HONORARY NOTES

 

AWARDS

 

IUGS International Commission on Stratigraphy

 

ICS Stratigraphy Prizes

 

Introduction

The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) is a leading Commission of the International Union of Geological Sciences, with responsibility for establishing international standards in stratigraphy such as the International Chronostratigraphical Scale, defined by boundary stratotypes (GSSPs), and the Geological Time-scale.

 

Definition

Stratigraphy is the core discipline of the Geological Sciences, concerned with the relationships in time and space of rocks (including sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks) and other geological phenomena such as structures. Results and interpretations deriving from other disciplines can only be integrated into a coherent all-embracing geological history if based on sound Stratigraphy.

 

ICS Prizes

To emphasise the key role of Stratigraphy the International Commission on Stratigraphy is establishing two ICS Prizes, to be awarded every four years during an International Geological Congress. The first awards will be made at the 32nd IGC in Florence, 2004.

 

The awards will be made at two levels:

1.                                The Digby McLaren Medal will be awarded to honour a significant body of internationally important contributions to Stratigraphy sustained over a number of years. The contributions can be in research (through publication of papers, monographs or books) or in education (through development of influential educational material or resources). It is expected that a major proportion of this work be published in an international language. The medal is named in honour of the Canadian geologist Digby McLaren who was so influential in developing the key “golden spike” concept of a GSSP with reference to the Silurian/Devonian boundary, and a major force in the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP).

 

2.                                The ICS Medal will be awarded to honour high quality research in Stratigraphy by recognising a singular major achievement in advancing stratigraphical knowledge.  The research can be either in the development of new methods of analysis in Stratigraphy or in the presentation of new data and/or interpretation of the geological history of an area. No limitations of size or scale are suggested. The geographical scope of the work need not necessarily be international, but the work should be an internationally significant contribution of new and important knowledge. The language of publication of the work is not important and one single paper of distinction or a series of papers over a short time that have the same impact may be involved.

 

Nominations and Selection

Nominations for either of the Awards are solicited from any source, not just members of the Commission and its Subcommissions. Please give a brief biographical background, a reasoned case for the Nominee and, if necessary, translation of at least abstracts into English so that independent judgements can be made.

The ICS has established a committee to elicit and evaluate nominations for the two ICS Prizes, before making recommendations to all members of the Commission, who must approve the nominations by a clear majority vote.

Nomination documents should be submitted to:

 

EITHER

Dr. Nicol Morton

Le Chardon, Dept. of Geological Sciences, Quartier Brugière, 07200 Vogüé, France

Tel. ** 33 4 75 37 03 80                     

E-mail: NICOL.MORTON@wanadoo.fr         

OR

Prof. Stan Finney

California State University

Long Beach, CA 9084

USA

Tel. ** 1 562 985 8637

E-mail: scfinney@csulb.edu

 

By (date to be established)

 

For further information please contact either Nicol Morton or Stan Finney.

 

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During the year 2002 John C. W. Cope was awarded the Coke Medal of the Geological Society of London.

 

 

IN MEMORIAM

 

Ivo Chlupac (1931-2002).

 

Ivo Chlupac, famous Czech geologist, stratigrapher and alaeontologist, died on November 7th 2002 in Praha. He had been educated at the Geological-Geographical Faculty, Charles University, Praha. Although his lifelong professional carieer is related to the Czech Geological Survey, Praha, after the political changes in 1989, he habilitated to Professor and became Director of the Institute of Geology and Paleontology at Charles University in Praha. His name is associated especially with studies of various aspects of Devonian strata and fossils (esp. trilobites, phyllocarids and goniatites), and, particularly, with the International Stratotype of the Silurian-Devonian Boundary. However, he published also several very important papers on metamorphosed sedimentary formations and on the Ordovician of the Barrandian area (studies on non-trilobite arthropods – crustaceans, chelicerates, and problematic taxa).

Ivo Chlupac was one of leading experts of the Czech geology, very widely experienced, extremely liking field work. His knowledge, exactitude, interest and enthusiasm predestined him to work on many topics in the Paleozoic, from the Cambrian up to the Carboniferous. With his personal modesty and kindness Professor Ivo Chlupac has influenced at least two generations of Czech geologists, and with his numerous articles and books he will certainly influence many future generations. He gave courses on historical geology at Charles University and in this activity he continued as Emeritus Professor up to October 2002 when the illness took hold on him. Ivo Chlupac worked for international stratigraphical commissions, the most important membership (since 1974) was in the International Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy. He is also the author of several well-known popular guidebooks to the Barrandian area.

 

Petr Kraft, Jaroslav Kraft and Vaclav Petr