A. B. Vistelius: First IAMG President and Visionary Mathematical Geologist

Personal reflections on the belief of A. B. Vistelius (1915-1995) in the pivotal importance of quantitative hypothesis testing and his pioneering development and mathematical testing of actual genetic geological models. His appeal to have this approach accepted as the primary focus of IAMG was ignored at the founding meeting of the Association in Prague during the Russian invasion of 1968. Subsequently, he always championed the use of forward problems in the earth sciences and concomitantly lacked enthusiasm for inventory-type and inverse problems.