It was with great sorrow that the news of the passing of David “Dave” Jones at his house in Tucson last week were received. I got to know him while working for BHP in the Sonoran desert, circa 1995, as he started to do consulting work in Mexico. At the time I was impressed by his capacity to read rocks, and re-construct the history of a mineralizing system, even when I did not agree with all of his interpretations. My early career started in the late 80’s, when Mexico was beginning to open to foreign investment in mining, therefore I already had had the chance to interact with plenty of Australians, Americans and Canadians by the time he showed up in Mexico…. And he was clearly one of a kind already by then, before embarking in the quest for discovery of mineral deposits in Mexico. Different not because of his nationality, but for his zest for life, his talkative and witty nature as well as his piercing gaze, the practice of climbing and speleology, his love for beautiful women and the risk taking attitude that later led him to stake large swaths of land in southern Mexico.

A true explorer, he always kept in his mind the curiosity for every feature of mineralized systems, and was permanently looking for ways to understand its formation. He was an instrumental part for the discovery of Los Filos deposit, in Guerrero, and the Switchback system in Oaxaca, and possessed by himself several large mining concessions in Guerrero and Oaxaca. It was always a pleasure to talk to him on mineral deposits or women, his favorite subjects.

His participation as a speaker in a Conference anywhere in Mexico was sure to attract the biggest audiences, as his flamboyant style was imprinted to all technical aspects of geology and exploration, a true geologist, explorer and showman, farewell to David M. Jones, who will be missed in Mexico.

Jorge Cirett