—Dana Downs-Heimes
Paul Lindberg — AHS member, colleague, and friend to many — passed away on June 16, 2018.
Paul was an active member of AHS who guided field trips to the Verde Valley, Oak Creek Canyon, and Jerome. He was a prolific speaker and counted many Southwestern geologists among his friends.
Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan in February 1931, Paul received his B.S. in geological engineering at the University of Minnesota in 1957. He spent much of his career as a consulting economic geologist throughout Canada and Alaska.
Paul is best known for his pioneering work on the volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit at the United Verde Mine in Jerome. In retirement, he worked on the evolution and hydrogeologic framework of the Verde Graben, Sedona sinkholes, Oak Creek-Mormon Lake Graben, and Holbrook evaporites.
Besides his many contributions to the VMS ore bodies of Jerome, he contributed several reports to the Arizona Geological Survey as well as field trip guides for AHS. Paul’s wife Phyllis Lindberg died on October 17, 2013, while hiking in West Fork trail of Oak Creek Canyon.
In 1995, Paul constructed a permanent geologic display of the Jerome volcanogenic ore deposits for the Jerome Historic State Park. Included in the display are several amazing rock specimens of the famous “black smokers” found at the Jerome mine.
Paul had a marvelous talent for helping others visualize the circumstances of geologic features of central Arizona. Never afraid to tackle an outcrop, he was often seen scaling heights to which only mountain goats dare to go while younger folks would look on in amazement.