James Harquail, an exploration geologist and mining engineer who worked with renowned prospectors Thayer Lindsley and Duncan Derry, has died. He was 80.
A native of Campbellton, N.B., Harquail earned his degree in geology at St. Francis Xavier University. Moving west, he worked underground at the Hillcrest coal mine in Alberta and then in the Yellowknife district of the Northwest Territories as a geological party chief for Frobisher Ltd., which discovered the Giant gold mine.
Between field seasons, Harquail earned his mining engineering diploma from the University of Alberta.
For three years, he served as a geological engineer at the Giant mine in Yellowknife. In 1950, he transferred to the head office of Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and became active in international exploration.
In 1955, Thayer Lindsley resigned as president of Ventures and invited Harquail to join him. This led to managerial positions at various exploration and development companies.
Harquail was president of Here Fault Copper and Noranglo Mines, and by the late 1950s began forming his own exploration syndicates and public companies. Examples include Fort Reliance Minerals, the Nahanni Sixty Syndicate, Redstone Mines, Cumont Mines, More Mines, and Nufort Resources. He continued to maintain his public companies on the Toronto and Vancouver stock exchanges well into his 70s.
His son, David, is an executive with Newmont Mining in Denver, Colo.
Harquail was active in the Canadian Institute Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada and was associated with mineral discoveries throughout North America, Australia, Brazil and Ireland.
He is survived by his wife, Ghislaine, three children and eight grandchildren.
+Enjoyed University of Alberta and working with Frobisher in Yellowknife. Had a great sense of humour
Had a great sense of humour and good imagination