Raymond Thorsteinsson

Thorsteinsson was officially retired from the Geological Survey of Canada in 1992, but continued his studies in Arctic Research as an Emeritus Scientist with the GSC until his death in 2012. At the time of his retirement in 1992, he had completed 39 field seasons in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Dr. Thorsteinsson made significant contributions in the fields of structural geology and biochronology, as well as in regional stratigraphy. In 1973, the Royal Society of Canada noted

Thorsteinsson also performed paleontological studies. He made fundamental advances in the knowledge of graptolites and of the extinct, primitive jawless fishes referred to as ostracoderm that lived some 400 million years ago. In 1955 and 1956, he was a visiting scientist at Sweden's Museum of Natural History where he conducted studies on these fossils. He also established the most complete succession of faunal zones in Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks in the Arctic.

Thorsteinsson began work in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, in 1947, as a summer field assistant. One of his assignments included an epic canoe trip with Dr. Y.O. Fortier to perform geological reconnaissance in the centre of the largely unknown Arctic region. He began his lifelong career with the Geological Survey of Canada in 1952. He spent most of his time studying the Arctic. At first, his fieldwork was completed on foot and by dog team. He advanced the study of the Canadian Arctic by pioneering the method of landing small aircraft, with oversize tires, in remote places on the Arctic Islands. His work and that of his fellow geologists at the GSC led to extensive land acquisitions during the late 1950s and early 1960s by oil and mining companies.

Thorsteinsson was born in Wynyard, Saskatchewan of Icelandic heritage. He obtained a BSc in geology at the University of Saskatchewan (1944) and an MSc in geology at the University of Toronto. In 1955, he earned a PhD from the University of Kansas.

Raymond Thorsteinsson, OC FRSC (January 21, 1921 – April 23, 2012) was a Canadian geologist who focused on the geology of the high Arctic. He was a Fellow of The Arctic Institute of North America, primarily known for his contribution to the geology of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic rocks.