Richard Thomas Jones Moody (1939 – 2024)
Renowned expert in North African stratigraphy and keen field-trip leader
Image courtesy of Rebecca Moody
Richard Thomas Jones Moody, known as Dick, passed away on 9 September 2024, one month short of turning 85. Dick had a long career as a professor and consultant geologist in the petroleum industry.
Education
Following his BSc in geology from Queen Mary University of London in 1961, Dick trained as a teacher in Swansea in 1962 and taught for two years at a secondary school. He then became a lecturer in palaeontology, stratigraphy, and sedimentology at Kingston College of Technology. During this tenure, Dick undertook a PhD project on Eocene sea turtles, which was awarded in 1970. Dick also designed curricula for BSc and MSc degrees, becoming a professor in 1988. He set up the Kingston alumni, which rapidly achieved a membership in excess of 1000. He retired from Kingston University as Emeritus Professor in 1993 and continued his work with KGS.
In 1986, Dick set up university research and consultancy group, Kingston Geological Services (KGS), with just two consultants. Due to Dick’s never-ending enthusiasm, innovation, and geological knowledge, KGS grew rapidly, undertaking geotechnical projects, field trips, field mapping, biostratigraphic wellsite, and numerous single and multi-well studies from clients worldwide. Whilst at KGS, alongside Professor Ian Jarvis, Dick undertook early chemostratigraphic studies in the North Sea.
Career Highlights
Dick held several voluntary positions including the former Council for National Academic Awards, Earth Science Education group, and the councils of the Geological Society of London and the Geologists’ Association. He served on many subcommittees of international associations and the Royal Society. Dick was the President of the Geologists’ Association from 1998 to 2000 and organised nine conferences and symposia. In 2007, Dick organised the joint bicentennial dinner of the Geological Society and the Dining Club at the Connaught Rooms, London.
Dick authored or co-authored 26 books, including three Geological Society Special Publications. He produced over 150 consultant reports and presented several training courses for the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain and other companies. He led many Geologists’ Association field trips, plus over 50 petroleum exploration company field trips in North Africa and Europe. Dick completed eight trans-Saharan expeditions, including one in 1988 accompanied by Sir David Attenborough and was shown finding giant dinosaurs in Niger in the BBC’s Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives. He was author or co-author of over 80 papers on a variety of geological topics including fossil sea turtles, the Trans-Saharan Seaway, Cenozoic carbonates of North Africa, chemostratigraphy, and history of geology. Dick was awarded the Geological Society’s Distinguished Service Award in 2013.
Dick inspired many students to follow up their BSc degrees into graduate studies and develop their all-round geological skills to a higher level
Motivator
Dick was a world-class lecturer; his presentation skills were well appreciated by his students. Dick inspired many students to follow up their BSc degrees into graduate studies and develop their all-round geological skills to a higher level.
Dick leaves behind his wife of over 50 years, Zoe, daughter, Rebecca, son, James, and five grandchildren. Dick will be remembered with great affection by his former students and geological colleagues.
By Stuart Harker, Malcolm Brown, Rob Jones, and Ross Sandman
