Atlantic Geoscience Society

The Atlantic Geoscience Society (AGS) exists to promote a better and wider understanding of the geology of Atlantic Canada, both to its members and to the public. Membership is open to anyone interested and includes professional geologists and geophysicists, students, prospectors, and lay people. For 2017-2018, the Society has about 220 members drawn primarily from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but including some from other provinces. To encourage active participation, membership fees are kept at a reasonable figure ($10.00, $5.00 for students) and each year the annual meeting is moved to a different venue.

History
by Graham Williams and Rob Raeside

The Early Years

It is hard to believe that in 1971 there was no regional society interested in or focused on the geology of the Maritime Provinces. To rectify this, a letter was circulated to geologists and geophysicists of the three provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), asking for an expression of interest. The encouraging response led to an evening meeting in Halifax, October 1971, to discuss the viability of a regional group. Several long-standing members of the community favoured starting a Section of the Geological Association of Canada, but others proposed the founding of a new and independent Society. A questionnaire mailed to all interested parties showed overwhelming support for an independent group, with the most acceptable name (by one vote) being the Atlantic Geoscience Society.

The Atlantic Geoscience Society came into existence on 11^th April 1972, at a meeting held at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth. About 30 members including representatives from the federal and provincial geological surveys, the regional universities, and industry attended the natal day ceremonies. The first general meeting was held 31^st May, in the Faculty Club of Dalhousie University. Don Sherwin of the Federal Government gave a talk on the geology and petroleum potential of offshore eastern Canada, a topic which would not be out of place today.

At the 31^st May meeting, it was decided to hold monthly meetings throughout the fall, winter and spring months, with presentations by invited speakers and to publish a regular newsletter. It was also decided to make the first evening meeting in the fall, usually in September, the Annual Meeting, with election of officers. And to encourage membership, the annual dues were set at one dollar, a cost which was not increased for five years. At the September meeting, Rupert MacNeill of Acadia University was officially installed as the first president.

Recognition of the importance of the Atlantic Geoscience Society first occurred on October 1973. At the Geological Association of Canada's Council Meeting in Kingston, AGS officially became an Affiliated or Associated Society of GAC. In the following January, AGS consolidated its position by holding its first Colloquium, "The Geological Evolution of the Atlantic Seaboard of Canada", in Fredericton (19-20 January). Despite taking place in the middle of a major snow storm, his very successful two day meeting attracted over 150 people, from the Maritime Provinces, Newfoundland and Ontario.

The response to the Fredericton meeting led to the organizing of the second Colloquium, "Natural Resources of Atlantic Canada", held at Acadia University, Wolfville, in January 1976. Again, despite the inclement weather, there was an excellent turnout with about 200 in attendance. By great good fortune, the Society had hit on a time of year when it had a captive audience, since where else can one interested in the geosciences go at this time of year in the Maritimes. Coupled with the enthusiastic response was an increase in membership to about 175.

1976 was a particularly good year for the Atlantic Geoscience Society since the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada accepted the Society's offer to hold their 1980 Annual Meeting in Halifax. The chairman of the Steering Committee for this meeting called Halifax '80, was John Smith, Deputy Minister of Mines for Nova Scotia. And, AGS held its second major meeting of the year on Saturday, 11^th December, at Mount Allison University. The one day Colloquium, "Current Research in the Maritimes", attracted over 70 participants, with 44 speakers. The registration, in keeping with AGS policy, was $2.00.

The only year since 1976 that the Society has not held a Colloquium or Symposium was in 1977. The Society was not resting on its laurels, however, since it initiated a project to produce a geological highway map of the Atlantic or Maritime provinces, primarily intended for the general public but also to be finished in time for the Halifax '80 meeting. Another milestone occurred on Thursday, 13^th October, when AGS hosted an executive meeting of the Canadian Geoscience Council, the umbrella organization for all Canadian geoscientific societies.

In 1978, AGS renewed its annual meetings with a major symposium 20-21 January in Fredericton, where 140 gathered to discuss " Provincialism". At the accompanying banquet, the Society started the practice of inviting the president of either the Geological Association of Canada or the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists to be guest speaker. This practice was allowed to lapse in 2002. The year was also marked by the decision to produce a geological highway map, but to cover only Nova Scotia initially.

A draft version of the Nova Scotia geological highway map was displayed at the 1979 Biennial Colloquium, "Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces", on 19-20^th January in Amherst. The map was developed jointly with the Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy and the Nova Scotia Museum. It marked the first of several endeavours that AGS undertook in partnership with other organizations. In the fall, AGS helped organize a fun day for children at the Nova Scotia Museum, where one of the most popular activities was panning for gold. The festivities were part of Logan Day celebrations, a day named in honour of the first Director of the Geological Survey of Canada. Activities took place across Canada, from St John's to Victoria.

Halifax '80, the Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada, 19-21 May, was the most important function of the AGS in its first decade. Over 1100 people attended this enormously successful gathering. There were several highlights, one of which had to be the official publication of "The Geological Highway Map of Nova Scotia". This superb production is not simply a map. It also tells the story of the geological history of the province, numbers and describes 92 sites and highlights eight key areas, such as Joggins. The map has been a major success, a revised version being published in 1990 and a repackaged version in 1994. A third edition was published in 2005 and a fourth edition is being planned for the Halifax 2022 meeting. The 2022 meeting, which marks the 50^th anniversary of AGS, will be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada.

On 28^th September 1980, the AGS again celebrated Logan Day, now christened National Geoscience Day, by hosting " A Day of Geology" at the Nova Scotia Museum. The main objective was to inform the public, especially children, about geology through demonstrations of rocks and minerals, fossils, films, gem polishing and contests. The highlight was a field trip to a once famous gold-producing area.

The 1980s

The 80s were times of major accomplishments for the Atlantic Geoscience Society. One of the first was the Earth Science Teachers' Workshop, 5-7 November 1982. This Workshop, held at Bedford Institute in Dartmouth, focused on the coastal and offshore geology of eastern Canada and informed the teachers of some of the latest developments. It was one of the first focused outreach activities of the Society.

The response to the Nova Scotia Geological Highway Map motivated the decision in 1983 to produce one for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Another factor was the decision by the Society to throw its support behind the Department of Geology of UNB, which was organizing the 1985 Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada, to be held in Fredericton. At about the same time, Phil Hill proposed that AGS produce a series of videos under the title "The Geology of Atlantic Canada". The idea was to produce educational videos for use in high schools and of interest to the general public.

1984 was memorable, not only because of George Orwell, but because at the AGS Annual Meeting in Amherst, 20-21 January, the Rupert MacNeill award for best student paper was presented for the first time. The winner was Allan Huard, who gave an excellent talk on the Carboniferous Fisset Brook Formation.
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A milestone at the 1985 Annual Meeting in Wolfville, 18-19^th January, was the premier viewing of the promotional rock video. The video was produced to generate funding for the Society's proposed video series. The four videos to be produced were: "The Mineral Wealth of Atlantic Canada", "The Appalachian Story", "Offshore Oil and Natural Gas", and "The Recent Ice Age". During the year, the Atlantic Geoscience Society became an Affiliated Society of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Society. This was the stamp of approval for an ongoing informal liaison that over the years had proved extremely fruitful.

The 1985 Annual Meeting in Fredericton of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada went off without a hitch, as did the launching of the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Geological Highway Map: the latter was produced through the generosity of the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources. One major breakthrough was the publication of both French language and English language editions.

Following the tragic deaths of two young geologists, crushed when a ditch collapsed in 1984, the AGS organized an evening seminar and panel discussion for 25th September 1985. The topic, "Occupational Safety in the Geosciences", was a timely reminder of the risks inherent in geological field work and in mining.

As an informally run Society, AGS has compiled an impressive record. On 9^th April 1986, the Society became the proud parent of its own journal "Maritime Sediments and Atlantic Geology", subsequently shortened to "Atlantic Geology". This is the only regional geology journal in Canada and has a history of continuing production dating back to 1965, when Bernie Pelletier started publishing "Maritime Sediments". In 1986, the Society hosted the Basins Symposium, "Basins of Eastern Canada and Worldwide Analogues", held in Halifax, 13-15 August. Cosponsors were the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and the Inter-Union Commission on the Lithosphere. Registrants came from all over the world for the intensive technical sessions and excellent social program. One impressive offshoot of this Symposium was the CSPG Memoir 12-AGS Special Publication 5, "Sedimentary Basins and Basin-Forming Mechanisms", published in 1987. This 527 page compendium quickly became a classic.

The 1987 Annual Meeting, held in Fredericton, 6-7 February, featured the introduction of workshops. The two workshops were " Metamorphism in Basic-Ultrabasic Complexes" and, "Maturation Studies and Petroleum Geology". The response to these guaranteed the continuing presence of workshops on the program for all future Annual Meetings.

While the above major developments were taking place, production of the first video in the Geology of Atlantic Canada series began under the direction of Bill Skerrett. The video, "The Mineral Wealth of Atlantic Canada" was released 16^th September 1987, when it was shown at a Society evening meeting. In 1986, a major oil company had provided funding for a second video, "The Appalachian Story". The premier of this production was at the AGS Symposium in Antigonish, 6^th February 1988.

The educational value of the first two videos provided impetus for the production of the remaining two. "The Recent Ice Age" premiered Wednesday, 11^th April 1990 at the Archives of Nova Scotia to a select audience. "Offshore Oil and Gas" had a more impressive send off at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Wednesday, 4th November 1992. This, the last in the series, also featured Jay Ingram as narrator.

It was quickly realized that the impact of the video series could be enhanced by production of video guides for teachers, so plans were set in motion to write and publish these as quickly as possible. The three published are "The Appalachian Story", "The Recent Ice Age", and "Offshore Oil and Natural Gas".

The videos have reached a wide audience, duplication rights being sold to many Departments of Education, including the Provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and British Columbia. There have also been a surprising number of sales to university departments throughout North America, several regional school boards, and libraries. The video guides have also developed a loyal following.

Bringing the 1980s to a close was the first presentation of the AGS Distinguished Service Award. The recipient, Laing Ferguson, received the honour at the 1989 Annual Colloquium, 3-4^th February, fittingly held in Amherst.

The 1990s

Not having learned from past experience how traumatic it was, AGS Council agreed in 1987 to host the 1992 Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada, to be held in Wolfville, 25-27 May 1992. As with Halifax '80 and Fredericton '85, Wolfville '92 was an impressive meeting. It differed, however, in having a strong outreach program, including a teachers' workshop with accompanying field trip.

The retrenchment in the economy in the late 80s and early 90s had a major impact on the Atlantic Geoscience Society. Memberships lapsed and attendance at the Annual Meetings declined but there always remained a committed cadre. This was demonstrated at the 1993 Annual Meeting in Halifax, 12-13^th February, when about 175 registrants braved a fierce storm (rain surprisingly) to attend. A notable event at this meeting was the awarding of the Gesner Medal to Les Fyffe, the first recipient. The Medal, designed by Gordon Fader, is awarded to a person who has, through his or her own efforts, developed and promoted the advancement of geoscience in the Atlantic Region in any field of geology, and whose contributions are of such significance that they have made an impact outside our area.
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A milestone in the nineties was the official recognition of the Society's outreach program, by formation of the Education Committee. During its existence, this Committee has fostered several new initiatives, including bringing the EdGEO teachers workshops to Nova Scotia. EdGEO is a committee of interested Canadian geologists, which organizes Workshops for elementary and high school teachers in most of the provinces. Funding for these Workshops is provided by the geological community, primarily the Canadian Geoscience Council and its member societies. The first Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, "The Earth Sciences: New Resources for Teachers", was held in Halifax-Dartmouth, 22-23 August 1994. The format adopted and maintained for several Workshops, was a Monday morning classroom session, Monday afternoon field trip, Monday evening banquet and talk, and Tuesday morning classroom session, concluding with a summation. The teachers' reactions to the Workshop were surprising. They were enthusiastic, especially about some of the resource material handed out, and liked the two day format. However, the neglect of earth science in the curriculum was reflected by several requests to run a workshop, "Introduction to Geology". Other suggestions were for more field trips and for field trip guides.

The response to the first Teachers Workshops led to the decision to make it an annual event and to move location, so that teachers from other parts of the province could attend and each field trip would be different. Subsequently, Workshops have been held in Sydney (1995), Wolfville (1996), Bridgewater (1997), Truro (1998), Parrsboro (1999), Antigonish (2000), Parrsboro (2001), Digby (2002), Parrsboro (2003), Dartmouth (2004), Halifax and Parrsboro (2005), Dartmouth (2006), Wolfville (2007), Dartmouth (2008), Parrsboro (2009), Halifax (2010 to 2017), Joggins (2016), Halifax (2017). The presenters at these twenty-five EdGEO Workshops have all been primarily geologists, who volunteered their time because they believe that they can help to make teaching earth science a lot more fun. And the support of others, in helping with the logistics, has been tremendous.

Another encouraging outreach development has been the two New Brunswick Workshops. The first was held in Saint John in 2013. This was followed by a workshop at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada, which was held in Fredericton.

1996 marked the introduction of field trips to the Annual Colloquium as AGS held its first meeting in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Twenty five people took part in a tour of the Brunswick No. 12 Mine. Many of the 180 registrants enjoyed taking the train to avoid a long drive. A workshop on Exploration Geophysics was also held.

In 1997, the Atlantic Geoscience Society celebrated its Silver Jubilee at the Annual Meeting in Amherst, Nova Scotia, on 7-8 February, 1997. One of the highlights was initiation of the Graham Williams Award for Best Poster Presentation by a student. The first recipient was Sandra Marshall of Acadia University. It also marked the introduction of the Noranda Award, initiated by Dave Gower of Noranda Mining Inc., for the best Economic Geology presentation by a student. Kelly Janssens from UNB was the first winner.

1998 marked the publication of "Discovering Rocks, Minerals and Fossils in Atlantic Canada", a superb guide to some of the best geological sites in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The impact of this publication is reflected in the sales, and the speed at which the first printing sold out. This is not surprising since it is of interest to professional geologists, teachers, students and the general public.

The 2000s

The birth of the AGS-Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia Geology and Photography Competition occurred in 2000. Each year, the winning photograph is selected from several entries submitted by members of the Photographic Guild. To encourage participation, AGS organizes an annual field trip, which usually attracts about 20 photographers, to one of the classic geological sites in Nova Scotia. Venues have included Five Islands (2002), Joggins (2003) and East Bay and Wasson Bluff (2004), Five Islands (2005) and Blue Beach (2006). There was no field trip in 2007. A second trophy, The Last Billion Years Award, was introduced in 2005. The winner must be a photograph of somewhere in the Maritime Provinces. The photographs chosen as the winners are available to AGS for use in publications and in displays.

A new look in outreach products was first mooted at the 1995 Annual Meeting in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. There, it was proposed that there should be a popular book on the geology of the Maritime Provinces, written so that high school students or lay people would find it interesting and informative. This developed into "The Last Billion Years: a Geological History of the Maritime Provinces of Canada", which is a 212 page volume. The book is beautifully illustrated, with some original water-colour paintings, photographs, line drawings, dioramas, schematics and geological maps, most in full colour. Production of "The Last Billion Years" has truly been a regional endeavour, with contributions from the Geological Survey of Canada, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and most regional universities.

"The Last Billion Years", co-published by the Society and Nimbus Publishing, became available for purchase on 10^th July 2001. The first print run was for 2100 copies. The success of the book was confirmed when it became out of print in five weeks. After discussions with Nimbus, it was agreed to reprint 2000 copies. The reprinted version was released in early November (5^th). This was sold out in January 2002, necessitating a third printing of 3000 in February 2002, with a fourth printing of 2000 in 2003. At the end of 2007, sales stood at about 8000.

In 2003, AGS held its first joint meeting with the Northeastern Section of the Geological Society of America. This was held 27^th-29^th March in the Westin Hotel, Halifax. The attendance was impressive, with over 650 geologists and friends from various parts of Canada and the USA braving the unpredictable "spring" weather. One of the most popular events was the education session, "Communicating the Relevance of Earth Science", held on the Saturday. At this, many of the talks were hands-on demonstrations, a great hit with the 42 teachers and several geologists who attended.

The AGS poster, "The Evolving Maritimes" was on sale for the first time at the above meeting. The centerpiece of the poster is the cover painting from "The Last Billion Years". The comprehensive text describes, in English and French, the evolution of the Earth and of our region's animals and plants over time.

A disappointment of recent years was the demise of the AGS evening talk series. These were held, primarily in Halifax, for about twenty years but as time passed the audience became too few to justify continuing. Several Society members banded together in 2001 and decided to try again but with a different slant. The first year, 2001-2002, featured speakers who had authored chapters in the book "The Last Billion Years". Talks were aimed at a general audience rather than focusing on a specialized topic. And the series would be a joint production of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural Science and the Society, with the talks held on the third Wednesday evening of each month at the Museum.

The series, "The Last Billion Years" opened in September 2001. Because of its success, the series was reborn in 2002-2003 as "Beyond the Last Billion Years" and continued to thrive for several years. The talks draw spectacular turnouts, with crowds averaging over 100 for the second season. The third season had one or two bumps resulting from hurricane Juan but proved just as popular. For 2004, there was a new slant. Complimentary copies of the poster, "The Evolving Maritimes" were handed out to draw winners at the beginning of each talk. Another slant was the awarding of discontinued copies of "The Last Billion Years" ” to those who attended all the talks in the 2003-2004 year. This was continued in 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. But it was in 2007, when the talk series moved to Bedford Institute for a year. The biggest surprise is that very few geologists attend the talks. Obviously, the Museum and Society are filling a need to attract such impressive numbers.

In 2004, AGS published "Nova Scotia Rocks". This brochure includes over 40 stunning photographs of geological highlights, with a brief accompanying write-up. The photographs are attractively displayed around a geological map of the province on which the sites are pinpointed. Museums and companies with a geological bent are featured on the reverse side of the brochure, with a highway map showing location of the operation according to the provincial trail. Thirty seven thousand copies of the brochure were printed, thanks to generous funding from the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. In July 2004, the Department mailed 10,000 copies to individual tourist offices for free distribution. Apparently, the brochures are proving very popular, selling (a play on words) out several times at the Halifax Airport location.

Producing such publications as "The Last Billion Years" and "Nova Scotia Rocks" has given the Education Committee an added appreciation of the importance of visuals, whether paintings, photographs or schematics. This awareness has played a major role in the Fundy Basin Poster project, which started in 2003. One of the products was a series of water colours by Judi Pennanen, the artist who did 15 paintings for "The Last Billion Years". The five water colours show landscapes in Wolfville, Blomidon, North Mountain Basalt, and McCoy Brook times, plus a spectacular scene starring prosauropods. Visually, all five are stunning. The intent is to use the paintings, which are on display at the Fundy Geological Museum, as the focus of a booklet on the Mesozoic history of the Fundy Basin.

The Society had four important milestones in 2005. The first was organizing Halifax 2005, a joint meeting of the Geological Association of Canada, the Mineralogical Association of Canada, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and the Canadian Society of Soil Science. Although the weather was not too cooperative, the meeting was highly successful, judging by the impressive turnout, the excellent technical and field trip programs, and the entertaining social events.

Publication of the third edition of the Nova Scotia Geological Highway Map was the second significant accomplishment in 2005. The map has been considerably enhanced with upgraded graphics, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing product. Sales have been as impressive as the previous two editions.

The first New Brunswick EdGEO teachers' workshop was a third milestone in 2005, organized by Dave Lentz and the New Brunswick EdGEO branch.

A fourth milestone with potentially major implications was acceptance as a participant in CRYSTAL. This research program, under the leadership of the University of New Brunswick's Department of Education, was to evaluate the success in teaching science in schools throughout the Maritime Provinces. One of the evaluations will be focused on the achievements of outreach programs, such as the EdGEO Workshops and the various other products that AGS has produced. Regretfully, the National Science and Engineering Research Council, which was funding CRYSTAL, terminated the program the following year.
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An important accomplishment of the Society has been the development of EarthNet (http://www.earthnet-geonet.ca/). EarthNet is a database of earth science resources that are useful to elementary and high school teachers. Other features are: "Classroom Activities" which teachers can download at no cost; an illustrated "Glossary of Terms", a "Calendar of Events" that informs users of events in their part of Canada; "Geology in the Classroom", a Q & A section where previously answered questions are also posted; "Earth Science Site of the Week" where a new science site is featured every week, "Exploring the Dynamic Earth", where animation and video will supplement illustrations photographs and text and the Virtual Field Trip, which takes you to one of the spectacular sections in Nova Scotia (and eventually throughout Canada). The project, initiated by AGS was adopted as a project by the Canadian Geoscience Education Network, the premier organization of geologists devoted to advancing outreach activities in Canada. EarthNet has also been supported by the Geological Survey of Canada.

EarthNet was revitalized in 2004, through a renewed interest by the Geological Survey of Canada in updating the site. This rising from the ashes included the formation of a National EarthNet Committee and a Development Committee. The latter operates out of GSC (Atlantic) and includes a high proportion of AGS members. The database has been redesigned and updated with some major improvements, especially in the Glossary, The Virtual Field Trip, and the Resources sections. Son of EarthNet, the revised version, was released in 2005.

After the very (financially) successful Halifax 2005 meeting, the host society's share of the profits materialized in the bank in 2006, and the first third was promptly allocated to the major task of digitizing the entire run of Atlantic Geology. The last printed edition of the journal was volume 42 - all subsequent issues have been electronic.

In April 2006, after a hiatus of over 15 years, the video committee released another video "Halifax Harbour: A Geological Journey". The video tells the story of this famous harbour, from formation of the Meguma Group to the present day, and looks into the future with predictions on sea-level rise. The video was produced by Charlie Doucet of MoonGlow Digital Video Productions Ltd., the scientific director was Gordon Fader, and narration is by George Jordan.

The final four years of the decade saw a considerable up-ramp in activity for the Society under the presidencies of Ian Spooner, Mike Parsons and David Mosher. In part this was accomplished by using teleconferencing technology to bring the entire Council together for regular meetings, which ensured better opportunity for people in far-flung parts to participate.

Some of the new directions involved supporting the organization of Halifax 2008 Conjugate Margins of the Central Atlantic conference, and starting a run of many years participating in the Parrsboro (now Nova Scotia) Gem and Mineral Show. The always-active Nova Scotia EdGEO group began participating with the Nova Scotia Association of Science Teachers for their annual workshop, and the Society teamed up with APICS (now Science Atlantic) to run the annual speaker tour to the area universities. The increased workload, especially involving publications and other products (even AGS mugs!) resulted in Nelly Koziel assuming the handling of these items out of BIO. Nelly became increasingly involved in the affairs of the society over the next ten years, regularly staffing the booth at the annual colloquia and table at the Parrsboro Gem and Mineral Show.

Perception that the average age of the Society might exceed its membership numbers led to increased action to recruit students. The first attempt involved establishing a Student Liaison Coordinator, a position that was approved by the Society, but never actually filled. There followed a free-ranging discussion at the annual colloquium, which led to the expansion of Council to include two student members, one a graduate student, the other a member of the upcoming year’s AUGC committee. This has helped to ensure a student voice is heard on the Council. Student participation has always been a major component of the annual colloquia, and recognition of students expanded from a single prize for the best presentation (the Rupert MacNeill Award) to add the best poster presentation (the Graham Williams Award). In 2008, two outstanding talks were given back to back at the Colloquium by Marc Laflamme and Matt Stimson – but Marc’s presentation was at a much higher level as he was then concluding his PhD research, whereas Matt at the time was a second-year undergraduate student. Much angst among the judges and others fortunate enough to witness both presentations led to the introduction of awards for graduate and undergraduate presentations, the Sandra Barr Award for best graduate student oral presentation, and the Rob Raeside Award for best undergraduate student poster presentation.

Two long-time members of the Society were specially recognized in 2008 – Graham Williams, after many, many years involvement was awarded a life-time membership, which would save him the princely sum of $5 membership annually, and the Distinguished Service Award was renamed the Laing Ferguson Distinguished Service Award in honour of his role in establishing the Society and long commitment to it.

Two other major ventures as the noughties drew to a close were the production of the Halifax Harbour video and contributions toward a new book project, Four Billion Years, being coordinated by CFES to coincide with the IYPE (International Year of Planet Earth).

Some losses occurred through this period too. Publication of a regular newsletter ended – the frequency of its production had been dropping for several years, and electronic communications were becoming increasingly available. All information (conference fliers, notice of events, community announcements) were now channeled through a dedicated email distribution list. Likewise, the regular Halifax evening meetings concluded their nearly 40-year run, the result of a temporary closure of the Nova Scotia Museum location in Halifax. Another demise, but with a positive outcome, saw Atlantic Geology complete the switch-over from a bound journal to an electronic-only interface, and join the Canadian Geoscience Knowledge Network. The rate of article publications continued unabated, though. In 2007, David McMullin concluded eight years of service as production manager for Atlantic Geology as he passed the reins over to Chris White.

The 2010s

Entering 2010, President Grant Ferguson noted that the Atlantic Geoscience Society stood at a crossroads, as did the geoscience community nationally. The old Canadian Geoscience Council had gone the way of the dinosaurs, and a new group, Canadian Federation of Earth Science rose to replace it as an umbrella organization for earth science-related societies in Canada. The Society became the sole regional society to join the CFES, and in due course several of the offices were filled by people who started their service in the AGS. Elisabeth Kosters served as business manager, and both Scott Swinden and Sandra Barr took roles as president. Within the Society, aging membership again became and issue, and a discussion was circulated, followed by a round-table discussion at the annual colloquium. Out of these efforts, it was agreed to appoint a graduate and an undergraduate student to the AGS Council, to have a greater input to the annual student-run Atlantic Universities Geoscience Conference (AUGC), and to provide more student-oriented activities at the colloquium and through the year.

The Society continued to diversify its activity, increasingly using its resources to initiate or further a wide range of projects – posters, conferences, provision of keynote speakers, funding of publications, the annual speaker tour, booths at trade shows, support of student conferences, supporting teachers to attend workshops, and exhibits. In 2011, we enticed Hylonomus lyelli to return home from Britain to the Joggins Fossil Centre for a visit! The diversity of the Society’s publications also required the formalization of the Publications Committee, overseeing the full range of products, e.g., Atlantic Geology, videos, books, highway maps, field trip guidebooks.

Events on the national level appear to have attracted the Society’s attention in this period. In 2012, the Society penned an open letter to the Prime Minister, addressing the impact of cuts to scientific programs, and in 2014 the Society took an active part in the hotly debated proposal to erect a six-story veterans’ memorial at Green Cove, Cape Breton Island in time for the national 150th anniversary in 2017. On an international level, the Society was accepted as an affiliated society by the AAPG House of Delegates in 2014.

The Education Committee continued to be as busy as ever, producing in 2013, a Nova Scotia Pebble Guide, in the form of a brochure and available on the website. This guide has subsequently attracted considerable attention from rock hounders and the public in general, and a New Brunswick version is being planned. Jumping up in scale, the Society proposed that specimens from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia be added to the University of Waterloo Peter Russell Rock Garden. Various nominations were received and voting for the best representatives was held at the 2014 Colloquium in Wolfville. The run-away winner in New Brunswick was the St. George red granite, much used as a building stone in the province. The race was closer in Nova Scotia, with votes being cast for the North Mountain Basalt (winner), South Mountain Batholith (close second), Meguma slate ("a piece of Africa") and Joggins tree fossils.

Some significant landmarks in this period included the 50^th anniversary of the Society's journal, initially known as Maritime Sediments, later expanding to Maritime Sediments and Atlantic Geology, and finally dropping the old term to become Atlantic Geology. In honour of this milestone, a special session looking back at 50 years of research in the region was convened at the annual colloquium, and the banquet speaker was Sandra Barr, editor-in-chief of the journal, who was able to reminisce back to issue 2 when, as a summer student, she was involved in its early compilation. Another milestone was reached when Ken Howells decided to step down as treasurer, a position he held since the 1980s, to be replaced by the team of Nelly Koziel and Calvin Campbell. Ken was awarded the third lifetime membership in the Society in recognition of his services.

The Publications Committee was re-initiated in 2013 and arranged for all AGS publications to be archived in the Dalhousie library system (http://dalspace.library.dal.ca/handle/10222/50639). A similar arrangement was achieved with the AAPG Datapages, which archived all AGS publications in Tulsa, OK, thereby making them available to the general public. Although not an AGS publication, the book Four Billion Years and Counting was released at events in Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary in November 2014, to much acclaim. Members of the AGS Education Committee were heavily involved in the production of "FBY".

The year 2017 saw major changes in the operations. Calvin Campbell stepped down as co-treasurer, to be replaced by Nikole Bingham-Koslowski. Nelly Koziel, who had been co-treasurer with Calvin, but was also the "face" of the Society, staffing the sales table at the annual colloquium, the Parrsboro Gem and Mineral Show, and who was generally willing to be the go-to person for many details, died in 2017.

Moving into the concluding years of the decade, the Atlantic Geoscience Society remains vibrant, with many ventures in the works. It has spear-headed adaptations to the expanding Appalachian Trail system, worked on vignettes displaying (from a dog's point of view) the geology of Arisaig and York Redoubt, and is now undertaking a major survey and potential organization of geological collections in the region, a website renewal, contributing to books on the geology of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, and embarking on its sixth GAC-MAC meeting (with input from CSPG).

As society changes, the Atlantic Geoscience Society has had to adjust. Its primary mandate remains the dissemination of geoscientific knowledge and information, primarily through the Annual Meetings where there are usually more than 50 oral and poster presentations, and its research journal, Atlantic Geology. However, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of outreach activities and the need to play a role in the education of elementary and high school students, teachers and the general public. Based on its past accomplishments and present goals, the Atlantic Geoscience Society will continue to play a vital role in the dissemination of earth science knowledge in the Maritime Provinces, whether at the professional or lay person's level. That's not a bad record for a group of volunteers, largely funded by the geological community.
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Mission Statement

The objectives of the Atlantic Geoscience Society are to: further the dissemination of earth science research in the geological community of Atlantic Canada; organize symposia, colloquia, workshops, field trips, and annual and evening meetings, focused on research in the earth sciences in Atlantic Canada; publish the journal "Atlantic Geology", to foster communication within the earth sciences; publish Special Papers on selected topics of interest, as and when needed; encourage the interchange of geoscientific data between government, academia and industry; develop outreach programs to promote an interest in and understanding of the earth sciences; run workshops for elementary and high school teachers to facilitate the teaching of earth science in the Maritime Provinces; periodically publish outreach material, books, maps, tapes, DVDs or websites.

Plans

The Atlantic Geoscience Society intends to: continue holding Annual Meetings at different towns and cities in the Maritimes, with the focus on selected research topics in the earth sciences; run evening meetings as and when required; publish three issues of Atlantic Geology each year; promote and develop outreach programs; provide funding on an ad hoc basis for selected research and outreach programs; publish special papers; continue the EdGEO workshop program; continue upgrading EarthNet; and be an annual exhibitor at the Nova Scotia Gem and Mineral Show.

Activities

Present activities include: holding regular Council meetings; organizing and running annual meetings; publishing Atlantic Geology, the only regional geoscience journal in Canada; producing four issues of the AGS Newsletter annually; accepting nominations for the Gesner Medal and the Distinguished Service Award, which are awarded at the annual meetings of the Society; regular meetings of the Education Committee, both the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick branches (teachers are represented on this committee); regular meetings of the Nova Scotia EdGEO Committee (includes several teachers); regular meetings of the AGS Video Committee; hosting annual Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshops, each year in a different location; maintaining the database EarthNet.
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Programs

Programs include: the annual meeting and accompanying workshop and/or field trip; the EdGEO Workshops; Atlantic Geology; EarthNet.

Who Benefits?

The geological community: including geologists in government, academia, and industry; consultants, prospectors, and amateurs; university students; elementary and high school teachers; elementary and high school students; and the general public.

Geographical Area

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and to a lesser extent, Newfoundland & Labrador.

Accomplishments

1973. The Society became the first and the only affiliated society of the Geological Association of Canada.
1974. The first AGS Colloquium, "The geological evolution of the Atlantic Seaboard of Canada", Fredericton, 19^th-20^th January.
1976. The first meeting with the theme, "Current Research in the Maritime Provinces", Mount Allison University, 11^th December.
1977. AGS hosted a meeting of the Canadian Geoscience Council, 13^th October.
1977. The Society became an affiliated society of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.
1980. Published the "Geological Highway Map of Nova Scotia". AGS Special Publication no.1.
1980. Organized and ran the Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada.
1981. AGS Council agreed that the Society should be associated with Maritime Sediments and Atlantic Geology in an informal way.
1985. AGS formally adopted Maritime Sediments and Atlantic Geology as the official journal of the Society.
1985. Published the "Geological Highway Map of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island". AGS Special Publication no.2.
1985. Published "Carte Routière Géologique du Nouveau-Brunswick et d'Isle du Prince Edouard". AGS Special Publication no.3.
1985. Published "Occupational Safety in the Geosciences" (Program with papers, from seminar, 25^th September 1985). AGS Special Publication no.3.
1985. Published through CSPG, "Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy, Volume VI, Atlantic Region".
1986. Commenced responsibility for publication of Atlantic Geology, which consists of three issues per volume/year.
1986. Organized and ran the Symposium, "Basins of Eastern Canada and Worldwide Analogs".
1986. Published "Field Trip of Carboniferous-Jurassic Sedimentation and Tectonics: Minas, Cumberland, and Moncton Basins, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick". AGS Special Publication no.4.
1987. Released the educational video "Mineral Wealth of Atlantic Canada", 26 minutes. AGS Special Publication no.7.
1987. "Sedimentary Basins and Basin-Forming Mechanisms". Editors, C. Beaumont and A. Tankard, 527p. AGS Special Publication no.5.
1988. Released the educational video, "The Appalachian Story", 50 minutes. AGS Special Publication no.8.
1989. Published the second edition of "Geological Highway Map of Nova Scotia". AGS Special Publication no.1.
1990. Released the educational video, "The Recent Ice Age". AGS Special Publication no.9.
1991. "A Guide to the Geology, Landscapes and Mineral Resources of Nova Scotia". AGS Special Publication no.6.
1992. Organized and ran the Annual Meeting of the Geological and Mineralogical Associations of Canada.
1992. Released the educational video, "Offshore Oil and Natural Gas". AGS Special Publication no.10.
1992. Published "The Appalachian Story Video Guide". AGS Special Publication no.11.
1993. Published "Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Video Guide". AGS Special Publication no.12.
1994. Ran First Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Halifax-Dartmouth, 22-23 August.
1994. Started development of the web site EarthNet.
1995. Ran Second Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Sydney, 21-22 August.
1996. Published "The Recent Ice Age Video Guide". AGS Special Publication no. 13.
1996. Ran Third Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Wolfville, 19-20 August.
1997. Ran Fourth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Bridgewater, 18-19 August.
1998. Published "Discovering Rocks, Minerals and Fossils in Atlantic Canada". AGS Special Publication no.14.
1998. Ran Fifth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Truro, 17-18 August.
1999. Ran Sixth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Parrsboro, 23-24 August.
2000. Ran Seventh Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Antigonish, 21-22 August.
2001. Published "The Last Billion Years: a Geological History of the Maritime Provinces of Canada". AGS Special Publication no. 15. First printing July 2001, second printing November 2001, third printing February 2002.
2001. Ran Eighth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Parrsboro, 20-21 August.
2002. Ran Ninth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Digby, 19-20 August.
2003. Published the poster, "The Evolving Maritimes" on 15^th March
2003. Ran the Tenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Parrsboro, 25-26 March.
2004. Published the brochure, "Nova Scotia Rocks", 18^th June 2004, AGS Special Publication no.21.
2004. Ran the Eleventh Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, BIO, Dartmouth, 23^rd-25^th August.
2005. Organized and ran the 2005 Joint Meeting of the Geological Association of Canada, the Mineralogical Association of Canada, and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Halifax, 16^th-18^th May.
2005. Published the "Geological Highway Map of Nova Scotia", third edition.
2005. Ran the Twelfth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Halifax, 14^th May.
2005. Ran the Thirteenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Parrsboro, 15^th-17^th August.
2006. Released the education video, "Halifax Harbour: A Geological Journey".
2006. Ran the Fourteenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Dartmouth, 16^th-17^th August.
2007. Ran the Fifteenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Wolfville, 21^st-22^nd August.
2008. Ran the Sixteenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Dartmouth, 20^th-21^st August.
2008. Participated in the Conjugate Margins Conference, Dalhousie University.
2009. Ran the Seventeenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Parrsboro and Joggins, 17^th-18^th August.
2010. Ran a Teaching Evolution workshop at Acadia University in advance of the colloquium, February.
2010. Ran the Eighteenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, "Where is the geology in our environment?", Dartmouth, 17 ^th-18^th August.
2011. Ran the Nineteenth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, "What does the landscape have to do with geology?", Dartmouth, 24 ^th-25^th August.
2012. Ran the Twentieth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, "Oceans: Modern and ancient", Dartmouth, 22^nd-23^rd August.
2013. Ran the Twenty-first Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop, Halifax, 22^nd - 23^rd October, and an EdGEO Workshop in Saint John, August.
2014. Participated as host society for the GAC-MAC annual joint meeting, Fredericton, NB, 21^st - 23^rd May.
2014. EdGEO Workshop at GAC-MAC meeting in Fredericton evolved into a one-day field trip for teachers.
2014. Ran the Twenty-second Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop in Dartmouth with field stops at Eastern Passage and Cow Bay, and featuring the Nova Scotia Pebble Guide.
2015. Ran the Twenty-third Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop at the meeting of the Nova Scotia Association of Science Teachers conference in October, with a field trip to Blue Beach and St. Croix.
2016. Ran the Twenty-fourth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop at the meeting of the Nova Scotia Association of Science Teachers conference in October, with a field trip to Joggins.
2017. Ran the Twenty-fifth Nova Scotia EdGEO Workshop at the meeting of the Nova Scotia Association of Science Teachers conference in October, in Halifax West High School, "Peggy's Cove Unravelled: Granites of Nova Scotia".

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Operating Reports and Financial Statements.

Forwarded separately to the society at their Annual General Meetings.

List of AGS Directors, Including Their Affiliations.

These are listed separately elsewhere and updated every year. Visit that web page at:

http://ags.earthsciences.dal.ca/Council_Files/Council.php?next=council2021

Business Number/Registration Number

88991 8686 RR 0001

National, Provincial and Local Affiliations

National:

Member, Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences
Affiliated Society of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists
Affiliated Society of the Geological Association of Canada
Affiliated Americian Association of Petroleum Geologists
Representation on the Canadian Geoscience Education Network

Rupert MacNeill Award for Best Undergraduate Student Paper

1984. Allan A. Huard, St. Francis Xavier University, for the paper, Huard, A. and Teng, H.C. "A study of the Fisset Brook Formation at Lake Ainslie, western Cape Breton Island".
1985. David Carter, University of New Brunswick, for the paper "Lithostratigraphy of the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous Horton Group of the Moncton Subbasin".
1986. Dwaynne Beattie, Dalhousie University, for the paper, "Gravity modelling of a mafic, ultramafic association, Darvel Bay, East Sabah, N. Borneo".
1987. Alison Steele, Acadia University. "Petrography and geochemistry of the gabbronorite 1 subzone, Stillwater Intrusion: a lunar analog study".
1988. Wayne McNeil, Acadia University, for the paper (with N. Van Wagoner), "Stratigraphy and physical volcanology of the eastern portion of the Devonian volcanic belt of Passamaquoddy Bay, southwestern New Brunswick".
1989. Catherine Farrow, Acadia University, for the paper "Magmatic epidote and high-aluminum hornblende-bearing diorites and tonalites of the southeastern Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia".
1990. Robert MacNaughton, University of New Brunswick, for the paper "Ichnology of the Triassic Lepreau Formation, southern New Brunswick".
1991. Chris Beaumont-Smith, University of New Brunswick, for the paper (with Paul Williams), "Textural development in experimental shear zones using analogue materials".
1992. David Keighley, University of New Brunswick, for the paper (with R.K. Pickerill), "Strangely preserved flutes and grooves from the fluvial Port Hood Formation, (Carboniferous) of western Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia".
1993. Marcus Tate, Dalhousie University, for the paper (with Barrie Clarke), "Weekend dykes, a suite of Late Devonian spessartite lamrophyres in the Meguma Zone of Nova Scotia".
1994. Jodie E. Smith, McMaster University, for the paper (with M.J. Risk, A. Ruffman and P. Mudie, "A new archive: Late Quaternary climatic reconstruction using the deepwater coral Desmophyllum cristagalli"
1995. Ellen Tobey, Dalhousie University, for the paper (with Megan McConnell, Paul E, Schenk and Peter H. Von Bitter), "Carbonate microbial mounds, mineralized vents, periplatformal oozes and slump domes in Macumber equivalents, eastern Cape Breton".
1995. Tammy Allen, Dalhousie University, for her paper, "A study of carbonate rocks from the Late Visean to Namurian Mabou Group, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia".
1995. Marcus Tate, Dalhousie University, for the paper (with D.B. Clarke and M.A. MacDonald), "Late Devonian mafic-felsic magmatism in the Meguma zone".
1996. Vanessa Gale, Dalhousie University, for the paper, "Paleotectonic setting and petrogenesis of the Takla Group volcano-sedimentary assemblage, north-central British Columbia".
1997. Jennifer van der Gaag, Dalhousie University, for the paper, "Characterization of outburst channel sandstones in the Phalen Colliery, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia".
1998. Mark Deptuck, Saint Mary's University, for the paper, "Characterization and interpretation of Late Cretaceous to Eocene erosional features and associated submarine fan deposits in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin, offshore Newfoundland".
1999. Krista Page, Dalhousie University, for the paper (with Anne Marie) O'Beirne-Ryan, "Uranium, radium, and radon in streams and domestic well waters: a GIS analysis of geological, geochemical, and geophysical relationships".
2000. Michael Young, Dalhousie University, for the paper, "Minor folds and their relationship to regional fold evolution, central Meguma Terrane, Nova Scotia".
2001. Michelle DeWolfe, Saint Mary's University, for the paper, "Petrological evidence for extensive liquid immiscibility in the Jurassic North Mountain Basalt, Nova Scotia".
2002. David Risk, Saint Francis Xavier University, for the paper, "Physical processes controlling soil respiration: results from four sites in eastern Nova Scotia", co-authored with Lisa Kellman and Hugo Beltrami.
2003. No award because of joint meeting with GSA, northereastern section.
2004. Christopher Hamilton, Dalhousie University, for the paper, "Ice-contact volcanism in southwest Iceland: analysis of hyaloclastic flow deposits using remote sensing, stratigraphy, and geochemistry".
2005. Nigel Selig, Dendrochronology Lab, Department of Geography, Mount Allison University, for the paper, "A history mystery: dendroarchaeological investigations at the Campbell Carriage Factory", co-authored by A. Robichaud and C.P. Laroque.
2006. Adam Layman, Dalhousie University, for the paper, "Preliminary investigations of Nb in melt-fluid systems using in situ X-ray spectroscopy ".
2007. Marc Laflamme, Queen's University, for the paper (with Guy Narbonne), "Tiering in Ediacaran fronds from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland".
2008. Chris Yakymchuk, Dalhousie University (with Mary Sanborn-Barrie, Joyia Chakungal and Rebecca Jamieson): Petrology and tectonic significance of coronitic mafic granulites, Southampton Island, Nunavut.
2009. Darren LeFort, St. Mary's University (with Georgia Pe-Piper and David Piper): "Petrology of the mafic trigger of the Kos Plateau Tuff super-eruption, 0.16 Ma, Greece."
2010. Matt Stimson, St. Mary's University (with Andrew MacRae): "Evidence of fossil horseshoe crabs at Joggins: Paleoichnology and paleoenvironmental implications."
2011. Jessica Wilson, Dalhousie University (with R. Boric, J. Diaz and M Zentilli): "Geochemistry of the igneous rocks associated with the MMH porphyry copper deposit, Chuquicamata District, Chile."
2012. Mark Higgins, Dalhousie University (with M. Young, R. Cox, D. MacDonald and A. Flemming): "Placer gold provenance in the Black Hills Creek watershed, west-central Yukon: exploration strategies from grain morphology and geochemical analysis."
2013. (Tie) Evan Slater, Dalhousie University (with M. Zentilli, and J. Hanley): "Geochemical and fluid inclusion study of a suite of samples from Busang, Kalimantan, Indonesia."
and
Dawn Tobey, Dalhousie University (with G. Wach): "High resolution sequence stratigraphy of the Banquereau Formation, Offshore Nova Scotia."
2014. Ben Misiuk, Acadia University (with Drake Tymstra, Ian Spooner, and Chris White): "A comparative study of anthropogenic impact on dimictic lakes in Halifax regional Municipality, Nova Scotia: Implications for restoration and management."
2015. Emmaline Atherton, Dalhousie University (with Djordje Grujic): "Seismic strain and the state of stress in the crust of the Himalaya"
2016. Christopher Sangster, St. Mary's University (with Georgia Pe-Piper, and Yuanyuan Zhang): "Fluorine-rich ferroan calcite and diagenetic zircon in the Newburn H-23 well: Indicators of unusual diagenetic processes"
2017. Corin Jorgenson, Dalhousie University (with James M. Brenan): "Sulphur solubility of carbonatites, with implications for mass transfer in Earth’s mantle"
2018. Kate Woods, Dalhousie University (with James M. Brenan): "An experimental study of the effect of water on chromite saturation in komatiite."
2018. Max Chipman, Acadia University (with M. Grey and P. Pufahl): "New insights into a brackish Carboniferous ecosystem through the coprolites of the Joggins Formation, Nova Scotia."
2019. Liam MacNeil, University of New Brunswick (with Audrey Limoges, Guillaume Massé, and Sofia Ribeiro): "Recent changes in diatom production and sea-surface conditions in the North Water polynya, northern Baffin Bay."
2020. Olivia Rolfe, Dalhousie University (with Djordje Grujic): "Strength evolution of a crustal-scale shear zone on the example of the Himalayan Main Central Thrust."
2021. Bailey Milos, Dalhousie University: "Experimental study of the formation condition of trigonal etch pits on diamonds."

Rob Raeside Award for Best Undergraduate Student Poster

2014. Jennifer Archibald, Victoria DesJardins, Laura-Ann Broom, Jeff Minichiello, & Anne Marie Ryan, Dalhousie University: "Heavy metal concentrations in residential soils within the Halifax Peninsula, Nova Scotia: A pilot study".
2015. Kriselle Dias, Dalhousie University (with Alison Leitch): "Laboratory modelling of magma mingling."
2016. Lori Paslawski, Saint Francis Xavier University (with Alan J. Anderson, Christopher McFarlane, and Brandon Boucher): "Boron concentrations in spodumene-hosted fluid inclusions from the Tanco pegmatite, Manitoba."
2017. Jennifer Adam, University of New Brunswick (with Karl Butler, and John Evangelatos): "Inferring post-Jurassic movement of the Oak Bay Fault through acquisition and modelling of magnetic profiles across the Ministers Island Dyke in Brook's Cove, Maine."
2018. Taylor A. Ducharme, University of Ottawa (with David A. Schneider, and Mark J. Coleman): "Resolving episodes of deformation and hydrothermal quartz precipitation in the Amalgamated Break fault, Abitibi Subprovince, Ontario from microstructural and SEM-CL analyses"
2019. Dylan Wyles, Acadia University (with Ian Spooner, Baillie Holmes, Savanna Francis, and Selena Denny): "An applied paleolimnological assessment of anthropogenic impact in a back- barrier lagoon: Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia."
2020. Nicole K. LeRoux, Dalhousie University (with Joseph Tamborski and Barret L. Kurylyk): "Heat as a tracer in coastal settings: quantifying pore water fluxes using temperature, pressure, and conductivity."
2021. Margaret Scott, St.F.X.U.: "Conditions of pocket formation in Zapot pegmatite, Gillis Range, Nevada."

Sandra Barr Award for Best Graduate Oral Presentation

2008. Samantha Jones, University of Calgary (with Alan Hildebrand): "Acoustic velocity and elastic moduli profiles and corresponding fracture density and orientation patterns in artificially shocked granite: preliminary results."
2009. Jamie Braid (with J.B. Murphy, J.K. Mortensen and C. Quesada), St. Francis Xavier University: "U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology of the South Portuguese Zone (Southern Iberia): linkages to Avalonia and Meguma".
2010. Casey O'Laughlin, St. Mary's University Department of Geography (with Danika n Proosdij): " Spring-neap sediment dynamics within a macro-tidal salt marsh tidal creek: preliminary findings".
2011. Ravinder Pannu, University of Saskatchewan and Acadia University (with Nelson O'Driscoll, S. Siciliano, J. Dalziel and A. Rencz): "A laboratory method for the quantification of mercury and GHG volatilization from soils".
2012. Zabrina Prescott, Dalhousie University (with M. Stimson, L. Dafoe, M. Gibling and A. MacRae): "A microbial mat and associated trace fossil assemblage at Coal Mine Point, Nova Scotia: paleoenvironmental significance and evidence of a previously unrecorded transgression".
2013. Mitchell Kerr, St. Mary's University (with J.J. Hanley): "Preliminary evaluation of trace hydrocarbon speciation and abundance by bulk GC analysis of fluid inclusion volatiles as an exploration tool for footwall-style sulfide ore associated with the Sudbury Igneous Complex, Ontario, Canada".
2014. Justin Drummond, Acadia University (with Peir Pufahl, Claudio Porto and Mariana Carvalho): "Neoproterozoic peritidal phosphorite, Sete Lagoas Formation, Brazil: Implications for the Precambrian phosphorus cycle".
2015. Sharane Simon, Dalhousie University( with Martin Gibling): "Sedimentology and taphonomy of the plant bearing beds of the Colwell Creek Pond site in the Early Permian Clear Fork Group of north-central Texas.".
2016. Travis McCarron, University of New Brunswick (with Chris McFarlane, and Fred Gaidies and honourable mention to Jillian Kendrick - MUN): "P-T path of metamorphism for a garnet-zone schist in the western Cape Breton Highlands".
2017. Stephanie Todd, Acadia University (with Peir K. Pufahl, J. Brendan Murphy, and Kevin G. Taylor): "Sedimentology and oceanography of Early Ordovician ironstone, Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador: ferruginous seawater and upwelling in the Rheic Ocean."
2018. Matthew Stimson, St. Mary's University (with R. Andrew Macrae, Randell F. Miller, Steve J. Hinds, Nicholas J. Minter and Zabrina Prescott): "A review of Kinneyia simulans: An ichnotaxonomic approach to wrinkled microbially induced sedimentary structures from New Brunswick, Canada."
2019. Mitchell Kerr, Saint Mary's University (with Jacob Hanley, and Daniel Kontak): "Preliminary evaluation of the use of bulk fluid inclusion volatile signatures for exploration of argillite-hosted disseminated gold deposits: a case study in the Meguma Terrane, Nova Scotia, Canada"
2020. Philip Sedore, Dalhousie University (with Vittorio Maselli, Alexandre Normandeau and Calvin Campbell): "Investigation of submarine landslides and geological hazard assessment of Pangnirtung Fjord, eastern Baffin Island (Nunavut)."
2021. Luke Bickerton, Laurentian University: "Constraints on the emplacement of the South Mountain Batholith using zircon petrochronology and implications for Sn-W metallogeny in the northern Appalachians."

Graham Williams Award for Best Student Poster

1997. Sandra Marshall, Acadia University, for the poster (with Ian S. Spooner) "An investigation of drumlins in southwestern Nova Scotia: distribution, orientation and mode of formation."
1998. Nicole A. Quickert, Dalhousie University, for the poster (with Dorothy I. Godfrey-Smith, Joanna L. Casey and Alicia Hawkins), "Optically and thermally stimulated luminescence dating of Birimi, a multi-component archaeological site in Ghana, Africa."
1999. Loretta Ransom, St. Francis Xavier University, for the poster (with B. Murphy and D.J. Kontak), "Occurrence of microgarnets coring plagioclase crystals in granodiorite of the South Mountain Batholith, Nova Scotia."
2000. Christie Dyble, Acadia University, for the poster, "A high resolution stratigraphic and petrological investigation of the Braeburn Member, Charlie Lake Formation, Peace River Arch, northwestern Alberta: reservoir implications."
2001. Martin Ethier, Acadia University, for the poster, "Reinterpretation of the geology of the Cape Breton Highlands using remote sensing and geological databases."
2002. David Moynihan, Dalhousie University, for the poster, "Metamorphism and structure of the White Rock Formation in the Yarmouth area, Nova Scotia, co-authored with Chris White and Rebecca Jamieson."
2003. No award because of joint meeting with GSA, northestern section
2004. Shawna Weir Murphy, Saint Mary's University, for the poster, "Cretaceous rocks of Orpheus Graben, offshore Nova Scotia. "
2005. Tansy O'Conner-Parsons, Department of Geology, Acadia University for the poster, "Downhole trace and major chronostratigraphic patterns relating to igneous fractionation processes in the Golden Mile Dolerite, Western Australia", co-authored with C.R. Stanley
2006. Brent Lennox, Acadia University for the poster, "Post-glacial climate change and its effect on the thermal structure and habitat in a shallow dimictic lake, Nova Scotia, Canada"
2007. Helen Neilson, Dalhousie University for the poster (John Gosse), "Landform evolution in the south central Andes: determining the major mechanisms of formation of the great escarpment between 32 and 38 degrees south, Argentina"
2008. Kieran McDonald, Acadia University (with David Piper and Ian Spooner): "A Holocene sedimentary record of the Labrador Current ".
2009. Tamara Moss (with Cliff Stanley), Acadia University, "Lithogeochemistry of the Quebrada Blanca porphyry copper deposit, Atacama Desert, northern Chile".
2010. Harun Alrashid Mohamad Idris, Acadia University (with Cliff Stanley): "Anomalous Zn concentrations in the West Barneys River Intrusion, Antigonish Highlands, Nova Scotia".
2011. (Joint Winners)
Jacob Hansen, University of Maine at Farmington, (with D Reusch): "Imbricated Seboomook Group, Bald Mountain, west-central Maine: tectonic, slump, or mixed origin?".
and
Annina Margreth, Dalhousie University (with John Gosse and A.S. Dyke): "Testing the concept of altitudinal weathering zones on Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) exposure dating".
2012. Janice Allen, Dalhousie University (with Chris Beaumont): "Impact of inconsistent density scaling on physical analogue models of margin scale salt tectonics".
2013. Lea Braschi et al., Dalhousie University: "Pliocene landscape and environmental evolution in the Canadian Arctic: when was the Beaufort Formation incised? ".
2014. Lea Braschi, Dalhousie University (with Thomas Lakeman, Natalia Rybczynski, Guang Yang, and John Gosse): "Development and collapse of the Pliocene western Canadian Arctic coastal plain".
2015. Dewey Dunnington, Acadia University (with Chris White, Ian Spooner, Hilary White, Nelson O'Driscoll and Nic McLellan): "A 10,000 year record of environmental change at Long Lake, Cumberland Marshes Region, Nova Scotia - New Brunswick border region, Canada."
2016. Cody Paige, Dalhousie University: "A UHV extraction line for in-situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁴C to improve the reliability of dating strain markers ."
2017. Emily Palmer, University of New Brunswick (with D.R Lentz, C.R.M. McFarlane, and H. Falck): "Petrogenesis of the Archean Prestige leucogranite and associated pegmatites, Northwest Territories: insights from muscovite geochemistry and apatite U-Pb geochronology."
2018. Steven L.E. Rossiter, University of New Brunswick (with Bruce E. Broster): "Portable X-ray fluorescence analysis of terminal grade in basal till south of the Mount Pleasant deposit, New Brunswick."
2019. Mehmut Memtimin, Saint Mary's University (with Zhaojie Guo, Georgia Pe-Piper, and David J.W. Piper): "Facies architecture, eruption history, and emplacement mechanism of subaqueous lava-carbonate succession in Bogda Mountain, northwest China."
2020. Caitlin McCavour, Dalhousie University (with Shannon Sterling, Kevin Keys, Edmund Halfyard and Lawrence Plug): "The effects of dolomitic limestone application on forest soil and tree nutritional status on two acidic sites in Nova Scotia."
2021. Anirban Chowdhury, St.Mary's University: "Is methane clumped isotopologue the future offshore exploration tool?"

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Encana Prize for Best Poster in Offshore Geology Session

2016. Carlos Wong, Dalhousie University (with Carla H. Skinner, Bill Richards, Ricardo L. Silva, Natasha Morrison and Grant Wach): "1D thermal model of South Venture O-59, Sable Subbasin (Scotian Basin, Nova Scotia)"
2017. Isabel Chavez, Saint Mary's University (with David J.W. Piper, Georgia Pe-Piper, and Yuanyuan Zhang): "Black shale Selli Level recorded in Cretaceous Naskapi Member cores in the Scotian Basin"

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Noranda Award for Best Student Presentation in Economic Geology

1997. Kelly Janssens, University of New Brunswick, for the paper (with Tom A. Al), "Geochemical changes in the soil profile due to deforestation."
1998. Lorne C. Jennex, St. Francis Xavier University, for the paper (with J.B. Murphy and A.J. Anderson), "Geological and geophysical investigation of the western St. Mary's Basin, central Mainland Nova Scotia: implications for paleoplacer potential."
1999. Geoff Allaby, University of New Brunswick, for the paper (with B.E. Broster and A.G. Pronk), "Late Wisconsinan glacial movement in the Petitcodiac map area, southeastern New Brunswick."
2000. Ian DeWolfe, Acadia University, for the poster, "Structural and geometrical analysis of saddle reef folds at the mesothermal gold deposit, Port Dufferin, Halifax County, Nova Scotia: implications for future exploration and resource assessment."
2001. Lawrence Mireku, Acadia University, for the paper, "Geology, geochemistry and hydrothermal alteration of the Lower AB Zone, Halfmile Lake North volcanic hosted massive sulphide deposit, Bathurst, New Brunswick."
2002. Noranda decided to terminate award because of reduced activity in the Maritimes.

Gesner Medal

1993. Les Fyffe, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy
1994. Art Ruitenberg, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy
1995. Sandra Barr, Acadia University
1996. Ron Pickerill, University of New Brunswick
1997. John Malpas, Memorial University
1998. Paul Schenk, Dalhousie University
1999. No award
2000. David Piper, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
2001. Brendan Murphy, St. Francis Xavier University
2002. Martin Gibling, Dalhousie University
2003. Georgia Pe-Piper, Saint Mary's University
2004. Al Grant, GSC (Atlantic)
2005. John Calder, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
2006. Barrie Clarke, Dalhousie University
2007. Jarda Dostal, St. Mary's University
2008. Steven McCutcheon, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Bathurst
2009. John Waldron, University of Alberta
2010. Randy Miller, New Brunswick Musseum
2011. Dan Kontak, Laurentian University
2012. J. Duncan Keppie, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
2013. Chris White, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
2014. Cees van Staal, Geological Survey of Canada - Vancouver
2015. Marcos Zentilli, Dalhousie University
2016. Dave Lentz, University of New Brunswick
2017. Becky Jamieson, Dalhousie University
2018. Reginald A. Wilson, Bathurst, NB
2019. R. Damian Nance, Ohio University
2020. R. Ralph Stea, formerly at Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
2021. Erwin Zodrow, formerly at Cape Breton University

Laing Ferguson - Distinguished Service Award

1989. Laing Ferguson, Mount Allison University, termed the Special Service Award at the meeting.
1990. Howard Donohoe, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
1991. Aubrey Fricker, Atlantic Geoscience Centre.
1992. No award.
1993. Graham Williams, Atlantic Geoscience Centre.
1994. Ken Howells, Nova Scotia Research Foundation.
1995. Brendan Murphy, St. Francis Xavier University.
1996. No award.
1997. Norman Lyttle, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
1998. No award.
1999. No award.
2000. Peter Wallace, Dalhousie University.
2001. Mike Parkhill, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Bathurst.
2002. Rob Fensome and Graham Williams, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic).
2003. Bob Grantham, Johnson GEO CENTRE.
2004. Jennifer Bates, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic).
2005. Ron Pickerill, University of New Brunswick.
2006. Sandra Barr, Acadia University.
2007. Sue Johnson, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Sussex.
2008. Reg Wilson, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Bathurst.
2009. Nelly Koziel, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic).
2010. Rob Raeside, Acadia University.
2011. No Award
2012. No Award
2013. Eldon George and Don Reid.
2014. Ian Spooner, Acadia University.
2015. Jim Walker, New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines.
2016. Chris White, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
2017. No Award
2018. No Award
2019. Elisabeth Kosters
2020. Terry Hennigar
2021. Toon Pronk, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development

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AGS Nelly Koziel Award to a person who recently has made a significant contribution to geoscience, beyond the call of duty, in the Atlantic Provinces.

2018. Nikole Bingham-Koslowski, GSC(Atlantic)
2019. Tracy Webb, Wolfville, NS
2020. No Award
2021. Dave Lentz, University of New Brunswick

AGS - sponsored competitions within the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia

AGS award

2000. Keith Vaughan, Zebriski Point
2001. Keith Vaughan, Delicate Arch in winter
2002. John William Webb, moving rocks Death Valley
2003. Wayne Garland, North Mountain Basalt and Blomidon Formation, Five Islands Provincial Park.
2004. Philip Giles, Stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
2005. Philip Giles, Lowell Glacier
2006. Keith Vaughan, Hickman Arch
2007. Elio Dolente, Noel Shore
2008. John William Webb, Gliding rock, Death Valley
2009. Laszlo Podor, Lava and Ocean
2010. Viki Gaul, Bryce after sunrise
2011. Laszlo Podor, Kalapana Gardens
2012. Nick Honig, Slot Canyon
2013. Esther Terriault, Montmorency Falls area
2014. Viki Gaul, Racetrack Rock
2015. Viki Gaul, Bryce in morning light
2016. Fred Greene
2017. Viki Gaul

The Last Billion Years Award

2004. John William Webb, Walton Cliffs
2005. Wayne Garland, Economy Cliffs I
2006. Wayne Garland, Economy Cliffs II
2007. Elio Dolente, Noel Shore
2008. Wayne Garland, Economy
2009. Ken Renton, Feltzen rock layers
2010. Keith Vaughan, stepping stones
2011. Teunis Obdam, Blue rock
2012. Colin Campbell, Bramber sill
2013. Darryl Robertson, Glacial granite
2014. Mervyn Kumar-Misir, Break away
2015. Ken Renton, Basalt cliffs, Brier Island
2016. Barry Burgess
2017. Mervyn Kuma-Misir

Life Time Membership

1989. Laing Ferguson - deceased 2013, Mount Allison University
2008. Graham Williams
2012. Ken Howells

Field Trips

1990. South Mountain Batholith, leaders: Michael MacDonald, ?
1990. Cobequid Highlands, leaders Howard Donohoe and Gary Yeo.
1991. Southern New Brunswick Avalon Terrane and Grand Manan Island, August, leaders Adrian Park and Dick Grant
1992. The Cobequids, Nova Scotia, October 3-5, leaders Georgia Pe-Piper and David Piper
1994. Tancook Island, John Waldron
1996. In conjunction with Colloquium, tour of Brunswick No. 12 Mine and Mill, leaders Bill Luff and Dave Lentz
1997. Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan's Mine at Sussex, New Brunswick, Brian Roulston
1997. Yarmouth and Shelburne Counties, Rob Raeside and Ralph Stea
1998. Visit to Nova Scotia College of Geographic Sciences, Lawrencetown, Tim Webster
1998. Joggins/Parrsboro, John Calder
2004. In conjunction with Colloquium: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan's Mine, Sussex, NB, Brian Roulston.
2004. Volcanology of Northern New Brunswick - Silurian- and Devonian-Aged Chaleurs and Dalhousie Groups, 1-3 October, Reg Wilson
2004. In conjunction with Colloquium: Visit to Nova Scotia College of Geographic Sciences, Lawrencetown, Tim Webster.
2009. In conjunction with Colloquium: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan's Mine, Sussex, NB, Brian Roulston.
2011. In conjunction with Colloquium: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan's Mine, Sussex, NB, Brian Roulston.
2013. In conjunction with NS Gem and Mineral Show: Parrsboro shore: leader John Calder

Workshops

1987. John Spray, Metamorphism in basic-ultrabasic complexes
1987. APICS Workshop, organized by Graham Williams, Maturation studies and petroleum geology.
1990. Martin Gibling and David Piper, Recent developments in facies models.
1991. Edward Sampson and Howard Donohoe, APICS Workshop on Communications
1993. Louis Cabri, Mineralogy and extractive metallurgy of precious-metal mineralization
1994. No Record
1995. Mike Parkhill and Graham Williams, The teaching of geoscience in the schools.
1996. Mel Best, Pierre Keating and Mike Thomas, Exploration Geophysics Workshop I and II.
- I. Gravity and magnetic prospecting for massive sulphide deposits.
- II. Electromagnetic prospecting for massive sulphide deposits.
1997. David Lentz and Scott Swinden, An introduction to practical lithogeochemistry.
1998. Peter Reynolds, Dorothy Godfrey-Smith and Keith Taylor, Quaternary geochronology: a workshop on the theory and application of luminescence, fission track and argon dating methods.
1999. Howard Donohoe, Geoscience Software for the Professional Teacher and Student.
2000. Tom Al. Low Temperature Aqueous Geochemical Modelling with Applications primarily from Environmental Geosciences.
2004. Alan Anderson, Instrumental Development and Application of the Ion Microprobe.
2005. Jennifer Bates and Randy Miller, Geo-communication: getting your message across to peers and public.
2006. Michael Robertson (Acadia Physics Dept), Dan MacDonald (ACMA) and Peir Pufahl (Acadia Geology Dept), Cathodoluminescence techniques at the Acadia Centre for Microstructural Analysis.
2007. Ryan Toole and David Lentz, A review of physical Volcanology: a metallogenic perspective (UNB SEG_CIM Student Chapter Workshop)
2007. Terry A. Goodwin, Rita Mroz, and Toon Pronk, North American Soil Geochemical Landscape Project - Maritimes soils project workshop
2009. Pierre Jutras and John Waldron, Rationalization of the Mississippian stratigraphy of the Maritimes Basin through inter-regional correlations and nomenclatural debate.
2011. Chris McFarlane, Applications of Laser Ablation to Problems in Mineral Exploration and Ore Petrogenesis.
2011. no Record
2013. Jacob Hanley and Dan Kontak, The application of fluid inclusions to Geology
2013. Ross Clark (AAPG), "Oil and Gas exploration principles in Mature Basins"
2014. Evan Bianco, Agile Geoscience, "Computer programming for Geoscientists using Python"
2015.
2016.
2017. David Lentz, "NB CIM Workshop: pXRF applications in Geologic Research and Exploration"
2018. Robin Adair, "Subsurface Methods – How to use and interpret drill-hole data and other subsurface data for both industry and academia."
2018. Amy Tizzard, "Your Career and Public Reporting: A QP Short Course for Students (and others)"
2019. Stefan Kruse Terrane Geoscience Inc., "Structural Controls on Gold Deposits"
2019. Dewey Dunnington PhD candidate, Dalhousie University, "Creating beautiful, effective, and reproducible graphics for geoscience using R"
2020. Cliff Stanley, "QAQC Methods in Geochemical Research and Mineral Exploration, with a Focus on Gold Assay Quality Control"
2021. Anne-Marie Ryan, Dalhousie U. and Deanne van Rooyen, Cape Breton University, "Looking to the Future; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a Way of Being in our Discipline"

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Banquet Speakers

1974. John Smith, Nova Scotia Department of Mines
1976. Charlie Smith, Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada
1978. Roger Macqueen, Geological Survey of Canada
1979. No Record
1980. No Banquet
1981. Nean Allman, "The Role of Women in the Mining Industry Throughout History".
1982. Ray Price, Director, Geological Survey of Canada
1983. Hugh Morris, "Federalism, Provincialism and Separatism".
1984. Chris Barnes, Memorial University, "Greater Cooperation and Better Communications between Industry and Academia".
1985. John Maher, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, "Geo-economics and Politics from an Oil Finder's Point of View".
1986. Alan Coope, "Geological Free Trade".
1987. Bill May, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, "Employment Prospects for Geologists in the Current Economic Climate".
1988. -
1989. Graham Williams, "The AGS - Past and Present".
1990. Dirk Templeman Kluit, Geological Survey of Canada, "Geologists and the Environment".
1991. Jim Franklin, Geological Survey of Canada, "Seafloor Hydrothermal Systems and Massive Sulphide Deposits".
1992.
1993. Jack Garnett, Consultant, "Turning 21".
1994. Frank Blackwood, Newfoundland Department of Mines and Energy
1995. Alan Ruffman, Geomarine Associates, "Earthquakes and tsunamis of eastern Canada: cause for concern?"
1996. Emlyn Koster, Ontario Science Centre, "Prospectives on the Why? How? And When? In the Public Awareness of Science".
1997. Graham Williams, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), "A Serious History of the AGS".
1998. Godfrey Nowlan, Geological Survey of Canada (Calgary), "Public Perception of Science".
1999. Mike MacDonald, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, "Adventures in Mongolia".
2000. Ian Hutcheon, President of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, "CO₂ emissions and hydrocarbons: a geochemist's perspective".
2001. Scott Swinden, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, "Geoscience in a dot.com world - living in a time of change".
2002. Gordon Fader, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), " Multibeam bathymetry: a revolution in marine geology".
2003. Steve Blasco, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic(, "Diving to the Titanic"
2004. Djordie Drujic, Dalhousie University, "Journeys in the Kingdom of the Flying Dragon: Mountains, people and geology of the Bhutan Himalaya".
2005. Joe Kelly, "Landslides and eroding glacial bluffs: a problem common to New England and the Maritime Provinces".
2006. David Mosher (GSC-Atlantic), "To the Heart of the Tsunami: the Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami Offshore Survey (SEATOS - Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami Offshore Survey)".
2007. David Piper, GSC (Atlantic), "Apprenticeship in Geology: A Second Look".
2008. Dr. Godfrey Nowlan, GSC (Calgary), "Earth to Canadians: Communicating Earth Science in the International Year of Planet Earth".
2009. John Spray, UNB: "Deep Impact and the Phoenix Effect".
2010. Daniel Lebel, Environment Canada (Atlantic Region) and GAC President: "Canadian Geoscience: Charting New Territory in the 21^st Century".
2011. Jim Franklin: "Future Mineral Resources Discoveries: New Knowledge Needed for Discovery".
2012. Bob Grantham: "Adventures in Geoscience Interpretation".
2013. Grant Wach: "Burning Rocks: The History of the Petroleum Industry in Canada and the Maritimes".
2014. Sandra Barr, Acadia University: "Fifty years of Atlantic Geology".
2015. Jenna Boon, Executive Director, Joggins Fossil Centre (speaker cancelled by snowstorm - presentation by Jeff Ollerhead on Alex Colville mural and history of Mt Allison University substituted).
2016. Gerald Gloade, Program Officer, Mi"kmawey Debert Cultural Centre
2017. Randy Miller, Emeritus NB Museum, UNB Adjunct "Maybe I could try geology".
2018. Deanne van Rooyen, Cape Breton University "Furs, folds and flies: Adventures in Northern research".
2019. .
2020. Danielle Serratos, Director and Curator, Fundy Geological Museum "Not all those who wander are lost"
2021. Zoom Banquet

AGS Presidents 1972-current

1972-1973. Rupert McNeill, Acadia University
1973-1974. Michael Keen, Dalhousie University
1974-1975. Nick Rast, University of New Brunswick
1975-1976. John Smith, Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy
1976-1977. David Piper, Dalhousie University
1977-1978. Graham Williams, Atlantic Geoscience Centre, Bedford Institute
1978-1979. Sandra Barr, Acadia University
1979-1980. Howard Donohoe, Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy
1980-1982. Alisdair MacKay, Nova Scotia Research Foundation
1982-1983. Laing Ferguson, Mount Allison University
1983-1984. Ken Howells, Nova Scotia Research Foundation
1984-1985. Chris Beaumont, Dalhousie University
1985-1986. Norman Lyttle, Nova Sotia Department of Mines and Energy
1986-1987. Aubrey Fricker, Atlantic Geoscience Centre, Bedford Institute
1987-1988. Nancy Van Wagoner, Acadia University
1988-1989. Pat Ryall, Dalhousie University
1989-1990. Brendan Murphy, Saint Francis Xavier University
1990-1991. John Waldron, Saint Mary's University
1991-1992. David Mossman, Mount Allison University
1992-1993. Dan Kontak, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
1993-1994. Les Fyffe, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy
1994-1995. Brian Raulston, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
1995-1996. Susan Johnson, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources
1996-1997. Mike Parkhill, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources
1997-1998. Peter Wallace, Dalhousie University
1998-1999. Rob Raeside, Acadia University
1999-2000. Chris White, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
2000-2001. Mike MacDonald, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resource
2001-2002. Tom Martel, Corridor Resources Inc.
2002-2003. Jennifer Bates, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
2003-2004. Reg Wilson, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources
2004-2005. Joe White, University of New Brunswick
2005-2006. David Keighley, University of New Brunswick
2006-2007. Ian Spooner, Acadia University
2007-2008. Michael Parsons, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
2008-2009. David Mosher, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
2009-2010. Grant Ferguson, Saint Francis Xavier University
2010-2011. Grant Ferguson, Saint Francis Xavier University
2011-2012. Jim Walker, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources
2012-2013. Elisabeth Kosters, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
2013-2014. Grant Wach, Dalhousie University
2014-2015. Cliff Stanley, Acadia University
2015-2016. John Calder, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
2016-2017. Bob Grantham, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.
2017-2018. Robin Adair, Zorayda Consulting Ltd.
2018-2019. Lynn Dafoe, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
2019-2020. Martha Grantham
2020-2021. Dave Lentz, University of New Brunswick
2021-2022. Anne-Marie Ryan, Dalhousie University

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AGS Annual Meetings, variously called Colloquia and Symposia

1974. Symposium, Natural Resources of the Maritimes, Wandlyn Inn, Fredericton, 19-20 January
1976. Colloquium, Natural Resources of Atlantic Canada, Wolfville, Acadia University, Wolfville, 23-24 January
1976. One Day Colloquium, Current Research in the Maritimes, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, 11 Dec. Geolog, v.6, pt.1.
1978. Second Biennial Symposium, Keddy's Motor Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 20-21 January. Geolog, v.7, pt.2.
1979. Third Biennial Colloquium, Current Research in the Maritimes, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, 19-20 Jan. Geolog, v.8, pt.1.
1980. First Special Symposium, Lowere Paleozoic Rocks of the Atlantic Region, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, 19 Jan. Geolog, v.9, pt.2.
1981. Symposium, Mineral and Energy Resources of Atlantic Canada, Keddy's Motor Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 23-24 Jan. Geolog, v.10, pt.2.
1982. Colloquium, Current Research in the Maritimes, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, Geolog, v.11, pt.2.
1983. Symposium, The History, Development and Economic Potential of Sedimentary Basins in Eastern and Offshore Canada, Keddy's Motor Inn, Fredericton, 28-29 Jan. Geolog, v.12, pt.2
1984. Colloquium, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, 21-22 January. Geolog, v.13, pt.2.
1985. Biennial Symposium, Tectonic Models for the Evolution of the Appalachian Region, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 18-19 Jan, Geolog, v.14, pt.2.
1986. Biennial Colloquium, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia. 17-18 Jan. Geolog, v.15, pt.3.
1987. Symposium and Workshops, Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, Fredericton, 6-7 Feb. Geolog, v.16, pt.2.
1988. Biennial Colloquium, Best Western Claymore Inn, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. 5-6 Feb. Maritime Sediments and Atlantic Geology, v.24, no.2.
1989. Colloquium, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, 3-4 February, Atlantic Geology, vol.25, no.2. Geolog, v.18, pt.2.
1990. Symposium, New Age Determinations in the Atlantic Provinces; Colloquium, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. 8-9 Feb. Geolog, v.19, pt.2.
1991. Colloquium, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, 8-9 Feb. Geolog, v.20, pt.2.
1992. Symposium, Devono-Carboniferous Magmatism, Deformation, Metamorphism, and Related Mineralization in the Atlantic Provinces: Colloquium, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Fredericton Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 31 Jan - 1 Feb. Atlantic Geology, v.28, no.2.
1993. Annual Colloquium and Symposia, Citadel Inn, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 12-13 Feb. Geolog, v.22, pt.3.
1994. Colloquium, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, 4-5 Feb.
1995. Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Best Western Claymore Inn, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, 3-4 Feb. Geolog, v.24, pt.1
1996. Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Keddy's Le Chateau Bathurst, Bathurst, New Brunswick, 2-3 Feb. Geolog, v.25. pt.2.
1997. 25th Anniversary Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, 7-8 Feb.
1998. Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Current Research in the Atlantic Provinces, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 6-7 Feb.
1999. Annual General Meeting and Colloquium, Wandlyn Inn, Amherst, Nova Scotia, 5-6 Feb.
2000. Annual General Meeting and Colloquium, Fredericton Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 10-12^th February, 2000; joint meeting with The Environmental Earth Sciences Division (EESD) of the Geological Association of Canada, Current Environmental Research and Foci for the Next Century
2001. Nineteenth Annual Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Delta Beausejour Hotel, Moncton, 9-10^th February. AGS Newsletter, v.30, no.2.
2002. Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Greenway Claymore Inn, Antigonish, 8-9^th February.
2003. AGS/Northeastern Section Geological Society of America, Joint Meeting, Westin Hotel, Halifax, 27-29 March.
2004. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Hotel Beausejour, Moncton, 30^th-31^st January, AGS Newsletter, v.33, no.2
2005. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Saint John Trade and Convention Centre and Hilton Hotel, Saint John, New Brunswick , 4^th-5^th February. AGS Newsletter , v.34, no.2
2006. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 3^rd-4^th February.
2007. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Hotel Beausejour, Moncton, New Brunswick, 2^nd-3^rd February.
2008. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn Harbourview, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 1^st-2^nd February.
2009. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Hotel Beausejour, Moncton, New Brunswick, 6^th-8^th February.
2010. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 5^th-6^th February.
2011. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Fredericton Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 11^th - 12^th February.
2012. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Hotel Beausejour, Moncton, New Brunswick, 3^rd-5^th February.
2013. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn Harbourview, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 1^st-2^nd February.
2014. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 7^th-8^th February.
2015. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, 30^th-31^st January.
2016. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn, Truro, Nova Scotia, 5^th-6^th February.
2017. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Fredericton Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 10^th-11^th February.
2018. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn, Truro, Nova Scotia, 2^nd-3^rd February.
2019. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Fredericton Inn, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 8^th - 9^th February.
2020. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn, Truro, Nova Scotia, 7^th-8^th February.
2021. AGS Colloquium and Annual General Meeting, Zoom On-Line, 5^th-6^th February.

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Last updated: March 02, 2021

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"Although care has been taken in preparing the information contained in this document, Dalhousie University and the Atlantic Geoscience Society does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy thereof. Anyone using the information does so at their own risk and shall be deemed to indemnify Dalhousie University and Atlantic Geoscience Society from any and all injury or damage arising from such use."

THE ATLANTIC GEOSCIENCE SOCIETY

Historyby Graham Williams and Rob Raeside

Mission Statement

Plans

Activities

Programs

Who Benefits?

Geographical Area

Accomplishments

Operating Reports and Financial Statements.

List of AGS Directors, Including Their Affiliations.

Business Number/Registration Number

National, Provincial and Local Affiliations

Rupert MacNeill Award for Best Undergraduate Student Paper

Rob Raeside Award for Best Undergraduate Student Poster

Sandra Barr Award for Best Graduate Oral Presentation

Graham Williams Award for Best Student Poster

Encana Prize for Best Poster in Offshore Geology Session

Noranda Award for Best Student Presentation in Economic Geology

Gesner Medal

Laing Ferguson - Distinguished Service Award

AGS Nelly Koziel Award to a person who recently has made a significant contribution to geoscience, beyond the call of duty, in the Atlantic Provinces.

AGS - sponsored competitions within the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia

AGS award

The Last Billion Years Award

Life Time Membership

Field Trips

Workshops

Banquet Speakers

AGS Presidents 1972-current

AGS Annual Meetings, variously called Colloquia and Symposia

AGS Copyright Policy

Fair Use Policy

Disclaimer

History
by Graham Williams and Rob Raeside