Citation by Hedenquist
Introduction of Richard H. Sillitoe, SGA Gold Medallist, Glasgow, 2019, by Jeffrey W.
Hedenquist
Richard H. Sillitoe, the leading practitioner in the profession of economic geology, isbeing recognized today with the SGA Newmont Gold Medal; this is a momentous event.
Dick's early work was in South America, which led to the publication of a dozen papers prior to the mid 1970s, by the time he was 30. They covered a wide variety of topics related to mineralogy and ore deposits, as well as earth processes such as tectonics, volcanism, and weathering. Many of these papers presented ideas that were new at the time, and like all iconoclasts, Dick suffered push-back from numerous establishment figures. Who was this British upstart, still wet behind the ears?
These publications included the first observations for a relationship between subduction and porphyry copper deposits, a decade before petrologists started to think about subduction recycling. Dick also argued for a genetic association between volcanism and the hydrothermal systems that form porphyry ore deposits – a contentious issue at the time – after observing variably-eroded volcanoes while flying south along the Cordillera, and subsequently ground truthing some of them. At the end of this formative period, Dick started to consult in mineral exploration, soon becoming involved with the discovery of a variety of ore deposits. His work with industry, while at the same time publishing in leading journals – a dichotomy to some – continues to this day. His published record, over 140 papers in international journals and books at last count, extends from first descriptions of ore deposits, or their reinterpretation, through ore-formation and earth processes, to reviews. One of his more notable overviews, simply entitled Porphyry Copper Systems, has been cited well over 1600 times since 2010. In addition to a publication record of which any academic would be proud – with manuscripts penned in his free time, largely on aeroplanes – he has written over 950 technical reports for clients.
For the younger people in the audience, I should back up a bit and fill you in on Dick's early career. While completing a B.Sc. Honours degree in Geology at London University, he supplemented his student stipend with some part-time copywriting. However, on graduation, he was offered a Ministry of Overseas Development fellowship to investigate supergene oxidation and enrichment of copper deposits in Chile; fortunately for us, this is what he chose. Three years later, in the summer of 1968, he was back in London writing when the director of the Chilean Geological Survey unexpectedly showed up and Dick, being the only Spanish speaker available in the department, was assigned to assist. This fortuitous meeting led to Dick being offered a position in Chile – as Dick says, his only real job – until events three years later led to his departure. This is when the next fortuitous opportunity came by, to advise on a copper project. Dick has never looked back, consulting on nearly 1000 field-based assignments on numerous commodities and ore deposit types in over half the world's countries for more than 300 companies, plus four international organizations and seven governments.
I first met Dick while a research student, when I drove him to the top of a rhyolite dome that had recently been split by a basaltic eruption. Given the steep and slippery slope, I opted for the momentum that speed provides. About half way up - knuckles white from gripping the roll bar - Dick firmly suggested that I slow down. That was the start of his long influence on me, in which he has served as an example to aspire to. I know numerous others who also have had their careers significantly influenced by this itinerant geologist.
If anyone thinks that this is a eulogy, they would be mistaken. Dick's career has been centered on prodigious field-based investigations over more than five decades, and yet he shows little real indication of slowing down, with a good part of the year still spent on assignment.
Coupled with Dick's extraordinary insight, his observations in the field have led to numerous new interpretations, many subsequently demonstrated to be correct, often at the end of a drill hole. However, the best observations and interpretations are of little consequence unless they are communicated, and this is where Dick's mastery of language comes to the fore. He merges a focused discipline – second to none – with the ability to write clearly and concisely, whether it be a company report or an article in Nature. Dick's thorough knowledge of the literature is legendary, and his notable recall allows him to build on previous observations and ideas by others, which he cites scrupulously. These are the reasons why I started with the adjective "momentous" to describe today's ceremony, as SGA is recognizing the importance of field work, observation, scholarship and communication. I trust that some of the younger members of the audience may see a way forward, following Dick's example.
Acceptance of the SGA-Newmont Gold Medal 2019
I received the news that I’d been awarded the SGA-Newmont Gold Medal for 2019 while in the small coastal town of Puerto San Julián in Patagonia, southernmost Argentina – where Charles Darwin and the Beagle made landfall in 1834. Perhaps I got the award for contributions to discovery, for writing a few well-received papers in my spare time or a bit of both. Nonetheless, I felt honoured and thrilled to get it although one of my proposers later told me that he felt relieved.
I’d love to regale you with some good stories of life on the road as a geological consultant in 100 countries and for more years than I care to remember (or admit), but time constraints and the formality of the occasion unfortunately prevent it. Some of you may have conducted fieldwork in Afghanistan (where I was visited by Kalashnikov-toting tribesmen while sleeping under the stars), Dominica (almost washed away in a thunderstorm), Greenland (living on an ice-breaker), Madagascar (using Mr Oppenheimer’s blue suede-lined private helicopter), North Korea (confronted by a phalanx of tanks on straying into the DMZ) or Tibet (a two-day property inspection extended to three weeks by diabolical weather); however, I suspect no one has had the pleasure of working in all of them.
On occasions like this, it seems customary to address a topic of greater significance than one’s own professional life. I’ve chosen to say a few words about the continuing importance and benefits of geological fieldwork, over and above the obvious ones of seeing the world, enjoying the natural environment and staying reasonably fit without an expensive gym membership. My proposition is that mapping and drill core logging of many mineral deposits and prospects throughout single metallogenic provinces or, even better, globally enables appreciation of geological features, relationships and processes that are rarely apparent from detailed, single-deposit studies, especially when these are predominantly laboratory based. Using examples with which I’m most familiar, recognition of the significance of advanced argillic lithocaps, alteration-mineralization telescoping and diatreme breccias in porphyry copper systems or the linkages between porphyry copper and epithermal deposits requires comparative studies for their proper appreciation. Subsequent detailed analytical studies of individual localities can then enhance understanding and contribute further to genetic interpretation.
Furthermore, I would argue that it is precisely such overarching features and concepts that, once they have become familiar to the exploration community, advance comprehension of mineral systems and, as a direct consequence, increase the effectiveness of exploration and lead to discovery. In terms of the above examples, deep drilling for porphyry copper deposits beneath advanced argillic lithocaps and high-sulphidation epithermal mineralization is fast becoming commonplace in attempts to secure the deep copper resources that will be needed for our future low-carbon society.