A Brief History of the CGU

JT_Wilson_1992_300
John Tuzo Wilson, 1992.

On October 24, 1945, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) convened the first meeting of an Associate Committee to advise it on the needs of geophysics, with J. Tuzo Wilson as the Committee Chair. In 1946, this committee was amalgamated with the Canadian Committee for the IUGG to form the Associate Committee of Geodesy and Geophysics (ACGG) of the NRC, with activities of Canadian geophysicists coordinated by a number of ACGG subcommittees. In 1974, the ACGG was replaced by a professional society called “The Canadian Geophysical Union, a joined Division of the Geological Association of Canada (GAC) and the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)”; J.T. Wilson was its first president.
The Canadian Geophysical Union became an independent organization in 1988, but geophysicists can still join us through CAP or the Geophysics Division of GAC.


Past Presidents

People who have helped lead the CGU over the last 50 years:

No.CGU PresidentYearsAffiliation
25Julian Lowman2021-2023University of Toronto Scarborough
24Carl Mitchell2019-2021University of Toronto Scarborough
23Richard Petrone2017-2019University of Waterloo
22Claire Samson2015-2017Carleton University
21Brian Branfireun2013-2015University of Western Ontario
20Gail Atkinson2011-2013University of Western Ontario
19Spiros Pagiatakis2009-2011York University
18John Pomeroy2007-2009University of Saskatchewan
17Gary Jarvis2005-2007York University
16Philip Marsh2003-2005Environment Canada
15David W.S. Eaton2001-2003University of Western Ontario
14Terry D. Prowse1999-2001Environment Canada
13Larry A. Mayer1997-99University of New Brunswick
12Roy D. Hyndman1995-97Natural Resources Canada
11Garry K. Clarke1993-95University of British Columbia
10W.R. (Dick) Peltier1991-93University of Toronto
9D.E. (Doug) Smylie1989-91York University
8Petr Vaníček1987-89University of New Brunswick
7David J. Dunlop1985-87University of Toronto
6Zoltan Hajnal1983-85University of Saskatchewan
5M.J. Keen1981-83Energy and Mine Resources Canada
4R.D. (Don) Russell1979-81University of British Columbia
3D.W. (Dave) Strangway1977-79University of Toronto
2D.I. (Ian) Gough1975-77University of Alberta
1J. Tuzo WilsonFeb.1974-75Ontario Science Centre
 –J. Maybank,E. Blanchard,J. Roy, J.A. Jacobs, A.E. Beck, M.J. Keen, and Petr Vaníček21-Feb-74Founding Members