U of S Gold Deposit Expert Receives Prestigious Medal

Posted May 28, 2003


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 28, 2003 2003-05-35-ENG

U of S Gold Deposit Expert Receives Prestigious Medal

Today University of Saskatchewan geochemist Robert Kerrich was awarded the
prestigious Duncan Derry Medal by the Geological Association of Canada's
Mineral Deposits Division for his extensive contributions to the study of
mineral deposits that bolster the Canadian economy.

Kerrich was nominated by his peers across Canada for his scientific
expertise, enthusiastic research in diverse Earth sciences, and commitment
to generating excitement about geology among students. The award was
presented in Vancouver at the GAC's annual luncheon.

"Professor Kerrich is a pre-eminent Canadian geochemist and world expert on
the geochemistry of gold deposits," said U of S President Peter MacKinnon.
"We are proud to have such an accomplished researcher on our faculty and
delighted that he has received this well-deserved recognition for his
numerous contributions to Earth science."

He has contributed significantly to the understanding of how the Earth's
crust evolved, work which has been important to the mining industry. He has
also applied his understanding of earth processes to environmental science,
investigating problems in fields as diverse as agricultural and health
sciences.

His research has been conducted in China, Africa, Australia, South America,
Scandinavia, and Southern Europe, as well as in Canada and the United
States. His work is internationally recognized in four fields of geology:
ore deposits, stable-isotope geochemistry, fracture mechanics, and
geodynamics.

Kerrich provided the first clear evidence that the Earth's ancient oceanic
and continental crust avalanched 3,000 kilometres to the Earth's core and
returned to the surface as volcanoes. He also developed what is now widely
regarded as the standard model of how gold deposits are formed -- by fluids
circulating through ancient mountain belts in areas where plates of the
Earth's crust once collided.

He is now testing three competing hypotheses for the origin of Earth's
atmosphere and oceans. Using a specialized U of S laboratory, he will
measure rocks of a variety of ages for nitrogen content and nitrogen
isotopes. The outcome is expected to be a clearer "window" to the early
history of planet Earth when the atmosphere and oceans that sustain life
were first acquired.

Other notable honours bestowed on Kerrich include: a Killam Research
Fellowship (2003); the Willett G. Miller Medal of the Royal Society of
Canada (1999) which is awarded once every two years for outstanding research
in the earth sciences; Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1992); and the
W.H. Gross Medal of the Geological Association of Canada (1988), awarded
annually to a young geologist who has made outstanding contributions to the
field of economic geology in Canada. He has also received the NSERC Steacie
Fellowship.

Kerrich earned his Master's (1972) and Ph.D. (1975) degrees at Imperial
College, London, UK. He joined the U of S department of geological sciences
in 1987 as the first holder of the George J. McLeod Chair in Geology. In
1996, he was awarded an Earned Doctor of Science from the U of S. He is
also a visiting professor in the Australian National University, Canberra
and at the University of Western Australia, Perth.

-30-

For more information, contact:

Dr. Robert Kerrich
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5719
robert.kerrich@usask.ca


Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications Officer
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research