Memorial to Robert J. W. Douglas 1920-1979

R A Y M O N D A. P R IC E Department o f Geological Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

JO H N O. W H EELER Geological Survey o f Canada, 100 West Pender Street,

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

R obert J . W. (“Bob”) Douglas, one o f C anada’s most distinguished and respected geologists, died in O ttaw a on N ovem ber 1st, 1979. A t the tim e of his death , Bob had been recuperating for about tw o m onths from heart surgery, and was looking forw ard to the prospect o f returning to his w ork as the coord inator of the Geological Survey of C anada’s Geological A tlas of C anada. The p lanning and execution of this m onum ental task, involv­ing the p repara tion of a series o f abou t sixty 1:1,000,000 scale geological maps, w ith accom panying geotectonic correlation charts, covering the whole of C anada, had occupied m uch of Bob’s time and considerable efforts in recent years. The first m ap folios, each bearing the in­delible im prin t o f B ob’s influence, had ju s t been pub­lished; others were nearing com pletion, but much rem ained to be done.

Bob D ouglas was born in Sou thham pton , in southw estern O ntario , near Lake H uron on A ugust 3, 1920; he grew up in H awkesbury, in eastern O ntario , near M ontreal. After being graduated from H aw kesbury High School, where his fa ther was the principal, Bob entered Q ueen’s U niversity in the fall of 1939. There were few students enrolled in geology a t the end o f the D epression and the beginning of the Second W orld W ar, and as a result, Bob D ouglas had exception opportunities to deal on a person-to-person basis w ith ProfessorsE. L. Bruce, M. B. Baker, B. Rose o f the D epartm ent of Geology, and Professor J. E. Hawley of the D epartm ent o f M ineralogy. He acquired a keen sense of appreciation of good science, of the im portance of good field observations in geology, and of the role o f geology in m ineral resource developm ent in C anada and elsewhere. Bob’s early training was also influenced by Jo h n F. Caley and F rank H. M cLearn of the G eological Survey of C anada. D uring the sum m ers o f 1941 and 1942, he w orked for the Geological Survey of C anada as field assistant to Jo h n Caley, w ho was studying the Paleozoic rocks o f southw estern O ntario , and he spent part o f 1941 assisting F rank M cLearn on A nticosti Island in the G ulf o f St. Lawrence.

A fter graduating from Queen’s University with a B.Sc., Bob Douglas enrolled in a graduate p rogram at C olum bia University in the au tum n o f 1942. Early in 1943, he enlisted in the R oyal C anadian A ir Force; bu t his call-up was postponed until the au tum n o f 1943 a t the request of the Geological Survey of C anada in o rder th a t he might assist J. F. H enderson in the geological m apping o f the Tay R iver area o f the A lberta Foothills. This introduction to the stra tig raphy and structure of the Rocky M ountain Foothills, prom pted by national defense requirem ents for petroleum exploration , m arked the beginning of a very productive phase in Bob D ouglas’ scientific career. Less th an tw o years later, the w ar was over. Bob had

2 Till', GEOLOGICA L SOCIKTY O F AMI.RICA

been discharged from the Royal Canadian Air Force after service as a navigator, had spent the summer of 1945 as chief of a Geological Survey of Canada field party mapping the Callum Creek and Langford Creek areas of the Alberta Foothills, and was back at Columbia University as a Ph.D. candidate working under the supervision of Walter Bucher.

Walter Bucher, with his keen intellect, rigorously analytical mind, and broad grasp of regional tectonics and of structural processes, had a profound influence on Bob Douglas. Bob’s horizons were broadened, and his faith in the basic importance of good field work was strengthened. His Ph.D. thesis was based on his studies of the Langford Creek, Callum Creek, and Gap Map-Areas, and the results were published in 1950 as Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 255. This was a landmark contribution that launched a renaissance in studies of the structure, stratigraphy, and tectonic evolution of the Foothills and Front Ranges of the southern Can.-.dian Rocky Mountains. His careful and thorough straiigraphic studies and structural mapping in this area ot complex, imbricate thrust fault structures enabled him to make perceptive empirical generalizations about thrust faulting and folding, and provided the basis for his elegant confirmation of the hypothesis that stepped thrust faults, comprising bedding detachment zones linked by steps or ramps that cut across the bedding, result in disharmonic thin-skinned folding in foreland thrust and fold belts. They also enabled him to produce balanced structure sections and the first logically rigorous palinspastic reconstructions of the Alberta Foothills. They also provided new perspectives on upper Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and early Tertiary regional stratigraphy and on the history of interaction of the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets in southwestern Alberta.

During his first decade with the Geological Survey of Canada, Bob Douglas and his field assistants produced detailed geological maps of about 13,000 km2 of the Rocky Moun­tain Foothills in Alberta between W aterton Lakes National Park and the Brazeau River. This mapping provided the basis for new concepts on the relationships between folding and thrust faulting, the origin of folded thrust faults, the over-all kinematics of the evolution of the Foothills Belt, the stratigraphy and sedimentation of Mississippian rocks in the Mount Head area, Proterozoic rocks in the W aterton Lakes area, and Cretaceous clastic rocks throughout the Alberta Foothills.

Perhaps of equal significance to these important scientific contributions was Bob’s influence on the professional training and attitudes of scores of geology students and junior colleagues, including both his numerous field assistants and the many other people who came to him for geological information and advice. During most of the 1950’s and early I960’s Bob Douglas was always heavily involved with the supervision, officially or unoffi­cially, of several graduate students. The efforts he put into these activities were substantial. His long hours of patient questioning, his long lists of perceptive critical comments on preliminary drafts of theses, his help with logistical arrangements for field work, his encour­aging remarks, and his obvious personal interest in the progress of his “students” had a profound beneficial impact that was not as conspicuous as his personal scientific publica­tions, but was probably equally important. Most of these people subsequently practiced their craft using the analytical concepts and standards of scientific documentation acquired from Bob Douglas.

In the late 1950’s, Bob organized and led one of the Geological Survey of Canada’s first large-scale, helicopter-supported reconnaissance geological mapping projects in the Cordil­lera. During the summer of 1957, Operation Mackenzie, composed of Bob Douglas, eight of his Geological Survey colleagues, nine student assistants, and eleven support staff, using two helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft, completed combined regional stratigraphic studies and systematic mapping of bedrock and surficial deposits over an area of about 260,000 km2, extending from the interior of the Mackenzie Mountains to the edge of the Canadian Shield.

M EM O RIAL TO RO B ERT J. W. DOUGLAS 3

Much of that area had been studied previously only as part of long expeditions by canoe along the major rivers. The preliminary results of this immense task appeared in a series of reports and maps that were published during the early 1960’s, when Bob Douglas was becoming more involved with administrative responsibilities, first as Head of the Petroleum Geology Section, and then as Chief of the Regional Geology Division of the Geological Survey of Canada. However, the demand for Bob’s talents in research and synthesis soon cut short his activities as a scientific administrator.

The latter part of Bob Douglas’ career was devoted to regional and national compila­tions and syntheses of the geology of Canada. His first regional compilation was the 1:3,000,000 scale geological map of the Yukon and Northwest Territories prepared jointly with Brian McLean for the 1963 World Petroleum Congress.

In 1966, Bob Douglas took on the task of organizing and editing the Fifth Edition of Geology and Economic Minerals o f Canada. In this new position, he was responsible for the organization, design, and production of the most comprehensive summary of new and important facts, concepts, and interpretations of the geology and mineral resources in Canada. This was published in 1970 as a book of more than 800 pages accompanied by a folio of seven 1:5,000,000 scale thematic maps of Canada and four regional geotectonic correla­tion charts. The Geological Map of Canada, which was his special responsibility, introduced many innovative and informative new concepts that provided important new perspectives on crustal evolution. He was also senior author of the chapter on Western Canada. The internationally acclaimed success of this project reflects Bob’s leadership, his breadth of knowledge of the geology of Canada, and his ability to grasp quickly the essential implica­tions of new discoveries, and to assess, integrate, and synthesize the large volumes of information assembled by so many others. Moreover, all of those involved in the project, from authors to cartographers, were persuaded to give more of themselves than perhaps they thought they were capable. Every bit of interpretation possible was squeezed from the data, and no effort was spared to illustrate the geology of Canada in the most effective manner.

The Geology and Economic Minerals o f Canada volume and related maps reflect tectonic thinking just prior to the evolution of the plate-tectonics paradigm. Bob’s next ventures, however, quickly incorporated parameters of significance in plate-tectonics think­ing into the design of tectonic maps. In the early 1970’s, he prepared national maps at 1:15,000,000 scale, outlining the geology, tectonics, and geological provinces of Canada for the Canadian National Atlas published in 1973. These maps, perhaps more than any others, reflect Bob’s insight into tectonics and his remarkable talent for including an incredible amount of useful detail on maps without obscuring the main message. The 1973 tectonic map differs from the Russian-style maps featuring the time of formation of orogenic belts derived from the orthogeosyncline-orogenic cycle. Instead, his tectonic map portrays lithotectonic assemblages related to tectonic environments associated with current plate-tectonics models of lithospheric evolution.

During the same time that Bob Douglas was preparing these maps, he was co-editor with R. A. Price of the Geological Association of Canada’s 25th anniversary publication Variations in Tectonic Styles in Canada. In this volume, he and Price were co-authors of the final summary chapter in which was discussed, among other things, the rationale for the various lithotectonic categories shown on the tectonic map.

The last major project that Bob Douglas was engaged in was the role of coordinator and editor for the Geological Survey of Canada 1:1,000,000 scale geological map series. In order to provide guidance for the compilation of sheets in the Canadian Precambrian Shield, Bob had given much consideration to the problems and feasibility of Precambrian correlation and the adequacy of current Precambrian time scales. This led to his last manuscripts in

4 TUI'', GEOLOGICA L SOCIETY OI- AMERICA

w h ic h w a s p r o p o s e d a p ro v is io n a l , m o r e ref ined P r e c a m b r i a n t im e sca le a n d d i s c u s s io n o f t h e p r in c ip le s u p o n w h ic h it w a s b as ed . Briefly , he su g g e s ted P r e c a m b r i a n t im e in te rv a ls s h o u ld b e d e f in e d by ty p e reg io n s , l im i ts s h o u ld be se t w i th r espec t to t e m p o r a l ly a n d s t r a t i g r a p h ic a l l y o r d e r e d s e q u e n c e s o f i n t ru s iv e a n d s t r a t i f ie d rocks , u s in g all a v a i l a b le a p p r o a c h e s . O t h e r P r e c a m b r i a n r o c k s c a n th e n be c o r r e la te d w i th th e s t a n d a r d by e s t a b l i s h ­in g s y n c h ro n e i ty o f e v e n ts by all a v a i l a b l e m e a n s . In c o n t r a s t to t h e P h a n e r o z o i c d o m a i n s , t h e P r e c a m b r i a n S h ie ld t e r r a n e s r e q u i re r e d e f in i t io n o f t im e - ro c k , t im e - s t r a t i g r a p h ic , m a g n e t o - s t r a t i g r a p h i c , a n d m a g n e t o - c h r o n o l o g i c a l c o n c e p t s in the s t r a t i g r a p h i c code . T h e s e p a p e r s , as well a s his e a r l ie r r e g io n a l sy n th e se s , in d ic a te th a t B ob D o u g la s w a s o n e o f t h e w o r l d ’s l e a d e r s in th e sy n th e s is a n d p o r t r a y a l o f r e g io n a l geo lo g y a n d espec ia l ly in th e d e s ig n o f g e o lo g ic a l m a p s . F e w h a v e u n d e r s t o o d th e m e a n i n g a n d use o f g e o lo g ic a l m a p s b e t t e r t h a n he d id .

A m o n g th e h o n o r s c o n f e r r e d o n B o b D o u g l a s fo r his sc ien t if ic c o n t r i b u t i o n s were: e l e c t io n t o th e R o y a l S o c i e ty o f C a n a d a in 1959; th e M i l le r M e d a l o f t h e R o y a l S o c ie ty o f C a n a d a in 1965; a n d th e L o g a n M e d a l o f t h e G e o lo g ic a l A s s o c i a t io n o f C a n a d a in 1976. B o b w a s a F e l lo w o f t h e G e o lo g ic a l S o c ie ty o f A m e r i c a , R o y a l C a n a d i a n G e o g r a p h ic a l So c ie ty , a n d th e G e o lo g ic a l A s s o c i a t io n o f C a n a d a a n d a m e m b e r o f th e A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t io n o f P e t r o le u m G e o lo g is ts a n d th e C a n a d i a n S o c ie ty o f P e t r o l e u m G eo lo g is ts . H e se rved as a n A s s o c ia te E d i t o r o f th e B u l le t in o f th e G eo lo g i '- a l S o c ie ty o f A m e r i c a a n d as a m e m b e r a n d th e C h a i r m a n o f th e S o c ie ty ’s C o m m i t t e e o n ! u b l ic a t io n s .

B o b is s u rv iv e d b y his wife , W in n ; tw o so n s , R o b e r t a n d G o r d o n ; a n d d a u g h t e r , Isabe l . H e w a s a d e d i c a t e d h u s b a n d a n d f a th e r w h o h a d g r e a t p r id e a n d p le a s u re in his fam ily . B o b ’s u n t i m e l y d e a t h h a s b e e n a g r e a t s h o c k to his fam i ly a n d m a n y fr iends , a n d g re a t loss t o th e G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y o f C a n a d a a n d to th e e a r t h sc iences in gene ra l . H is m a n y c o n t r i b u t i o n s to C a n a d i a n g e o lo g y a n d geo lo g is t s will be a l a s t in g m o n u m e n t to h is m e m o ry .

S E L E C T E D B I B L I O G R A P H Y O F R O B E R T J . W . D O U G L A S

1950 C a l l u m C re e k , L a n g fo r d C re e k , a n d G a p m a p - a r e a s , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y M e m o i r 255.

1951 P in c h e r C re e k , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y P a p e r 5 2 -22 .1952 W a t e r t o n , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y P a p e r 5 2 -1 0 .1956 N o rd e g g , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y P a p e r 5 5 -34 .

( i e o r g e C re e k , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y P a p e r 55-39 .1958 C h u n g o C re e k m a p - a re a , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y P a p e r 58 -3 .

(w i th H a r k e r , P .) M is s is s ip p ia n su c c e ss io n in M o u n t H e a d a rea , A l ta (J. A. A l lan M e m o r i a l V o lu m e ) S y m p o s i u m o n J u r a s s i c a n d C a r b o n i f e r o u s o f W e s te rn C a n a d a : A m e r i c a n A s s o c ia t io n o f P e t r o le u m G e o lo g is ts , p. 177-189.M o u n t H e a d m a p - a r e a , A lb e r ta : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y M e m o i r 291.

1959 G r e a t S lave a n d T rou t R iver m a p - a r e a s . N o r th w e s t T e r r i to ry : C a n a d a G e o lo g ic a l S u rv e y P a p e r 58-1 I.

------- (w i th N o r r i s , A. W .) H o r n R iver m a p - a re a . N o r th w e s t Terr itories: C a n a d a G eo lo g ic a lS u rv e y P a p e r 5 9 - 1 1.

-------L igh t h e l ic o p te r re c o n n a is s a n c e in in te r io r p la in s a n d m o u n t a in s ( O p e ra t io nM a ck e n z ie ) , in H e l ic o p te r o p e r a t io n s o f th e G eo lo g ica l S u rve y o f C a n a d a : C a n a d a G eo lo g ica l S u rve y Bulle t in 54, p. 2 0 -32 .

1960 (w i th N o r r i s , D. K.) V irg in ia Fal ls a n d S ib b e s to n L ak e m a p - a re a s , N o r th w e s t T e rr i to r ie s : C a n a d a G eo lo g ica l S u rv e y P a p e r 6 0 -19 .

M EM ORIAL TO RO B ER T 3. W. DOUGLAS 5

1961 (with Norris, D. K.) Camsell Bend and Root River map-areas, District of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories: Canada Geological Survey Paper 61-13.

1962 (with Norris, D. K.) Dahadinni and Wrigley map-areas, District of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories: Canada Geological Survey Paper 62-33.

----- (with Duffell, S.) Some aspects of Phanerozoic epeirogenic and orogenic events thatinvolve Precambrian rocks, in The tectonics of the Canadian Shield: Royal Society of Canada, p. 149-161.

1963 (with Norris, D. K., Thorsteinsson, R., and Tozer, E. T.) Geology and petroleum potentialities of northern Canada: Canada Geological Survey Paper 63-31.

----- (with MacLean, B.) Geology, Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories: CanadaGeological Survey Map 30-J963, scale 1:3,000,000.

1969 Geological map of Canada: Canada Geological Survey Map 1250A,scale 1:5,000,000.----- Orogeny, basement and the geological map of Canada, in Wynne-Edwards, H. R.,ed.,

Age relations in high-grade metamorphic terrains: Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 5, p. 1-6.

1972 (with Price, R. A.) The nature and significance of variations in tectonic styles in Canada, in Price, R. A., and Douglas, R.J.W., eds., Variations in tectonic styles in Canada: Geological Association of Canada Special Paper 11, p. 625-688.

1974 Great Slave, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1370A, scale 1:500,000.

----- Trout River, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1371 A, scale1:500,000.

----- Horn River, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1372A, scale1:500,000.

----- Wrigley, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1373A, scale1:250,000.

----- Dahadinni River, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1374A, scale1:250,000.

1976 Camsell Bend, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1375A, scale 1:250,000.

----- Root River, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1376A, scale1:250,000.

----- Sibbeston Lake, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1377A, scale1:250,000.

----- Virginia Falls, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1378A, scale1:250,000.

----- Fort Liard, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey Map 1379A, scale1:250,000.

----- La Biche, District of Mackenzie: Canada Geological Survey, Map 1380A, scale1:250,000.

1978 Waterton Lakes National Park (Precambrian), in Ollernshaw, N. C., and Hills, L. V., eds., Field guide to rock formations of southern Alberta (stratigraphic sections guide book): Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.

1980 On the age of rocks and Precambrian time scales: Geology, v. 8, p. 167-171.----- A provisional standard for correlating the Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield:

Canada Geological Survey Paper.

Printed in U.S.A. 9 /8 0