Richard Patrick Suggate (17 March 1922 – 16 June 2016) was a New Zealand geologist, known for his research into coal properties and coal rank, and into the advances and retreats of New Zealand's glaciers. From 1974 to 1986 he served as director of the New Zealand Geological Survey.

Early life and family

Born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, London, England, on 17 March 1922, Suggate was the son of Leonard Suggate and Florence Burden. He was educated at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, graduating with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

. He married Olwyn Daphne Reynolds in London on 1 November 1944. Suggate served with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a lieutenant during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Career

Emigrating to New Zealand in 1947, Suggate joined the New Zealand Geological Survey. Initially based in Greymouth, he worked with

Harold Wellman Harold William Wellman (25 March 1909 – 28 April 1999) was an English-born New Zealand geologist known for his work on plate tectonics. He is notable for his discovery of South Island's Alpine Fault. Wellman became a Fellow of the Royal Society ...

to investigate the coal resources around Murchison. He went on to make major contributions to geological mapping in New Zealand, and to the effect of coal rank on its properties. He showed how peat is transformed into coal when buried in sedimentary basins, and showed that coal and organic sediments are the origin of gas and oil fields in New Zealand, and not marine deposits as previously believed. In 1961 Suggate was awarded a

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree by the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

through Canterbury University College on the basis of papers submitted. Suggate rose to become director of the New Zealand Geological Survey in 1974, retiring in 1986. However, he continued to be an active researcher, and developed the Suggate rank scheme, which is used internationally by oil exploration companies to measure the oil and gas potential of sedimentary rocks. In this period he also completed a number of geological mapping projects, and made a significant contribution to research on the advance and retreat of glaciers near Hokitika. Suggate died in Wellington on 16 June 2016.

Honours and awards

Suggate was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1963. In 1983 he was awarded the Hutton Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand, and in 2001 he received the McKay Hammer from the Geological Society of New Zealand, for the most outstanding published research on New Zealand geology over the preceding three years. In the

2003 New Year Honours The 2003 New Year's Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British monarch's honours system, where 1 January is marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of ot ...

, Suggate was appointed a

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

for services to geology.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suggate, Pat 1922 births 2016 deaths Scientists from London Alumni of the University of Oxford Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers British Army personnel of World War II British emigrants to New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand geologists People associated with Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand) University of Canterbury alumni Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand 21st-century New Zealand geologists New Zealand cartographers