GAC Geophysics Division

The Geophysics Division actively promotes the practice and understanding of geophysics in Canada by organizing and sponsoring special sessions and symposia at national and international geoscience conferences. It offers short courses on specialized subjects and, together with the GAC, publishes special papers and special issues in international science journals.

Special sessions:

Suggestions for special sessions at future meetings are welcomed. Upcoming GAC meetings include:

Ottawa 2011 - May 25-27, 2011.
St. John's -2012

Please contact a member of the executive or webmaster with your session or short course ideas.

Recent activities sponsored by the Division

Special sessions at meetings:

2009: The Division sponsored seven special sessions at the Toronto Joint meeting (with MAC, CGU and AGU).

GA08 "Frontiers of Precambrian geodynamics"
Convenors: Wouter Bleeker (GSC), Richard Ernst (Carleton), Phil McCausland (U Western Ontario), Lauri Pesonen (Helsinki)

GA11 "The Iapetus plume event and Ediacaran paleogeography"
Convenors: Henry Halls (U of Toronto), Mike Higgins (UQAC) and Phil McCausland (U Western Ontario)

GA13 "Integrated and multi-scale studies in petrophysics and applied geophysics"
Convenors: Li Zhen Chang (UQAT), Michel Chouteau (École Polytechnique, Montreal), Paul Glover (U Laval) and Anthony Endres (Waterloo)

CG11 "Lunar Secular Evolution"
Convenors: Surdas Mohit (UBC), John Spray (UNB), Catherine Johnson (UBC), Phil McCausland (U Western Ontario)

MA03 "The Mineralogy of Mars: Missions, Meteorites and Terrestrial Analogues"
Convenors: Ron Peterson (Queen’s), Ralf Gellert (U Guelph), Chris Herd (U Alberta), Penny King (UNM)

MA09 "Manna from heaven: Insights on Solar System processes from the physical and mineralogical properties of meteorites"
Convenors: Claire Samson (Carleton), Kim Tait (ROM), Roberta Flemming (U Western Ontario), Phil McCausland (U Western Ontario)

MA10 "Defect Centers in Minerals – From Mineralogy to Geophysics"
Convenors: Sandra M. Botis (U Saskatchewan), Hans J. Mueller (GFZ Potsdam)

2008: The Division sponsored four special sessions in 2008.

Banff CGU meeting ( May 11-14, 2008 ):

1) “POLARIS- New insights into the structure and seismotectonics of Canada " ( Fiona Darbyshire)

2) “Solid Earth Geophysics Review - Recent advances in Solid Earth Geophysics” (Phil McCausland and Pascal Audet)

Quebec GAC/MAC meeting ( May 26-28, 2008 ):

SS2) “ Rock physics: Tying geophysics to geology” (Paul Glover, Anthony Endres)

SS24) “ Comparative planetology: Exploring other worlds by exploring Earth ” ( Gordon Osinski, Neil Banerjee and Richard Soare)

2007: The Division sponsored five special sessions in 2007.

Yellowknife GAC/MAC meeting in late May 2007:

1) "Comparative planetary geology: terrestrial analogues to Mars and the Moon in the Arctic " (Gordon Osinski, Pascal Lee)

2) "Short-lived magmatic events of the Slave Province and environs: critical time markers and indicators of tectonic processes " (Wouter Bleeker, Richard Ernst, Ken Buchan)

St. John’s CGU/CMOS/AMS joint meeting in late May–early June 2007:

1) “Geomagnetism, Paleomagnetism, Rock magnetism” (Phil McCausland, Joe Hodych)

2) “ The North Atlantic rifted margin: geophysical processes and constraints ” (J. Kim Welford)

3) “Geophysics for Petroleum Exploration and Production in Atlantic Canada ” (Michael Enachescu)

Pre-2007 sessions:

1. “Four Decades of Paleomagnetism in Canada”, honouring career achievements of recently retired Canadian paleomagnetists Currie Palmer and Dave Symons, at 2004 Montreal CGU/AGU/SEG meeting.
2. "Paleogeography of the North American Cordillera" at 2003 Vancouver GAC/MAC/SEG.
3. "Electromagnetic characteristics of soils and their application to landmine detection" at 2001 Ottawa CGU meeting (co-sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Mine Action Technologies, Defense Research Est. Suffield)
4. "Geophysical signatures of ore deposits" at 1999 Sudbury GAC meeting
5. "Magnetic anisotropies in fabric studies of rocks and sediments" at 1998 Quebec GAC meeting

Symposia:

1. The Division co-sponsored (with the Canadian Space Agency and the University of Western Ontario ) the 2007 Planetary Science Research Symposium in London , ON , on November 9, 2007 . This meeting coincided with the business meetings of the newly-formed “Astromaterials” and “Small Bodies” Discipline Working Groups of the CSA. The one-day meeting drew over 60 participants and featured 18 GAC-format oral presentations and three posters. Abstracts from the meeting are published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
2. "Locating old mantle plumes" at 1998 Toronto GSA meeting

Short Courses:

1. "Geophysics in mineral exploration: Fundamentals and case histories" at 1999 Sudbury GAC meeting

Recent Division sponsored and supported Publications:

1. 2006 -- GAC Special Paper 46, "Paleogeography of the North American Cordillera: Evidence For and Against Large-Scale Displacements" Edited by J. Haggert, R. Enkin and J. Monger.
2. 2001 -- GSA Special Paper 352, "Mantle Plumes: Their Identification Through Time". Edited by R.E. Ernst and K.L. Buchan.
3. 1999 -- GAC Short Course Notes, "Geophysics in Mineral Exploration: Fundamentals and Case Histories". Edited by C. Lowe, M.D. Thomas and W.A. Morris.
4. 1999 -- Tectonophysics Special Issue (Volume 307, p. vii-x, 1-219), "Applications of Magnetic Anisotropies to Fabric Studies of Rocks and Sediments". Edited by K. Benn and H.C. Halls.