Franc Renault Joubin, (November 15, 1911 – January 1, 1997) was an American

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...

and geologist best known for a huge

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

discovery in northeastern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada in 1953. Born in San Francisco, California to parents of French descent, his family emigrated to Canada when he was three years old. A graduate of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, ( Masters, Geology (1942)), Joubin worked independently as a consultant and prospector/geologist for various mining promoters and exploration companies. In 1953, as an employee and eventual partner of promoter

Joseph Hirshhorn Joseph Herman Hirshhorn (August 11, 1899 – August 31, 1981) was an entrepreneur, financier, and art collector. Biography Born in Mitau, Latvia, the twelfth of thirteen children, Hirshhorn emigrated to the United States with his widowed moth ...

, he persuaded his partner to finance diamond drilling of a previously dismissed area of surface radioactivity near

Blind River, Ontario Blind River is a town situated on the North Channel (Ontario), North Channel of Lake Huron in the Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. The town, named after the nearby Blind River (Ontario), Blind River, celebrated its centennial in 2006. History ...

. Joubin's insight, with help from Dr. Charles Davidson, a leading British geologist, was that the presence of iron sulphide had leached the uranium mineral to a location deeper in the ground. Drilling results confirmed this and implied uranium deposits along a huge ninety mile Z-shaped geological formation extending north of the area. Known as the "Big Z" deposit, it became the hub of a frenzy of uranium

exploration Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

and mining activity. The town of

Elliot Lake Elliot Lake is a city in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is north of Lake Huron, midway between the cities of Greater Sudbury, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie in the Northern Ontario region. Once dubbed the "uranium ca ...

, (incorporated 1955) was built from scratch to house employees of the various mines that sprung up in the area. By 1955, Joubin and Hirshhorn sold their interests to Rio Tinto of Great Britain and divided paper profits of $35 million. By the 1980s it was estimated Joubin's discovery and the subsequent mineral production had added up to $30 billion to the Canadian economy. Joubin resumed his career as a consulting geologist. He travelled much of the world for Rio Tinto, other companies, and eventually the United Nations. He was made a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1983.

Notes

References

Franc Joubin & McCormack Smyth, 1986, Not For Gold Alone, Toronto: Deljay Publications.
British Geological Survey entry for C F Davidson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joubin, Franc R. Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario People from San Francisco American emigrants to Canada 1911 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Canadian geologists American prospectors Canadian prospectors Scientists from California American people of French descent Canadian people of French descent