Francis Xavier University (StFX)
The Anaconda Atlantic Canadian Student in Mining Scholarship (2019) – Young Mining Professionals (YMP) Canada
Student - Industry Mineral Exploration Workshop (S-IMEW) (2019) - Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC)
Professor Donald J. MacNeil Award (2019) - St. Francis Xavier University (StFX)
Dr. Randall F. Cormier Award for Best Honours Thesis (2019) - St. Francis Xavier University (StFX)
Student Industry Field Trip (SIFT) (2018) - Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
B.J. Keating Memorial Award (2018) - St. Francis Xavier University (StFX)
Dr. William Shaw Bursary (2018) - St. Francis Xavier University (StFX)
Larry Strong Financial Award (2018) - Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
David Palmer Advanced Geological Field School Bursary (2017) - St. Francis Xavier University (StFX)
Governor General's Academic Medal (2015) - Governor General of Canada The Right Honourable David Johnston
Lieutenant Governor’s Education Medal (2014) - Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Brigadier-General The Honourable John James Grant
Tectonic and Structural Evolution of Peri-Gondwanan Terranes
Intrusion-Related Critical Mineral Deposits
Orogenic Gold Deposits
Nova Scotia / Cape Breton Geology
Northern Nicaragua / Nueva Segovia Geology
2026
Freeborne, S., 2026. "Assessment Report on Rock & Soil Sampling in the Quinces Long Lake Area". Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., 2026. "Assessment Report on Rock Sampling in the East Branch / Costley River South Area". Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Kessler, K., Wolfe, T., Jones, A., 2026. "Assessment Report on Geological Mapping, Rock Sampling, Soil Sampling, IP Geophysics, & Diamond Drilling on the Stewart Lake, Meadow Lake, & Ocean Lake Areas". Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
2025
Freeborne, S., Schauerte, M. “The State of Nova Scotia’s Mineral Industry”. Fireside Chat at the 2025 Nova Scotia Mineral Resource Forum.
Freeborne, S., 2025. “Geology of the Goldboro Deposit”. Presentation to AUGC 2025.
Freeborne, S., 2025. “Geology of the Goldboro Deposit”. Presentation to APGNS AGM 2025.
Freeborne, S., & Archibald, D., 2025. "Critical Mineral Potential of the MacLean Brook Polymetallic Occurrence, Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia". Atlantic Geoscience Society Annual 2025 Colloquium Poster Presentation.
Freeborne, S., Haysom, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Assessment Report on Geological Mapping, Rock Sampling, & Till Gold Grain Analysis on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Wolfe, T., Truax, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Assessment Report on Soil Sampling at Drum Head on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Crouse, P., MacDougall, B., Freeborne, S., Truax, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Corp. "Assessment Report on Geological Mapping, Rock Sampling, & Till Gold Grain Analysis on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Crouse, P., Freeborne, S., Truax, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Assessment Report on Till Sampling at Settlers Park on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Wolfe, T., Freeborne, S., Truax, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Assessment Report on Till and Rock Samples at New Harbour West on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Jones, A., Kessler, M., Truax, A., Wolfe, T., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Assessment Report on Airborne Geophysical Survey in the Pleasant Valley Area" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Haysom, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "MRDF-2024-GG-05 Final Report on Regional Till Sampling on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Truax, A., Haysom, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Shared Funding Grant - MRDF-2024-GG-06 Final Report on IP Geophysics on the Fowlers Target - Goldboro Project". Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Truax, A., Haysom, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Shared Funding Grant - MRDF-2024-GG-11 Final Report on IP Geophysics on the Stewart Target - Goldboro Project". Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., Haysom, A., White, D., Crouse, P., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Shared Funding Grant - MRDF-2024-SF-08 Final Report on Regional Rock & Soil Sampling
on the Goldboro Project." Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Wolfe, T., Crouse, P., Freeborne, S., Truax, A., 2025 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. / NexGold Mining Inc. "Shared Funding Grant - MRDF-2025-SF-07 Final Report Stewart Lake Regional Drilling" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
2024
Alana, H., Christensen, M., Freeborne, S., Truax, A., White, D., 2024 Goldboro Goldmines Inc. / Signal Gold Inc. "Assessment Report on Airborne Geophysical Survey, Geological Mapping, Surficial Geological Interpretation and Soil Sampling On the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., White, D., Truax, A., Haysom, A., 2024 Goldboro Goldmines Inc. "Assessment Report on Airborne Geophysical Survey and Historical Geological Data Compilation on the Goldboro Project" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Crouse, P., Freeborne, S., Haysom, A., 2024 Goldboro Gold Mines Inc. "Assessment Report on Mapping and Prospecting on the Goldboro Project Mineral Exploration Licences 55507, 55508 & 55509" Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
2023
Freeborne, S., & Braid, J., 2023. "Detrital zircon geochronology from the Nueva Segovia Schist, Nicaragua: evidence for the tectonic evolution of the Chortis Block?", Geological Society, London, Special Publications, The Consummate Geoscientist: A Celebration of the Career of Maarten de Wit, A. J. Hynes, J. B. Murphy. https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsl/books/edited-volume/2480/chapter-abstract/138459371/Detrital-zircon-geochronology-from-the-Nueva?redirectedFrom=fulltext
2022
Freeborne, S., 2022. "Tectonic Evolution of the Chortís Block of Central America" Master's Thesis. Department of Earth Sciences. St. Francis Xavier University. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366542402_Detrital_Zircon_Geochronology_from_the_Nueva_Segovia_Schist_Nicaragua_Evidence_for_the_Tectonic_evolution_of_the_Chortis_Block/citations
Burke, J T; Archibald, D B; Freeborne, S; & Mabey, Bailey, 2022. "Master technical report, West Barneys River Plutonic Suite (WBRPS) REE + Zn project, Antigonish Highlands." Assessment Report ME 1089404. Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., "Tectonic Evolution of the Allochthonous (Amazonian) Chortís Block of Central America" 2022 GAC-MAC Oral Presentation in Halifax, NS.
Guest, N., Freeborne, S., Branning, K., 2022 Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. "2019 Summer Exploration Report: Excavating, Channel Sampling, Geophysical Surveing (Orthographic, Surface, Gravity, Magnetics), and Diamond Drilling: Alces Lake Propertty, Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Mineral Disposition: S-112033. Submitted to the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources.
2020
Freeborne, S., 2020 "MacLean Brook polymetallic prospect, Cape Breton County, N.S., NTS 11K 2A, Exploration license #53549 : 2020 geochemical rock and stream sediment sampling survey." Assessment Report ME 1081965. Submitted to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
Freeborne, S., and Archibald, D. B. 2020. "The College Grant Cu-Fe-Au Deposit, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia" Geoscience and Mines Branch, Report of Activities 2019-2020; Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines, Report ME 2020-002, p. 25-29.
Freeborne, S., 2020 "Tectonic Evolution of the Chortis Composite Block, North-Western Nicaragua" October 2020; DOI: 10.1130/abs/2020AM-359063; Conference: GSA 2020 Connects Online Oral Presentation. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346585111_TECTONIC_EVOLUTION_OF_THE_CHORTIS_COMPOSITE_BLOCK_NORTH-WESTERN_NICARAGUA
2019
Freeborne, S., 2019 "Tectonic Evolution of the Northern Block Phyllite Quartzite Group, South Portuguese Zone, Spain" Bachelor of Science with Honours in Earth Sciences. Honours Thesis. Department of Earth Sciences. St. Francis Xaiver University. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335631987_Tectonic_Evolution_of_the_Northern_Block_Phyllite_Quartzite_Group_South_Portuguese_Zone_Spain
Freeborne, S., Braid, J., Paslawski, L., 2019. "The evolution of the Iberian Pyrite belt: new insights from geochronology, geochemistry, and structure" 2019 AGS Poster Presentation in Fredericton, NB.
Freeborne, S., Braid, J., Paslawski, L., 2019. "The evolution of the Iberian Pyrite belt: new insights from geochronology, geochemistry, and structure" 2019 SEG Poster Presentation in Santiago, Chile.
2018
Freeborne, S., Braid, J., 2018 "Tectonic evolution of the northern block Phyllite Quartzite Group, South Portuguese Zone, Spain" Atlantic University Geoscience Conference 2018 Oral Presentation at Dalhousie University.