This early attraction led him into a career of research and study that has seen him become recognized as one of the world's foremost experts on the geology of the Rocky Mountains and in the field of sedimentology the study of sedimentary rocks. Last May, Mountjoy's achievements were recognized by the Geological Association of Canada, which awarded him the Logan Medal, their highest award. Furthermore, his work in the field of sedimentology will be honoured by the Society for Sedimentary Geology in May 1998 when he will be presented with the prestigious Pettijohn Medal. One remarkable aspect of Mountjoy's career has been his ability to move back and forth from the particular to the general with consummate ease. But he has also been able to use the observations made there to develop broader ideas, which he has then applied to sites he has visited in places like Australia, China and Germany.
Geologists study rocks, the very image of immobility and stasis.
Yet for Mountjoy, geology is a study of change, of process, of history. The excitement is noticeable in his usually calm voice as he recalls a field trip to Australia. Upon visiting a site, he immediately recognized it as such a debris flow, though it had been characterized as something quite different by previous workers. It's as though, in a sudden flash of insight, he could actually see the rocks tumbling down again. While Mountjoy is modest about his teaching abilities, his methods have clearly appealed to the dozens of graduate students he has supervised in more than 30 years at McGill.