Percy StrongEmeritus Scientist

Biography

I immigrated to New Zealand from the USA in 1975 to join the New Zealand Geological Survey as a micropaleontologist, continuing in that role when NZGS evolved to DSIR Geology and Geophysics in the late 1980s and to GNS Science, one of the Crown Research Institutes, in 1992. I retired from GNS in 2012, and have carried on as an Emeritus Scientist—the work is too interesting just to walk away! My speciality is Cretaceous-Paleogene foraminiferal micropaleontology and biostratigraphy, which have applications in geological mapping, basin studies, paleo- -environments, --oceanography, -climate and petroleum exploration. Over the years my work has become increasingly focused on the latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene sediments, especially on the excellent exposures in Marlborough. I especially enjoy working as part of a team, where my results contribute to a larger whole. A career highlight was pinpointing the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at Woodside Creek in Marlborough. The iridium anomaly found here coincided with two boundary anomalies found earlier in Europe, showing its worldwide extent. This provided the critical evidence for the massive, terminal Cretaceous, meteorite impact. A second highlight is being part of the Mead Stream “team”. A 1995 paper by me, Chris Hollis and Graeme Wilson focused attention on what has proved to be a world-class, readily accessible, essentially complete, section of Late Cretaceous to Middle Eocene sediments. Over the years, many overseas scientists have come to NZ to sample the outcrops to study their important record of Southern Hemisphere paleoclimate and oceanographic events. Much of my work as an Emeritus Scientist has involved Mead Stream and related rock exposures in Marlborough.