2016: Reijo Salminen

Reijo Salminen, AAG 2016 Gold Medal

Silver medal winner David Cohen (left), 2017 Gold Medal Winner Stu Averill (middle), and Pertti Sarala (right) accepting the 2016 gold medal on behalf of Reijo Salminen.

The 2016 Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to exploration geochemistry is awarded to Professor Reijo Salminen, Geological Survey of Finland (retired).  Professor Salminen has had a long and successful career in geochemical research in Finland and Europe, beginning in the late 1960s and culminating as a Research Professor (geochemistry) in the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) from 1997–2010.  During this time he led numerous national and international geochemical mapping projects in Finland, the Barents region and elsewhere in Europe, managing large collaborative projects. He participated in the GTK’s international geochemical mapping projects, including fact-finding, project planning and implementation missions in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Russia and Norway. He has run undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the universities of Helsinki and Turku and supervised graduate theses.

Professor Salminen was a pioneer in developing geochemical mapping at different scales, particularly in the use of glacial till, and a leader of national & international geochemical mapping projects.  His work has been widely acclaimed by the international geological community.  His impressive publication record includes 36 refereed scientific papers as well as the lead and/or editor of 15 geochemical atlases and books.  He is, or has been, a member of the editorial boards of scientific journals, including ‘Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis’.  His leadership roles on international collaborative projects have included Chair of the European subcommittee of the IUGS/IAGC Working Group on Global Geochemical Baselines, and the Forum of Geological Surveys of Europe/EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Working Group (FOREGS) 1996-2006.  Professor Salminen has remained active in international geochemical projects since his retirement in 2010 and is a most worthy recipient of the 2016 Gold Medal.