Dr. Peter Tarassoff, Mineralogist and Collector

Dr. Peter Tarassoff is an accomplished mineralogist and collector by any definition. We are pleased and honoured to offer you some of the interesting minerals that he has acquired or personally collected over his lifetime. You can view available specimens by clicking the following link: Tarassoff Collection

Peter first became interested in Minerals at the age of 10 and took an introductory course in geology at the young age of 12. His interest was encouraged by his parents, teachers and a Boy Scout leader. He soon discovered the mineral collection at the Redpath Museum at McGill University, Montreal, which further developed his interest and knowledge in systematic mineralogy. It was at this time that Peter began to amass what is now a large, systematic mineral collection with an emphasis on minerals from Alkaline rocks. As an undergraduate student in 1953, Peter had the opportunity to work for the Geological Survey of Canada in the Yukon Territory. which resulted in a mineralogical term paper and a dynamite-box of mineral specimens. Peter was further introduced to the New England pegmatites by members of the Boston Mineral Club while he was a graduate student at MIT.

Peter's professional career was in research and development in Canada's mining and metallurgical industry. Upon returning to Canada, he worked as a research engineer with the Quebec Iron and Titanium Corporation at Sorel, Quebec for two years and spent the rest of his career with the Noranda Research Center of Noranda Inc., a major Canadian mining and natural resources company. At the time of his retirement in 1991, he was vice president and chief scientist. After his retirement, Peter turned his energies towards mineralogy and ornithology.

Peter began to explore and collect at some of Canada's most important localities. In 1962, he discovered the St. Amable alkaline sill (Demix-Varennes Quarry). He fist visited the, now, world-famous site of Mont Saint-Hilaire in 1963 and has been collecting there continuously, ever since, until very recently.

Peter has made it his life-long goal to document the geology and mineralogy of Mont Saint-Hilaire and he has committed 57 years of his life to this endeavour, longer than that of any known collector. Of the >500 mineral species found at MSH, Peter has been the first person to identify at least 35 of these species. In addition, his collecting and subsequent examinations, have resulted in him discovering 12 new species from not only MSH but other alkaline localities. Considered to be the "Dean" of Mont Saint-Hilaire collectorsfor his long and sustained contributions to MSH mineralogy, Peterwas honoured with having the new species, petarasite, named after himn in 1980 by George Y. Chao, T.T. Chen and J. Baker.

Peter's dedication to systematic collecting, curation of his own collection and keeping an archive of accurate, detailed historical and scientific information has been of great benefit to the mineral sciences community in Canada and world-wide. Researchers have benefitted from his generosity in providing specimens and information for their studies. Peter has also authored or co-authored many articles in scientific and popular mineralogical publications.

In addition to providing to the scientific community, 21 years ago, Peter returned to his roots to work as a volunteer at the Redpath Museum, where he was formally appointed Honorary Curator of Mineralogy. He has helped to completely renew the mineral exhibits, reorganize the mineral collection and has written scientific guide to the mineral gallery. Peter knows where his passion for the minerals sciences began and he is doing his utmost to ensure that the next generation has the same opportunities that he did.

The 2017 Pinch Medal was awarded to Dr. Peter Tarassoff to recognize his major contributions to the advancement of mineralogy. The mineralogical Association of Canada presented the award to to Dr. Tarassoff as he is the true embodiment of what it means to be a "professional amateur" in the mineral sciences.

(adapted from a press release of the Mineralogical Association of Canada, July 11, 2017.)