Dr. John J. Clague

Shrum Research Professor
CRC Chair in Natural Hazard Research

Department of Earth Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia
Phone: 778-782-4924
  Fax: 778-782-4198
   E-mail: jclague@sfu.ca



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John Clague is one of Canada’s leading authorities in Quaternary and environmental earth sciences; Professor and Shrum Chair in Science at Simon Fraser University; Emeritus Scientist, Geological Survey of Canada; Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; Professional Geologist, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia; 30 years experience in surficial/terrain mapping, Quaternary stratigraphic investigations, engineering and environmental interpretations of surficial geological information, and natural hazard studies; noted for local, national, and international research collaboration with other geologists, geographers, biologists, and physicists.


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Impact
Professional Service
Education
Research Interests
Recent Publications
Image Gallery

Impact

John Clague has published 200 papers, reports, and monographs on a wide range of earth science topics of regional and national importance.  He has prepared innovative geoscience products for educators and the public.  He has had numerous television and radio interviews (CBC Newsworld, CBC Radio, CTV Television) and has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles (Vancouver Sun, Victoria Times-Colonist, Equinox, Beautiful B.C., Westside News, The Westerly News).  Clague’s research was featured in a 1997 Discovery Channel documentary on earthquakes and tsunamis on the west coast of Canada.  He has influenced Quaternary scientists in the United States and Europe and his research on earthquakes, landslides, and floods has greatly increased public and official awareness of these hazards.

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Professional Service

John Clague is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences and is currently Vice President of INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research).  He is a member of numerous national and international professional committees and commissions, supervises numerous M.Sc. and Ph.D. students at Simon Fraser University, and serves on the supervisory committees of many more.  Clague has given about 200 lectures at several North American universities, professional meetings, and public venues, and reviewed scores of papers for scientific journals.

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Education

Ph.D., Geology 1973 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
M.A., Geology 1969 University of California, Berkeley, California
A.B. magna cum laude, 1967 Occidental College, Los Angeles, California

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Research Interests

Prospective graduate students, interested in any of these topics, are welcome to apply for admission into the M.Sc. program in Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University under Clague’s supervison.

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Recent Publications

Clague, J.J. 2000. Recognizing order in chaotic sequences of Quaternary sediments in the Canadian Cordillera. Quaternary International, v. 68-71, p. 29-38.

Clague, J.J. and Slaymaker, O. 2000 (editors). Canadian Geomorphology 2000; Geomorphology, v. 32, nos. 3-4, p. 203-435.

Clague, J.J. and Slaymaker, O. 2000. Canadian geomorphology 2000: Introduction. Geomorphology, v. 32, p. 203-221.

Clague, J.J. and Turner, R.J. 2000. Climate change in southwestern British Columbia: Extending the boundaries of earth science. Geoscience Canada, v. 27, p. 111-120.

Clague, J.J., Bobrowsky, P.T., and Hutchinson, I. 2000. A review of geological records of large tsunamis at Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 19, p. 849-863.

Clague, J., Atwater, B, Wang, K., Wang, Y., and Wong, I. (compilers). 2000. Penrose Conference 2000, Great Cascadia Earthquake Tricentennial, program summary and abstracts. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, Special Paper 33.

Clague,J.J., Atwater, B.F., Wang, K., Wang, Y., and Wong, I. (compilers). 2000. Proceedings of the Geological Society of America Penrose Conference: Great Cascadia Earthquake Tricentennial. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3938.

Clague, J.J., Brooks, G.R., Evans, S.G., and VanDine, D.F. 2000. Quaternary and engineering geology of the Fraser and Thompson River valleys, southwestern British Columbia. In Guidebook for Geological Field Trips in Southwestern British Columbia and Northern Washington. Edited by G.J.
Woodsworth, L.E. Jackson, Jr., J.L. Nelson, and B.C. Wards. Geological Association of Canada, Cordilleran Section, Vancouver, B.C., p. 49-86.

Hutchinson, I., Guilbault, J-P., Clague, J.J., and Bobrowsky, P.T. 2000. Tsunamis and tectonic deformation at the northern Cascadia margin: a 3000-year record from Deserted Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Holocene, v. 10, p. 429-439.

James, T.S., Clague, J.J., Wang, K., and Hutchinson, I. 2000. Postglacial rebound at the northern Cascadia subduction zone. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 19, p. 1527-1541.

Monahan, P.A., Luternauer, J.L., Barrie, J.V., and Clague, J.J. 2000. Variation in CPT tip resistance with age and its application to liquefaction susceptibility mapping in the Fraser River delta, British Columbia, Canada. Proceedings, 6th International Conference on Seismic Zonation, Palm Srings, CA, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, v. 1, p. 637-642.
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Clague, J.J. 1999. Tsunami threat on the west coast. Backscatter, v. 10, no. 4, p. 10-13.

Clague, J.J. and Bobrowsky, P.T. 1999. The geological signature of great earthquakes off Canada’s west coast. Geoscience Canada, v. 26, p. 1-15.

Clague, J.J., Hutchinson, I., Mathewes, R.W., and Patterson, R.T. 1999. Evidence for late Holocene tsunamis at Catala Lake, British Columbia. Journal of Coastal Research, v. 15, p. 45-60.

Clague, J.J., Turner, R.J.W., and Shimamura, K. 1999. Vancouver’s landscape. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3722.

Evans, S.G. and Clague, J.J. 1999. Rock avalanches on glaciers in the Coast and St. Elias Mountains, British Columbia. In Slope Stability and Landslides (Proceedings, 13th Annual Vancouver Geotechnical Conference). BiTech Publishers, Richmond, B.C., p. 115-123.

Turner, R.J.W. and Clague, J.J. 1999. Redesigning the geological map for the public audience. GSA Today, v. 9, no. 10, p. 8-9.

Benson, B.E., Clague, J.J., and Grimm, K.A. 1999. Relative sea-level change inferred from intertidal sediments beneath marshes on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Quaternary International, v. 60, p. 49-54.

Patterson, R.T., Guilbault, J.-P., and Clague, J.J. 1999. Taphonomy of tidal marsh foraminfiera: implications of surface sample thickness for high-resolution sea-level studies. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 149, p. 199-211.
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Clague, J.J. 1998. Geological setting of the Fraser River delta. In Geology and Natural Hazards of the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia. Edited by J.J.

Clague, J., L. Luternauer, and D.C. Mosher. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 525, p. 7-16.

Clague, J.J. 1998. Surficial geology, Cluculz Lake, British Columbia (NTS 93G/NW). Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3638, map, 1 sheet, 1:100 000-scale.

Clague, J.J. 1998. Surficial geology, West Road (Blackwater) River, British Columbia (NTS 93G/SW). Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3639, map, 1 sheet, 1:100 000-scale.

Clague, J.J. and Evans, S.G. 1998. Natural hazards in the Canadian Cordillera. In Engineering Geology; A Global View from the Pacific Rim. Edited by D.P. Moore and O. Hungr. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Proceedings, 8th International Congress, International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment, Vancouver, B.C., v. 1, p. 17-44.

Clague, J.J. and Turner, R.J. 1998. Geoscape Vancouver slide set. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3581, 40 slides, 12 p. notes.

Clague, J.J., Bobrowsky, P.T., Hutchinson, I., and Mathewes, R.W. 1998. Geological evidence for past large earthquakes in southwest British Columbia. In Current Research 1998-A. Geological Survey of Canada, p. 217-224.

Clague, J.J., Luternauer, J.L., and Mosher, D.C. (editors). 1998. Geology and natural hazards of the Fraser River delta, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 525, 270 p.

Clague, J.J., Luternauer, J.L., Monahan, P.A., Edwardson, K.A., Dallimore, S.R., and Hunter, J.A. 1998. Quaternary stratigraphy and evolution of the Fraser delta. In Geology and Natural Hazards of the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia. Edited by J.J. Clague, J.L. Luternauer, and D.C. Mosher. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 525, p. 57-90.

Clague, J.J., Naesgaard, E., and Mathewes, R.W. 1998. Geologic evidence for prehistoric earthquakes. In Geology and Natural Hazards of the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia. Edited by J.J. Clague, J.L. Luternauer, and D.C. Mosher. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 525, p. 177-194.

Clague, J.J., Turner, R., and Groulx, B. 1998. Initiatives in geoliteracy: making earth science accessible to Vancouver residents. Innovation, v. 2, no. 4, p. 12-16.

Clague, J.J., Turner, R., and Groulx, B. 1998. Geoscape Vancouver; a new geoscience poster. Discovery, v. 27, no. 1, p. 10-12.

Evans, S.G. and Clague, J.J.. 1998. Rock avalanche from Mount Munday, Waddington Range, British Columbia, Canada. Landslide News, no. 11, p. 23-25.

Luternauer, J.L., Mosher, D., Clague, J.J., and Atkins, R.J. 1998. Sedimentary environments of the Fraser delta. In Geology and Natural Hazards of the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia. Edited by J.J. Clague, J.L. Luternauer, and D.C. Mosher. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 525, p. 27-39.

Mustard, P.S., Clague, J.J., Woodsworth, G.J., Hickson, C.J., Jackson, L.E., Jr., Luternauer, J.L., Monger, J.W.H., Ricketts, B.D., Turner, R.J.W., Hunter, J.A., and Monahan, P.A. 1998. Geology and geological hazards of the Greater Vancouver area. In Urban Geology of Canadian Cities. Edited by P.F. Karrow and O.L. White. Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 42, p. 39-70.

Turner, R.J.W., Clague, J.J., Groulx, B.J., and Journeay, J.M. 1998. GeoMap Vancouver - geological map of the Vancouver metropolitan area. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3511, 1 sheet.

Turner, R., Clague, J., and Luternauer, J. 1998. Where river and ocean meet: countering rising sea levels on the Fraser delta. Innovation, v. 2, no. 6, p. 14-19.
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Clague, J.J. 1997. Evidence for large earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone. Reviews of Geophysics, v. 35, p. 439-460

Clague, J.J. 1997. Earthquake hazard in the Greater Vancouver area. In Environmental Geology of Urban Areas. Edited by N. Eyles. Geological Association of Canada, GEOText3, p. 423-437.

Clague, J.J. and Evans, S.G. 1997. The 1994 jökulhlaup at Farrow Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Geomorphology, v. 19, p. 77-87.

Clague, J.J., Mathewes, R.W., Guilbault, J.-P., Hutchinson, I., and Ricketts, B.D. 1997. Pre-Younger Dryas resurgence of the southwestern margin of the Cordilleran ice sheet, British Columbia, Canada. Boreas, v. 26, p. 261-278.

Clague, J.J., Naesgaard, E., and Nelson, A.R. 1997. Age and significance of earthquake-induced liquefaction near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, v. 34, p. 53-62.

Clague, J.J., Turner, R.J.W., and Groulx, B.J. 1997. Reinventing the geological map: making geoscience more accessible to Canadians. Geoscience Canada, v. 24, p. 161-172.

Evans, S.G. and Clague, J.J. 1997. The impact of climate change on catastrophic geomorphic processes in the mountains of British Columbia, Yukon and Alberta. In Responding to Global Climate Change in British Columbia and Yukon [Volume 1 of the Canada Country Study: Climate Impacts and Adaptations]. Edited by E. Taylor and B. Taylor. Environment Canada, Vancouver, and B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Victoria, B.C., p. 7-1 - 7-16.

Benson, B.E., Grimm, K.A., and Clague, J.J. 1997. Tsunami deposits beneath tidal marshes on northwestern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Quaternary Research, v. 48, p. 192-204.

Blais-Stevens, A., Clague, J.J., Bobrowsky, P.T., and Patterson, R.T. 1997. Late Holocene sedimentation in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia, and its paleoseismic implications. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 34, pp. 1345-1357.

Gilbert, R., Desloges, J.R., and Clague, J.J. 1997. The glacilacustrine sedimentary environment of Bowser Lake in the northern Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Paleolimnology, v. 17, p. 331-346.

Hallett, D.J., Hills, L.V., and Clague, J.J. 1997. New accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ages for the Mazama tephra layer from Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 34, p. 1202-1209.

Hutchinson, I., Clague, J.J., and Mathewes, R.W. 1997. Reconstructing the tsunami record of an emerging coast: a case study of Kanim Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Coastal Research, v. 13, p. 545-553.

Peterson, C.D., Barnett, E.T., Briggs, G.G., Carver, G.A., Clague, J.J., and Darienzo, M.E. 1997. Estimates of coastal subsidence from great earthquakes in the Cascadia subduction zone, Vancouver Island, B.C., Washington, Oregon, and northernmost California. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-file Report O-97-5, 44 p.

Thompson, S.C., Clague, J.J., and Evans, S.G. 1997. Holocene activity of the Mt. Currie scarp, Coast Mountains, British Columbia, and implications for its origin. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, v. 3, p. 329-348.

Turner, R.J.W., Clague, J.J., and Groulx, B.J. 1997. Raising community geoliteracy – the GEOSCAPE Vancouver story. GSA Today, v. 7, no. 12, p. 8-10.

Clague, J.J. 1996. Paleoseismology and seismic hazards, southwestern British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 494, 88 p.
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Clague, J.J. and Mathewes, R.W. 1996. Neoglaciation, glacier-dammed lakes, and vegetation change in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Arctic and Alpine Research, v. 28, p. 10-24.

Huntley, D.J. and Clague, J.J. 1996. Optical dating of tsunami-laid sands. Quaternary Research, v. 46, p. 127-140.

McNeely, R.N. and Clague, J.J. 1996. Database of selected British Columbia radiocarbon dates. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3259, diskette.

Dallimore, S.R., Edwardson, K.A., Hunter, J.A., Meldrum, J.L., Luternauer, J.L., and Clague, J.J. 1996. Lithologic, geotechnical and geophysical logs for a deep borehole at Richmond City Hall, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3356, poster, 2 sheets

Guilbault, J.-P., Clague, J.J., and Lapointe, M. 1996. Foraminiferal evidence for the amount of coseismic subsidence during a late Holocene earthquake on Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 15, p. 913-937.

Hyndman, R.D., Rogers, G.C., Dragert, H., Wang, K., Clague, J.J., Adams, J., and Bobrowsky, P.T. 1996. Giant earthquakes beneath Canada’s west coast. Geoscience Canada, v. 23, p. 63-72.

Turner, R.J.W., Clague, J.J., and Groulx, B.J. 1996. Geoscape Vancouver -- poster. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3309, one sheet.

Turner, R.J.W., Clague, J.J., and Groulx, B.J. 1996. Geoscape Vancouver -- overhead transparency set. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3354, 20 overhead transparencies.

Turner, R.J.W., Clague, J.J., and Groulx, B.J. 1996. Geoscape Vancouver -- thematic poster series. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3353, 10 sheets.
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Clague, J.J. 1995. Global warming, the perspective of past climate change. Discovery, v. 24, p. 99-104.

Clague, J.J. 1995. Early historical and ethnographic accounts of large earthquakes and tsunamis on western Vancouver Island, British Columbia. In Current Research 1995-A. Geological Survey of Canada, p. 47-50.

Clague, J.J., Bobrowsky, P.T., and Hyndman, R.D. 1995. The threat of a great earthquake in southwestern British Columbia. The BC Professional Engineer, v. 46, no. 9, p. 4-8.

Clague, J.J., Evans, S.G., Rampton, V.N., and Woodsworth, G.J. 1995. Improved age estimates for the White River and Bridge River tephras, western Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 32, p. 1172-1179.

Bobrowsky, P.T. and Clague, J.J. 1995. Quaternary geology of southern Vancouver Island. Geological Association of Canada, Annual Meeting (Victoria), Field Trip Guidebook B-5.

Atwater, B.F., Nelson, A.R., Clague, J.J., Carver, G.A., Yamaguchi, D.K., Bobrowsky, P.T., Bourgeois, J., Darienzo, M.E., Grant, W.C., Hemphill-Haley, E., Kelsey, H.M., Jacoby, G.C., Nishenko, S.P., Palmer, S.P., Peterson, C.D., and Reinhart, M.A. 1995. Summary of coastal geologic evidence for past great earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone. Earthquake Spectra, v. 11, p. 1-18.

Basham, P.W., Clague, J.J., Evans, S.G., Grieve, R.A.F., Heginbottom, J.A., Hickson, C.J., and Moran, K. 1995. Overview of geological and geophysical hazards in Canada; earthquakes-landslides-volcanic eruptions-meteorite impacts. Tri-Lateral Workshop on Natural Hazards, Merrickville, Ontario, Proceedings, p. 1-1 - 1-25.

Dallimore, S.R., Edwardson, K.A., Hunter, J.A., Clague, J.J., and Luternauer, J.L. 1995. Composite geotechnical logs for two deep boreholes in the Fraser River delta, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 3018, poster, 2 sheets.

Guilbault, J.-P., Clague, J.J., and Lapointe, M. 1995. Amount of subsidence during a late Holocene earthquake -- evidence from fossil tidal marsh foraminifera at Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 118, p. 49-71.

Levson, V.M., Clague, J.J., and Fulton, R.J. 1995. Quaternary geology and placer gold deposits of central B.C. Geological Association of Canada, Annual Meeting (Victoria), Field Trip Guidebook A-4.

Nelson, A.R., Atwater, B.F., Bobrowsky, P.T., Bradley, L.-A., Clague, J.J., Carver, G.A., Darienzo, M.E., Grant, W.C., Krueger, H.W., Sparks, R., Stafford, T.W., Jr., and Stuiver, M. 1995. Radiocarbon evidence for extensive plate-boundary rupture about 300 years ago at the Cascadia subduction zone. Nature, v. 378, p. 371-374.

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Image Gallery

Walsh Glacier
Hot Springs Cove after the 1964 Alaska Tsunami
The Cascadia subduction zone
Tsunami sand beneath tidal marsh at Tofino, BC
Late Pleistocene glaciolacustrine sediments, Ashcroft, BC
Path of 1997 outburst flood from moraine-dammed Queen Bess Lake, southern Coast Mountains, BC
Queen Bess Lake, one day after catastrophic outburst
Map of the Queen Bess area
1700 Cascadia tsunami
Seattle fault - Marine terrace uplifted by earthquake
The Hope Slide
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