It is with deep regret that we learned that our estimated colleague Garrik E. Grikurov, former CGMW Vice-President (1991-2008) of the subcommission for Antarctica, passed away on the 29^th of March in Fairbanks (Alaska) at the age of 90.

He was born on the 16^th of May 1934, in Leningrad, USSR and graduated in 1956 from the Leningrad Mining Institute, obtaining a diploma in Mining Engineer / Geologist specializing in geological exploration of ore deposits. Following his graduation, he joined the Research Institute for Arctic Geology “NIIGA”, which later became “VNIIOKEANGEOLOGIA (All-Union Research Institute for Ocean Geology and Mineral Resources).

From 1956 to 1963, he worked in the Central Arctic (Tajmyr Peninsula) initially as a geologist and later as the expedition leader responsible for regional geological survey. Since 1963, he was continuously involved in Antarctic research. As an exchange scientist from 1963 to 1965, he participated to two consecutive field seasons and intervening wintering with the British Antarctic Survey. During this period, he conducted reconnaissance observations and detailed studies along the the Antarctic Peninsula active margin, including the interior of Alexander Island previously, which had not been previously visited by geologists. The results of this work supplemented by another field season with the Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE) in the South Shetland Islands area from 1967 to 1968 were summarized in a series of scientific papers, a thesis submitted in 1971 and the book “Geology of the Antarctic Peninsula” (1973) translated into English in 1978.

In 1971-1972, he studied shield geology in the Prince Charles Mountains. of East Antarctica. From 1975 to 1976, as a Deputy Head of SAE, he was responsible for the first Soviet activities in the Weddell Sea area and establishment of the Druzhnaja Base. In 1974, he was appointed Head of Antarctic Geology Department at “SEVMORGEOLOGIA” and has since provided scientific supervision of the Soviet earth science research in Antarctica. From 1978 onward, he served as a national delegate to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in geology.

In 1978, he was nominated as the CGMW Secretary General of the Subcommission for Antarctica and has since coordinated, the ongoing programs related to geological cartography in Antarctica, alongside the continental Vice-President Prof. C. Craddock. Prior to this nomination, he had been associated with the CGMW for more than 20 years. Since 1967, he participated in all the activities of its Tectonic Subcommission, coordinating the preparation of the Antarctic part of the International Tectonic Map of the World. He also made significantly contributions to the publication of a series of Antarctic maps as part of the Geological World Atlas, Tectonic Map of Gondwana, Gondwana Paleotectonic Atlas, among others. In 1991, he was nominated as the CGMW Vice-President of the Subcommission for Antarctica. Together with German Leychenkov, he ensured the coordination, compilation and synthesis of the CGMW Tectonic Map of Antarctica at 1:10M scale (1^st edition in 2012 and the 2^nd edition in 2022), and its explanatory notes “Tectonics of the Antarctic”. He authored or co-authored a hundred scientific contributions.

The brilliant memory of this scientist wonderful person and friend will remain in our hearts forever.