Person

Vernon, Ronald Holden (1935 - 2026)

Born
4 October 1935
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died
20 August 2026
Occupation
Geologist

Summary

Ronald Vernon was widely recognised as an expert in modern petrology and microstructural analysis. Rock microstructure was a principal theme of his PhD and continued to be central to his later research. In particular he was interested in the crystalline microstructure of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Vernon published prolifically in these fields, major works being A practical guide to rock microstructure (2004) and Principles of metamorphic petrology (2008). He joined Macquarie University in 1969, being involved in the rapid expansion of his department in this new university. He retired in 1996 as Professor of Geology. Vernon joined the Geological Society of Australia in 1966 and became an Honorary Member in 1988. He was editor of the Society's Journal when its title was changed to Australian journal of earth sciences. Australian government organisations in which he served included the Australian Geological Survey Organisation and the Australian Research Grants Committee (and its successor the Australian Research Council).

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Details

Chronology

1957
Education - MSc, University of New England
1958 - 1961
Career position - Research Officer, CSIR/O Minerographic Investigations
1961 - 1966
Career position - Lecturer, Geology Department, University of Sydney
1966 - 2008
Career position - Member, Geological Society of Australia
1967 - 1969
Career position - Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
1969 - 1973
Career position - Senior Lecturer, Geology Department, Macquarie University
1974 - 1991
Career position - Associate Professor of earth sciences , Macquarie University
1979 - 2026
Career position - Member, Mineralogical Society of America
1980 - 1983
Career position - Honorary Editor, Journal of the Geological Society of Australia
1983
Award - Clarke Memorial Lecturer, Royal Society of New South Wales
1983 - 2000
Career position - Co-Editor, Journal of metamorphic geology
1984 - 1985
Career position - Caswell Silver Distinguished Professor, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.
1986 - 1988
Career position - Chair, Earth Sciences Sub-panel, Australian Research Council
1988
Career position - Visiting Research Fellow, Earth Sciences, University California, Santa Cruz, California, U.S.A.
1988
Award - David Syme Research Prize, University of Melbourne
1988 - 2026
Award - Honorary Member, Geological Society of Australia
1991 - 1994
Career position - Member, Advisory Committee, Australian Geological Survey Organisation
1991 - 1996
Career position - Professor of Geology (personal chair), Macquarie University
1997 -
Career position - Emeritus Professor of Geology, Macquarie University
2000
Award - Humboldt Research Award
2000 - 2008
Career position - Research Professor, University California, Santa Cruz, California, U.S.A.
2004 - 2008
Career position - Adjunct Professor of geology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Books

  • Vernon, R. H., Metamorphic processes (London: New York: Murby: Wiley, 1976), 247 pp. Details
  • Vernon, R. H. and Clarke, G. L., Principles of metamorphic petrology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), 446 pp. Details
  • Vernon, Ron H., A practical guide to rock microstructure (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 446 pp. Details

Journal Articles

  • Flood, Richard, Daczko, Nathan and Clarke, Geoff, 'Ronald H. Vernon', TAG: the Australian geologist, 219 (2026), 6-8. Details
  • Paterson, Scott R. and Vernon, Ronald H., 'Bursting the bubble of ballooning plutons: a return to nested diapirs emplaced by multiple processes', Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 107 (11) (1995), 1356-80. Details
  • Vernon, R. H., 'Restite, xenoliths and microgranitoid enclaves in granites (Clarke Memorial Lecture)', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 116 (1983), 77-103. Details
  • Vernon, R. H., 'K-feldspar megacrysts in granites - phenocrysts, not porphyroblasts', Earth science reviews, 23 (1986), 1-63. Details

See also

  • Who's who in Australia 2012 (Melbourne: Crown Content Pty Ltd, 2012), 2430 pp. Details

Helen Cohn

Created: 27 October 2026

EOAS ID: biogs/P008189b.htm

This Edition: 2026 November - Keith Boardman (1926-2026) Memorial Edition
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