Harold Courtright had a life-long interest and career in mining and geology in the Cordillera of North and South America. His field mapping skills and exploration expertise led to the discovery of now well known porphyry copper deposits in Arizona and Peru. The scholarship fund, set up after his death in 1986, is designed to promote graduate research in the Cordillera and, while the Society may support exciting studies in any geologic discipline, we do place special emphasis on field geology, economic geology, and the study of ore deposits.

For more details about this scholarship visit our Student Outreach Page.

Maria Camila Sojo Aguero

2022 Courtright Scholarship Recipient

Maria earned her B.S. at the Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina) in 2017, and a Specialist in Mining Geology from the Universidad de Buenos Aires.  She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the Dept. of Geosciences of the University of Arizona.

Ms. Sojo Aguero’s dissertation involves the study of Filo del Sol, a telescoped, high-sulfidation, epithermal/porphyry Cu-Au system in the San Juan Province of Argentina.  High-sulfidation epithermal Cu-Au-Ag mineralization, exposed in the northern portion of the area (Aurora), is associated with acid-sulfate alteration.  Representing a well-preserved uppermost portion of a fossil epithermal system, it is characterized by steam heating that grades downward into vuggy quartz, quartz-alunite and quartz-illite.    In contrast, the underlying porphyry Cu-Au system, exposed in the southern portion of the area (Tamberias), is associated with potassic alteration, which has been overprinted by the epithermal mineralization and quartz-alunite-kaolinite alteration.

Her main objectives are to place temporal and spatial constraints on the timing of Cu-Au mineralization between the porphyry and epithermal portions of the mineralized system, and to characterize the source of ore-bearing fluid(s).

Maria’s research at Filo del Sol should markedly improve our understanding of factors controlling the formation of world-class epithermal/porphyry systems.