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BY HEATHER FRANTZ
Public Relations Coordinator
Calgary
On Nov. 4 Calgary's geoscience community turned out for an
informative and entertaining evening as the Canadian Society
of Petroleum Geologists, the Education Trust Fund, and the
Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists presented their
annual Honourary Address at the Jubilee Auditorium. A crowd
of about 800 was treated to a variety of presentations based
on the evening's theme, Discovery - Maps that Changed the
World.
The event was a tribute to the importance of geosciences
in understanding the past, the present and the future.
The night's keynote speaker was Dr. Kirk Johnson, curator
of paleontology and head of the Department of Earth Sciences
at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He spoke of finding
proof of the existence of dinosaurs and tropical rainforests
in the Rocky Mountains.
Dr. Johnson's speech was of particular interest because of
the geographical similarities between Denver and Calgary.
He further captivated the audience by announcing his fondness
for an Alberta treasure, the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.
Dr. Johnson entertained the crowd with stories of his recent
archaeological discoveries in the Denver area. Because of
the rapid population growth in and around Denver (about 80,000
people per year move there), new housing developments are
bringing about many new potential digging sites.
Dr. Johnson described how his work has helped uncover evidence
that the great dinosaurs once roamed the land now occupied
by urban Denver. Recent excavations led to the discovery of
Colorado's first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. (Baseball fans
may be interested to know that the Colorado Rockies mascot
is a dinosaur because of the Triceratops skull found at home
plate while Coors Field was being built.)
The evening featured two additional presentations by APEGGA
members. Pamela Strand, P.Geol., president and CEO of Shear
Minerals, discussed her experiences in Northern Canada where
a lot of land remains unexplored, including many kimberlite
sites where diamonds are found.
Dr. Robert Stewart, P.Geoph., an APEGGA councillor and a
geophysics professor at the University of Calgary, gave a
presentation on his work in Belize studying the Mayan ruins.
He described the role geophysics has played in understanding
this technologically advanced society.
APEGGA was a sponsor of this entertaining evening. The presentations
demonstrated the important role geology and geophysics play
in everyday lives. Congratulations to the organizers and all
who attended for their strong support of the geoscience community.
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