Career
Born in San Francisco, California to parents of French descent, his family emigrated to Canada when he was three years old. A graduate of the University of British Columbia, (Masters, Geology (1942)), Joubin worked independently as a consultant and prospector/geologist for various mining promoters and exploration companies. Joubin"s insight, with help from Doctor Charles Davidson, a leading British geologist, was that the presence of iron sulphide had leached the uranium mineral to a location deeper in the ground.
Drilling results confirmed this and implied uranium deposits along a huge ninety mile Z-shaped geological formation extending north of the area.
Known as the "Big Z" deposit, it became the hub of a frenzy of uranium exploration and mining activity. By 1955, Joubin and Hirshhorn sold their interests to Rio Tinto of Great Britain and divided paper profits of $35 million.
By the 1980s it was estimated Joubin"s discovery and the subsequent mineral production had added up to $30 billion to the Canadian economy. Joubin resumed his career as a consulting geologist.
He travelled much of the world for Rio Tinto, other companies, and eventually the United Nations.