What is the Atlantic Geoscience Society?
The Atlantic Geoscience Society (AGS) brings together earth scientists from universities, government institutions, and the mining, petroleum, and offshore exploration industries in the Atlantic Provinces. Its membership includes professional geologists, students, and interested members of the public. It is an entirely volunteer association with a small membership fee. AGS is affiliated with the Geological Association of Canada (GAC) and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG). AGS is a member society of the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES).
What are the goals of the AGS?
The primary goal of the Atlantic Geoscience Society is communication of ideas and information about the Earth and earth science to both the professional geoscience community and the general public.
What are activities AGS engages in?
The AGS holds executive meetings and an annual colloquium in late January or early February, usually in one of the smaller centres in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. This serves mainly as a forum for AGS members to present the results of their current research, and may also include invited speakers from outside the Atlantic Provinces who give scientific papers on topics of special interest to AGS members. In recent years, workshops have also been held at these meetings to educate AGS members on recent developments in earth science. From time to time, AGS has organized or participated in national and international scientific conferences, including the Geological Association of Canada – Mineralogical Association of Canada (GAC-MAC) annual meetings in Halifax in 1980, Wolfville in 1992, and Halifax in 2005 and 2022, a joint meeting with the Northeast Geological Society of America in Halifax in 2003, and a Symposium on Sedimentary Basins of Atlantic Canada and Worldwide Analogues held in Halifax in 1986. AGS publishes a professional journal, “Atlantic Geoscience” (formerly “Atlantic Geology” and before that “Maritime Sediments and Atlantic Geology”), which is subscribed to by members and non-members as well as university and government libraries. AGS has also undertaken a range of special projects, mainly directed towards increasing public awareness of earth science and providing information on the geology and mineral deposits of the Atlantic Provinces to the general public. These projects include geological journey maps of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island, safety manuals, field guides to sites of geological interest, and a series of videos on the geology and mineral resources of the Atlantic Provinces.
Mission Statement
The objectives of the Atlantic Geoscience Society are to: further the dissemination of earth science research in the geological community of Atlantic Canada; organize symposia, colloquia, workshops, field trips, and annual and evening meetings, focused on research in the earth sciences in Atlantic Canada; publish the journal “Atlantic Geology”, to foster communication within the earth sciences; publish Special Papers on selected topics of interest, as and when needed; encourage the interchange of geoscientific data between government, academia and industry; develop outreach programs to promote an interest in and understanding of the earth sciences; run workshops for elementary and high school teachers to facilitate the teaching of earth science in the Maritime Provinces; periodically publish outreach material, books, maps, tapes, DVDs or websites.
National, Provincial and Local Affiliations
- Member, Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences
- Affiliated Society of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists
- Affiliated Society of the Geological Association of Canada
- Affiliated American Association of Petroleum Geologists
- Representation on the Canadian Geoscience Education Network
Business Number/Registration Number
88991 8686 RR 0001