| Dr. Raymond Thorsteinsson | |
| Birth Date: | 21 January 1921 |
| Birth Place: | Wynyard, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Death Place: | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Field: | Geology |
| Work Institution: | Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) |
| Alma Mater: | University of Saskatchewan University of Toronto University of Kansas |
| Known For: | Arctic Geology Paleontology |
| Prizes: | Order of Canada (OC) Gold Medal Willet G. Miller Medal Logan Medal Massey Medal R.J.W. Douglas Medal |
Raymond Thorsteinsson, (January 21, 1921 - April 23, 2012)[1] was a Canadian geologist who focused on the geology of the high Arctic. He was a Fellow of The Arctic Institute of North America, primarily known for his contribution to the geology of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic rocks.
Thorsteinsson was born in Wynyard, Saskatchewan of Icelandic heritage.[1] He obtained a BSc in geology at the University of Saskatchewan (1944) and an MSc in geology at the University of Toronto. In 1955, he earned a PhD from the University of Kansas.
Thorsteinsson began work in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in 1947, as a summer field assistant. One of his assignments included an epiccanoe trip with Dr. Y.O. Fortier to performgeological reconnaissance in the centre of the largely unknown Arctic region. He began his lifelong career with the Geological Survey of Canada in 1952. He spent most of his time studying the Arctic. At first, his fieldwork was completed on foot and by dog team. He advanced the study of the Canadian Arctic by pioneering the method of landing small aircraft, with oversize tires, in remote places on the Arctic Islands. His work and that of his fellow geologists at the GSC led to extensive land acquisitions during the late 1950s and early 1960s by oil and mining companies.
Dr. Thorsteinsson made significant contributions in the fields of structural geology and biochronology, as well as in regional stratigraphy. In 1973, the Royal Society of Canada noted
His work is particularly characterized by its breadth and includes structural, stratigraphic, and biochronological histories of the enormously thick rock succession of the Islands and forms the basis of all future work. As a result of his studies the geological history and sedimentary column in the Islands are better understood than those in many areas of Canada that have been studied far longer. Few scientists have been fortunate enough to be presented with such a challenge and opportunity, and few could have risen to and mastered such a challenge.
During his career, he directed several large helicopter-supported geological surveys that included other geologists from the Geological Survey of Canada and various universities working under his supervision. These surveys have resulted in the production of detailed geological maps and reports covering approximately 250,000 square miles of territory in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. His studies have taken him to every major island in the Archipelago, some of which he was the first to visit since their discovery by early explorers.
Thorsteinsson published more than fifty maps and articles. His geological maps had scales varying from 1/125,000 to 1/500,000.
Thorsteinsson also performed paleontological studies. He made fundamental advances in the knowledge of graptolites and of the extinct, primitive jawless fishes referred to as ostracoderm that lived some 400 million years ago. In 1955 and 1956, he was a visiting scientist at Sweden's Museum of Natural History where he conducted studies on these fossils. He also established the most complete succession of faunal zones in Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks in the Arctic.
Thorsteinsson was officially retired from the Geological Survey of Canada in 1992, but continued his studies in Arctic Research as an emeritus scientist with the GSC until his death in 2012. At the time of his retirement in 1992, he had completed 39 field seasons in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.