Neil Campbell (geologist)
Encyclopedia
Neil Campbell FRSC
(April 27, 1914 – July 12, 1978) was a famous Canadian geologist
, and is a notable within the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame
.
Campbell was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta
and was a 1937 graduate of the University of Alberta
's Mining and Metallurgical Engineering program. He sometimes worked for the Geological Survey of Canada during his summer breaks, and in 1935 under the direction of Alfred W. Jolliffe, Campbell mapped the Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
area following numerous gold strikes in 1933-1934. Upon his graduation from the University of Alberta, Neil Campbell hired on with Cominco who owned the Con Mine
in Yellowknife. He was involved in the exploration department of the company and over his career with Cominco he was responsible for the following developments or discoveries:
Neil Campbell was awarded the CIMM (Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
) Barlow Memorial Award in 1947 and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
in 1953. He left Cominco in 1965 to become chief geologist of a Spokane
mining company, and then 1967 pursued a career as world traveling consulting geologist. He died in 1978 in Spokane, Washington
.
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
(April 27, 1914 – July 12, 1978) was a famous Canadian geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, and is a notable within the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame
Canadian Mining Hall of Fame
The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame aims to recognize the accomplishments of leaders in the mining industry.It was conceived by Maurice R. Brown as a way to recognize and honor the legendary mine finders and builders of this Canadian industry. The Hall was established in 1988...
.
Campbell was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....
and was a 1937 graduate of the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
's Mining and Metallurgical Engineering program. He sometimes worked for the Geological Survey of Canada during his summer breaks, and in 1935 under the direction of Alfred W. Jolliffe, Campbell mapped the Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
area following numerous gold strikes in 1933-1934. Upon his graduation from the University of Alberta, Neil Campbell hired on with Cominco who owned the Con Mine
Con Mine
The Con Mine was a large gold mine located in the Northwest Territories, just south of Yellowknife. The property was staked by Cominco in September 1935 in response to the discovery of visible gold nearby. The advent of winter prevented any prospecting from being conducted, but work in the summer...
in Yellowknife. He was involved in the exploration department of the company and over his career with Cominco he was responsible for the following developments or discoveries:
- In 1943, he began research that identified the West Bay Fault in Yellowknife as having faulted the massive ore bodies at the Giant MineGiant MineThe Giant Mine was a large gold mine located on the Ingraham Trail just outside ofYellowknife, Northwest Territories. Gold was discovered on the property in 1935 by Johnny Baker, but the true extent of the gold deposits were not known until 1944 when a massive gold-bearing shear zone was uncovered...
beneath the Con Mine. This new gold deposit, now called the Campbell Shear Zone, brought new life into the Con Mine. - He developed theories about the geological nature of the leadLeadLead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and zincZincZinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
orebodies at Pine PointPine Point MineThe Pine Point Mine is located west of Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories and east of Hay River, Northwest Territories, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories. Pine Point was a Mississippi Valley type deposit. It produced lead and zinc ores from 1964 to 1988...
, on the south shore of Great Slave LakeGreat Slave LakeGreat Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
, Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest TerritoriesThe Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. As a result, Cominco authorized large scale exploration that by 1954 had outlined a huge deposit. Pine Point went into production in 1964. - He supervised the exploration that led to the Wedge copper mineWedge MineThe Wedge Mine was a copper mine in the Bathurst Mining Camp of Northeast New Brunswick. It was owned and operated by Cominco on the north bank of the Nepisiguit River. The mine was discovered in 1956 and in operation from 1962 to 1968 producing 1.5 million tonnes of ore. The ore was trucked to,...
in New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, the Magmont lead and zinc mine in MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and potashPotashPotash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
mines in SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
Neil Campbell was awarded the CIMM (Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum is a technical society of professionals in the Canadian minerals, metals, materials and energy industries. It was founded in 1898. In 2006, the organization had 12,000 national members...
) Barlow Memorial Award in 1947 and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
in 1953. He left Cominco in 1965 to become chief geologist of a Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
mining company, and then 1967 pursued a career as world traveling consulting geologist. He died in 1978 in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.