Famous Scientist John J. Clague

 

John J. Clague

John Joseph Clague PhD FRSC (born 1946) is an award-winning Canadian authority in Quaternary and environmental earth sciences. He is a Professor of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University and an Emeritus Scientist of the Geological Survey of Canada.


Clague was the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, President of the Canadian Geomorphology Research Group and Vice President of International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA).

Clague is an expert in the science of the last 2 million years of earth geological history, and specializes in geological hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and floods. He has 35 years experience in surficial/terrain mapping, Quaternary stratigraphic investigations, engineering and environmental interpretations of surficial geological information, and natural hazard studies. He is noted for international research collaboration with other geologists, geographers, biologists, and physicists. He has published 250 papers, reports, and monographs on a wide range of earth science topics of regional and national importance. He has prepared innovative geoscience products for educators and the public, has had numerous television and radio interviews, and has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles.

He has been recognized for his internationally renowned research, his innovative communication of science to the public, and his exceptional service and leadership in geoscience


In 1967, Clague earned an A.B. magna cum laude from the Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. Two years later he obtained a M.A. in Geology from the University of California in Berkeley, California. In 1973 defended his thesis and was given a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C.

From 1973 to 1998, Clague worked for the Geological Survey of Canada in Vancouver studying the evidence and effects of historic disasters. Specializing in the study of major earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest.

Clague spent many years mapping the glacial deposits over a large area of the Fraser drainage basin of central British Columbia. This research allowed him to describe the character and extent of the ice sheet that once covered the area, the pattern and timing of ice growth and decay, and the effects of the ice sheet on the crust of western Canada.