Citation: Maurice Pagel - SGA KGHM Krol Medal  

The following citation was prepared and presented by J. Pašava (SGA Executive Secretary):
 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
 

I am honored to present the citation of Dr. Maurice PAGEL – the second recipient of the very prestigious SGA-KGHM KROL MEDAL. Maurice Pagel was born on April 24, 1947 in Toul, France. After elementary and high school education in Toul, he joined the University of Nancy from which he graduated in 1975. He received his Ph.D. in 1981 from the Polytechnic National Institute of Lorraine where he successfully defended the thesis “U and Th distribution and concentration factors in some granites of the European Hercynian Chain”. After the University studies he shortly served as Engineer at the Mokta Company (focused on U-prospecting). In 1976 he joined the Petrography and Geochemistry Research Centre in Vandoeuvre les Nancy (CNRS) and in 1979 he changed for the Uranium Geology Research Centre where he served as a team director from 1987 to 1997. In 1997 he left CNRS and became Professor and in 2009 Professor of Exceptional Level (Classe Exceptionnelle) at the University Paris-South at Orsay where he acted as Chair of the Departmenf of Earth Sciences (2004-2009). He retired from the University in 2012 and received the status of Emeritus Professor.

His scientific interests were fluid mineral interactions in sediments (diagenesis), thermal history of sedimentary basins, genesis of unconformity-type uranium deposits and sediment-hosted U- deposits, genesis of fluorite deposits, U-Th-REE accessory minerals in rocks and uranium mill tailings and nuclear wastes storage. He directed or co-directed some 35 PhD thesis and was responsible for 60 research contracts with national institutions, the EU and also Oil and Mining Companies. He reviewed papers for 29 scientific journals including Mineralium Deposita, Ore Geology Reviews and Economic Geology. He also organized about 35 national and/or international scientific meetings. 

Recently, he was responsible for two national research programs. Firstly, a research consortium between CNRS and ANDRA on “Present and past transfer in a sedimentary aquifer/aquitard system”, he was a Gust Editor of a Marine and Petroleum Geology” (Volume involving 56 authors). Secondly, since 2007, he has been co-Director of a CNRS-AREVA-CEA program on Uranium Resources.  He has edited several books of which the best known book on Cathodoluminescence in Geosciences in 2000.

Maurice Pagel is also recipient of numerous honors and awards (e.g., Braco not Prize from the Stanislas Academy in 1982, SGA Honorary Membership in 1999, Meeting organized in honour of M. Pagel by the French Sedimentological Association in 2014 and others). 

Maurice Pagel is one of the key persons who played an important role in the development of the SGA. In 1989 he was nominated and elected as the SGA Executive Secretary, replacing F. Saupé – the first recipient of the SGA-KGHM Krol Medal (2015, Nancy). M. Pagel served in this position until 1997. In 1991, he organized the 25 years SGA Anniversary Meeting on ”Source, transport and deposition of metals” (Nancy, August 30 September 3, 1991) and thus launched the tradition of SGA Biennial Meetings. Since 1991 M. Pagel was actively involved not only in routine SGA administration but also in the logistical support and/or co-organization of the 2nd, SGA Biennial Meeting (1993 - Granada, Spain), the 3rd SGA Biennial Meeting (1995 - Prague, Czech Republic), the 4th SGA Biennial Meeting (1997 - Turku, Finland) and the 5th SGA Biennial Meeting (1999 - London, UK). During his term he was jointly with David Ricard (Chief Editor, MD) also involved in establishing new relationships with Springer Publishing House and actively  collaborated with David Leach on further international development of the Society. 

Many of us have had the pleasure of interacting and collaborating scientifically with Dr. Pagel. Although now retired, he remains interested in mineral deposits. On behalf of SGA, I would like to congratulate Dr. Pagel on this and his other successes and we wish him all the best.