In Memoriam: Terry Seward
Terry M. Seward, Professor of Geochemistry at ETH Zurich from 1990 to 2006 passed away on 24 December 2022.
Terry M. Seward, studied geology and chemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1965 and continued his studies at Manchester University, where he received his PhD in 1969.
From 1988 to 1989 Terry M. Seward was a visiting professor at the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography at ETH Zurich. In 1990 he was elected full professor of geochemistry at ETH Zurich, where, in addition to his teaching and research activities, he was head of Department of Earth Sciences from 1995 to 1997 and chaired the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography for several years.
Terry’s main research interest was in hydrothermal fluid geochemistry. He contributed seminal work on the solubility of ore metals in hydrothermal fluids and his data on gold, silver, lead, zinc, and other compounds have remained the cornerstones of modern thermodynamic models for understanding complexation and the formation of many types of ore deposits. Terry enjoyed complementing experimental work with field studies, actively sampling in hazardous places such as natural geothermal systems and volcanic fumaroles in many parts of the globe. Among the many results were deep insights into the abiotic origin of organic compounds in volcanic gases.
Terry has been awarded numerous distinctions, mostly in the realm of geochemistry, among others the Bunsen Medal, and his work is and will remain highly respected and valued by colleagues and students from all over the world. Terry was also a keen collector of minerals. No surprise, he has a mineral named after him, Sewardite – a calcium-iron arsenate from Namibia discovered on a specimen collected by Terry in 1982.
The members of ETH Zurich, his former staff and students, and his colleagues will honour his memory.
Written by Max Schmidt, Thomas Driesner, Peter Ulmer, Alan Thompson, Johan Robertsson