2014 Prime of Life Achievement Award

In a career lasting over three decades, Professor Emeritus (PhD) Zoli Hajnal’s main research focus has been on the use of seismic reflection and refraction studies to image the lithosphere of the Earth including sediments, the crust and the mantle. Much of his publications pertain to research carried out on surficial sediments or lithospheric and mantle materials underlying Saskatchewan. His work on Lithoprobe Trans–Hudson Orogen project has made a significant contribution to an improved understanding of the processes involved in the assembly of Laurentia, the precursor to the North American continent.

More recently, Zoli has been involved in the Weyburn CO2 Sequestration project. His work is specifically concerned with defining the structural setting and the petrophysical properties of a 3-D volume of the sedimentary succession associated with the Weyburn oil pool, and determining the long-term ability of the Weyburn pool reservoir rocks to store CO2. He is also much in demand for his expertise in the application of seismic methods in exploration for uranium in the Athabasca Basin.

His pre-retirement honours include: President, Canadian Geophysical Union (1981-83); Honorary Life Member of Hungarian Geophysical Society (1996) and Honorary Life Member, Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (1999). Recognitions following retirement include: Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2001); European Academy of Sciences (2003); Tuzo Wilson Medal, highest honour of the Canadian Geophysical Union (2013). Dr. Hajnal continues to maintain an active seismic laboratory with a team of postdoctoral fellows, research scientists and Ph.D. students, with collaboration with the international community of seismologists. He is also much in demand for his expertise in the application of seismic methods in exploration for uranium in the Athabasca Basin.