Les 3 Circulaires du CGI de 1972 à Montréal / The 3 Circulars of the 1972 IGC in Montreal
2022 Anniversaries in the History of Canadian Science and Technology
First posted Friday, June 24, 2022 / Yom shishi, 25 Sivan, 5782
By David Orenstein, Emeritus, Danforth CTI
Summer of 2022, Congress Anniversaries:
As I mentioned recently “2022 is an opportunity… to celebrate several Anniversaries, including …. the 30th Anniversary of the 1992 Quebec City International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME) / Congrès international sur l’enseignement des mathématiques (CIEM) and the 50th of the International Geological Congress (IGC)/ Congrès géologique international (CGI), held in Montréal in 1972…. [and] the 125th Anniversary… of the [1897] British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) [meeting] in Toronto.”
This summer I will be presenting many posts on all three of them, starting today with a look at the three Circulars/Circulaires sent out by the Organizing Committee for the 1972 Montréal International Geological Congress (IGC)/Congrès géologique international (CGI).
23rd International Geological Congress, Prague 1968:
In 1968, the 23rd International Geological Congress was held in Prague / Praha, initially scheduled to run from August 19 – 28, in what was then the Czecho-Slovak Socialist Republic, during the hope-inspiring Prague Spring.
But on August 21, Warsaw Pact troops under the command of the USSR invaded to crush that hope.
At the closing session, brought up to August 23 by force majeure, Canada’s offer to host the 24th IGC was accepted.
The Three 1972 IGC Circulars
I’ve been consulting the copies available at the University of Toronto’s Noranda Earth Science Library. The First Circular / la Première Circulaire, dated October 31, 1969 / du 31 octobre, 1969, is a bit battered, requiring Scotch tape to hold the spine of the disintegrating red paper cover together. Both the Second Circular, January, 1971 / Deuxième circulaire, Janvier,1971, and the Third Circular, March, 1972 / Troisième circulaire, Mars, 1972, are in much better shape.
All three were catalogued by the library on October 28, 1980. The Second and the Third were “Presented to the / LIBRARY of the / UNIVERSTIY OF TORONTO / by / Dr. J. TUZO WILSON”. Most likely so was the First.
Each Circular is a thickish English/français double pamphlet. The pagination is as follows (English/français):
1st / 1ère; 48 + iv / 48 pp. /// 2nd / 2ème; 74 / 74 pp. /// 3rd / 3ème; ii + 59 / ii + 62 pp.
Technical Programme
In the Second Circular there’s an interesting note on language usage:
“The technical sessions and publications of the 24th Congress will be in English and French only – the official languages of Canada. No exceptions…. Papers may be… in either language.
“(1)… [T]o use English or French… will guarantee [the] paper… [will be] more widely read and understood throughout the world; (2) two languages will make.. editing and publishing much easier for Canadian geologists; (3) replies indicate… 99.8% of… participants understand one or the other….”
In that pre-Internet period, it was important for you to have reprints of your paper to share, in order to enhance your scientific reputation. They would be provided, but “must be ordered before the paper goes to the printer… 100 for $40, 200 for $60, and $500 for $100.”
Déjà, dans la Première circulaire, la Programme technique était offerte dans 17 Sections, de Section 1, « Géologie du Précambrien » à Section 17, « Enseignement de la géologie ». Chaque Section étaient divisée en thèmes, variant d’un a six.
Il y avait aussi deux colloques du Congrès: « Aide au pays en voie de développement… » et « La voie de la géologie dans notre milieu… ».
On commença avec quatre colloques des sociétés scientifiques associés: De l’Association géologique du Canada, « Les divers styles tectonique au Canada ». L’Association internationale de la géologie mathématique patronnait « Application des mathématiques… ». Il y avait « Emploi des ordinateurs dans… l’exploration pétrolière et minière ». Et finalement, « Historique des concepts de la géologie du Précambrien » était l’inspiration du Comité international de l’histoire des Sciences géologiques.
L’animateur du dernier était J. B. Waterhouse, paléontologue de l’Université de Toronto. Il va m’enseigner « L’Introduction à la paléontologie » pendant 1972-1973, l’année scolaire qui suivait le Congrès.
The Excursions
As appropriate for a Geological Congress, the bulk of each circular is taken up with information about the forthcoming excursions, with overwhelming emphasis on the excursions before (Series A), and after (Series C), the meetings in Montreal. The shorter excursions (in the Montréal, Québec City, and Ottawa regions) during the Congress, and immediately before and after, were Series B.
Dans la Première circulaire, il y a soixante-six trajets proposés pour des Excursions A et C. Des uns offerts et avant et après le Congrès (et Excursions A et Excursions C), les autres ou seulement avant ou après.
La liste des excursions commençait avec A01 / C01, « Style structural de la partie sud de la Cordillère, et notamment de la partie centrale de la zone de plissements de l’Est » et finissait avec l’Excursion A66 « Géologie de îles de l’Arctique ».
Chaque excursion possédait son histoire à elle. Mais tous cela est pour plus tard.
Links
1) University of Toronto’s Earth Science Library (Noranda):
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/library-info/EARTHSCI
2) UTL Catalogue Record for 1972 IGC Circulars:
3) International Geological Congresses, IUGS:
4) J. Tuzo Wilson in The Canadian Encyclopedia / L’Encyclopédie canadienne:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/john-tuzo-wilson
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/fr/article/wilson-john-tuzo
5) J. Tuzo Wilson Medal: