Professor Cam Nelson
Position: Emeritus Professor, University of Waikato Field: Sedimentary geology
Born and raised in Wellington, Professor Cam Nelson developed a love of landscapes from a very early age.
That inquisitiveness and love of the outdoors took Cam to Victoria University of Wellington where he graduated with an honours degree in geology in 1965.
After 4 years as a junior lecturer in geology at University of Auckland in the late 1960s and a PhD study on the nature and origin of limestones in the King Country, Cam moved to the University of Waikato’s newly formed School of Science in 1971 as its founding geologist.
Discovery of temperate limestones
Professor Cam Nelson explains how his study of limestones in the King Country region led him to conclude that they were formed in cool temperate environments. At that time, it was believed that all shelf limestones had a tropical origin. Cam’s work was instrumental in developing the temperate cooler water limestone model that now sits alongside the tropical warm water model.
Points of interest
Some of the micrographs and samples shown in this clip:
Micrographs a and d: – thin section images (x40) of bryozoan-dominated temperate limestone
Micrograph b: Ōtorohanga limestone thin section showing an abundance of bryozoan and small foraminifera skeletons.
Sample c: Sediment referred to as ‘bryomol’ – rich in the skeletal remains of bryozoans and molluscs. Dredged from the seafloor off Three Kings Islands to the north of New Zealand.
Cam’s research has centred on the discovery that limestone can form in colder waters, not just in warm tropical seas as was originally thought. His investigations into these cold-water formations, known as cool-water or temperate carbonates, have enabled him to define the key sedimentological and chemical differences between these deposits and those of tropical limestones. The results have had major implications for correctly interpreting the origin and significance of all limestones in the ancient rock record both from a theoretical perspective and in an applied sense.
We’ve explored together, pondered questions together and now they’re out in the world applying their geological knowledge. That’s a tremendous sense of achievement.
Cam has received several awards related to his career in sedimentary geology, including the Hochstetter Lecturer (1984) and McKay Hammer Award (1991) of the Geological Society of New Zealand, election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1995 and receipt of the Hutton Medal (Earth Sciences) from the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2004.
Professor Cam Nelson
Professor Cam Nelson is a sedimentary geologist. His extensive publishing record includes 185 peer-reviewed articles and 310 others. Here he is looking at seep carbonate (limestone) in southern Hawkes Bay.
Although Cam officially retired in June 2012, after 40 years of dedicated service, he still plays an active role in the geology field. Having taught hundreds of bachelor’s level students and been involved in the supervision of about 150 completed MSc and PhD degree students, he says, “It’s a wonderful feeling to reflect and know they’ve all taken onboard some of my enthusiasm for the geosciences.”
This article is based on information current in 2012 and 2018.
