Prof. Dr. Arturo Jorge AMOS passed away in Buenos Aires (D.C.), on December 29, 1999, as a consequence of a massive heart attack. He was born in Temperley (Buenos Aires province), on March 6, 1927. After finishing his secondary studies in the distinguished Otto Krause School, he entered Buenos Aires University where he obtained his Geology degree. His Ph. D. Thesis (1953) on the Geology of La Rinconada (San Juan province) was supervised by H.J. Harrington, and included an original "olistolithic" interpretation for the puzzling structure cropping out there (even before the actual term "olistolith" was coined). Anecdotally, while doing that particular field-work, he didn’t camp in a tent (as usually done in those cases), but managed to get accomodation in a nearby winery, instead. He received post-graduate training at the Geology Departments of both, Glasgow University, U.K. (1955-56) and Columbia University, USA (1959-60), with the support of The British Council and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, respectively. He had such a fluent command of the English language, that it is said that he could be hardly recognized as a foreigner, were it not just for the pronunciation of certain Latin scientific names of fossils.
His teaching career was developed at successive ranks in the Faculty of Exact & Natural Sciences of Buenos Aires University, where he reached the level of Full Professor (1974-1991), and in the Faculty of Natural Sciences of La Plata University, where he was also a Full Professor, as well as the Dean and Director of the La Plata Museum (1967-1971). He taught Invertebrate Palaeontology and Structural Geology and he contributed significantly to the academic formation of younger generations, having successfully supervised about a dozen Master Theses and a further dozen Ph. D. Theses in the Universities of Buenos Aires, La Plata, Tucumán (Argentina) and Parma (Italy). His guidance style was one of fostering excellence, spurring intelectual originality and liberally supporting responsible individual efforts and mutual trust.
At the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET), he reached the top level (Investigador Superior), having been a member of its Board of Directors and then acting as Director of the Research Program Gea en Bariloche (since 1991). Starting with the International Geological Congress at London (1948), he attended many conferences and symposia often of international scope. His own active role as a key organizer of the First International Congress on Gondwana Stratigraphy & Geology (Mar del Plata, 1967) was so meritorious that he was awarded the Chrestian Mica Gondwanaland Medal by the Mining & Metallurgical Society of India (Calcutta, 1970). He was also a member of two subcommissions of the IUGS (on Gondwana, and Teaching of Geology).
He was leader of many important research projects, most notably on Late Palaeozoic faunas and geology. In developing a special fondness for brachiopods, he benefitted from examining collections at major Museums and learning from big names, such as T. Neville George, Helen Muir-Wood, G. Arthur Cooper, and thus he published on South American brachiopods of Silurian to Permian age (though his interests ranged wide, virtually from Cambrian to Recent, and from trilobites to stromatolites). His professional activities also encompassed varied topics such as structural, regional and applied geology, glacigenic rocks and palaeoclimates, palaeogeography, and, most recently, Quaternary environmental evolution. The results of his manifold investigations are embodied in about eighty scholarly papers and book chapters, of which only those related to brachiopod systematics, biostratigraphy, and palaeogeography are listed below.
In Buenos Aires he held a seat at the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, being also a member for life of the Argentine Palaeontological Association, a honorary member of the Argentine Geological Association, and a fellow of the Geological Society of London. It may be recalled that at the Tribute Meeting organized a couple of years ago for his 70th birthday, over 20 contributions by 45 authors were exposed.
He was very fond of sports, one of the lesser known facets of his life is that in his youth he competed at the Olympic Games of London (1948) representing Argentina in gymnastics. He kept fit, being a good hiker in mountainous terrain throughout the years, and his face, with his clear blue eyes, and well-groomed reddish moustache, had somehow acquired an almost ageless aspect. Therefore his untimely, sudden, death was all the more shocking for those who were priviledged to gain knowledge at his side and to cultivate his refined friendship. His gentlemanly manners, scientific open-mindedness and generous, convivial attitude, shall be deeply missed by friends, colleagues, disciples and family alike.
Selected list of publications of Dr. Arturo Jorge AMOS
Zöllner, W. & Amos, A.J. (1955) Acerca del Paleozoico Superior y Triásico del Cerro La Premia, Andacollo (Neuquén). Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, 10(2): 127-135. Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. (1957) New Syringothyrid brachiopods from Mendoza, Argentina. Journal of Paleontology, 31(1): 99-104.(1 Pl.). Lawrence.
Amos, A.J. (1958) Algunos Spiriferacea y Terebratulacea (Brach.) del Carbonífero Superior del 'Sistema del Tepuel' (Provincia de Chubut). Contribuciones Científicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ser. Geol., 2(3): 95-108.(2 Pls.). Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. (1958) Some Lower Carboniferous brachiopods from the Volcán Formation, San Juan, Argentina. Journal of Paleontology, 32(5), 838-845.(2 Pls.). Lawrence.
Amos, A.J. (1961) Una nueva especie de Nudirostra del Carbonífero de San Juan y Patagonia. Ameghiniana, 2(3): 49-53.(1 Pl.). Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. (1961) Algunos Chonetacea y Productacea del Carbonífero inferior y superior del Sistema de Tepuel, Provincia de Chubut. Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, 15(1-2): 81-117.(4 Pls.). Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J., Baldis, B,A,J. & Csaky, A. (1963) La fauna del Carbónico medio de la formación La Capilla y sus relaciones geológicas (Calingasta, San Juan). Ameghiniana, 3(4): 123-134.(2 Pls.). Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. & Boucot, A.J. (1963) A revision of the brachiopod family Leptocoeliidae. Palaeontology, 6(3): 440-457.(4 Pls.). London.
Amos, A.J. (1964) A review of the marine Carboniferous stratigraphy of Argentina. Proceedings of the XXII International Geological Congress Aires, Part IX, Sec. 9: 53-72. New Delhi.
Amos, A.J. & Rolleri, E.O. (1965) El Carbónico marino en el valle Callingasta-Uspallata. (San Juan-Mendoza). Boletín de Informaciones Petroleras 368: 50-72. Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. & Sabattini, N. (1969) Upper Paleozoic faunal similitude between Argentina and Australia. Gondwana Stratigraphy, I.U.G.S. Symposium 1967, UNESCO Earth Sciences 2: 235-248. Paris.
Amos, A.J. & Rocha Campos, A.C. (1970) A review of South America Gondwana Geeology 1967-1969. Second Gondwana Symposium, South Africa, 1970, Proceedings and Papers : 1-13. Pretoria.
Amos, A.J. (1971) The Carboniferous Fauna from Argentina: New Data. Anais Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 43(Suppl.): 19-22. Rio de Janeiro.
Amos, A.J. & Noirat, S. (1971) A New Species of Ancillotoechia from the Zapla Formation, Northern Argentina. In: Dutro, J.T. (Ed.) Paleozoic perspectives: A paleontological tribute to G. Arthur Cooper. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 3: 139-142.(1 Pl.). Washington, DC.
Quartino, B., Zardini, R. & Amos, A.J. (1971) Estudio y exploración geológica de la región Barreal - Calingasta. Provincia de San Juan, República Argentina. Asociación Geológica Argentina, Monografías, 1: 1-184. (4 Pls., 6 maps). Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. (1972) Silurian of Argentina. In: Berry,W.B.N. & Boucot,A.J. (Eds.) Correlation of the South American Silurian Rocks. Geological Society of America, Special Papers, 133: 5-19. Boulder.
Amos, A.J., Antelo, B., González, C.R., Mariñelarena, M.P.de & Sabattini, N. (1973) Síntesis sobre el conocimiento bioestratigráfico del Carbónico y Pérmico de Argentina. Actas V-o Congreso Geológico Argentino, 3: 3-20. Buenos Aires.
González, C.R., Musacchio, E.A. & Amos, A.J. (1973) Hallazgo de una fauna y Una flora del Paleozoico Superior en la Sierra de Agnia, Chubut. Ameghiniana, 9(4): 298-304. Buenos Aires.
Zöllner, W. & Amos, A.J. (1973) Descripción geológica de la Hoja 32b, ChosMalal. Provincia del Neuquén. Carta Geológico-económica de la República Argentina, escala 1:200.000. Boletín del Servicio Nacional de Minería y Geología, 143: 1-91.(1 map). Buenos Aires.
Rocha-Campos, A.C., Carvalho, R.G.de & Amos, A.J. (1977) A Carboniferous (Gondwana) Fauna from Subandean Bolivia. Revista Brasileira de Geociências, 7(4): 287-303. São Paulo.
Amos, A.J. (1979) Parte I: Paleozoico. Sección V- Faunas Carbónicas. Sección VI- Faunas Pérmicas. In: Guía Paleontológica Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas: 1-158. Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. (1980) La fauna de invertebrados en la cronología del Carbónico y Pérmico de Argentina. Actas II Congreso Argentino de Paleontología y Bioestratigrafía, 4: 231-234. Buenos Aires.
Amos, A.J. (1981) Correlación de las formaciones marinas carbónicas y pérmicas de Argentina. Anais Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 53(2): 347-356. Rio de Janeiro.
Amos, A.J. (1982) Las reconstrucciones paleogeográficas en el Paleozoico Superior en base a las rocas glacigénicas. Anales de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 34: 111-135. Buenos Aires.
Sessarego, H.L., Lech, R. & Amos, .J. (1986) Estratigrafía y contenido paleontológico de la Fm Del Salto (Pérmico) aflorante al N del Río San Juan. C-o Brealito, Depto. Calingasta, San Juan. Primeras Jornadas de Geología de la Precordillera, Actas: 192-197. San Juan.
Lopez Gamundi, O.R. & Amos, A.J. (1986) Consideraciones paleoambientales de las secuencias carbónicas del sector precordillerano de la cuenca Calingasta-Uspallata, San Juan y Mendoza. Primeras Jornadas de Geología de la Precordillera, Actas: 289-294. San Juan.
Cesari, S., Gutierrez, P.R. & Amos A.J. (1986) Revisión bioestratigráfica de la Formación Jejenes (Carbónico), Prov. de San Juan. Primeras Jornadas de Geología de la Precordillera, Actas: 174-180. San Juan.
Japas, M.S. & Amos, A.J. (1987) El análisis de distorsión en fósiles deformados. Su importancia en las determinaciones paleontológicas y limitaciones al análisis morfológico. Ameghiniana, 23(3-4): 191-202. Buenos Aires.
Andreis, R.R., Amos, A.J., Archangelsky, S. & González, C.R. (1987) Sauce Grande (Sierras Australes)-Colorado Basin. In: Archangelsky,S. (Ed.) El Sistema Carbonífero en la República Argentina. Chapter IX: 213-223. Córdoba.