Warren B. Hamilton (1925-2018) was an American geologist whose long career spanned an extraordinary range of field work and ground-breaking publications, from Antarctic exploration and early insights on continental drift and plate tectonics, to modern understanding of the Moon, Mars and Venus. This site provides links and resources to help his contributions live on.


Toward a myth-free geodynamic history of Earth and its neighbors

Over the last three years of his life, Warren worked on a paper that would represent the culmination of his career: Toward a myth-free geodynamic history of Earth and its neighbors. He knew this project was a race against time, but refused to take shortcuts in the painstaking work. Time won that race, just barely. Warren passed away leaving behind a manuscript of more than 39,000 words, which he judged to be 95 percent complete—with “all the hard parts” done. Colleagues, friends, and family picked up this legacy and carried it the last steps.

The manuscript was published posthumously in 2019 in Earth-Science Reviews (link to paper here) . The paper's abstract is:


Several defective assumptions have hindered understanding the evolution of Earth and its nearest neighbors. These include the claim that the Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotope systems can uniquely define oceanic rocks, acceptance of the “CHondritic Uniform Reservoir” (CHUR) model and a steadily depleting but fertile mantle, and belief that Proterozoic rocks exhibit features resembling those of Phanerozoic plate tectonics. Earth's Archean was the era of internally mobile crust. In the period ~4.0–2.5 b.y. tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) crust formed by hydrous partial melting of a mafic protocrust leaving dense, depleted, garnet-rich residue. This delaminated and sank to at least 200 km beginning top-down re-enrichment of the mantle. The remaining stabilized TTG crust was then directly underlain by primordial low-density dunitic shallow mantle. Archean crust is granite and greenstone with no modern analogue. During the Proterozoic basins of volcanic and terrigenous sedimentary rocks formed on and between Archean shields. Where these basins thickened to ~40 km their deep regions partly melted by their own radioactivity and they were “inverted” by materials rich in highly evolved hydrous granites rising to mid-crustal level. This hydrous melting was enabled by a bombardment of icy bolides. Proterozoic dynamics were driven by vertical variations in density, reflect primarily the deposition and collapse of basins, and involved small horizontal motions only. Proterozoic paleomagnetic data cast doubt on the existence of a strong dipolar magnetic field at that time and there is no compelling evidence for Phanerozoic-like plate tectonics. Only near the end of the Proterozoic did downward recycling of fusible components enable a weak asthenosphere to develop over which lithospheric plates could slide. The Phanerozoic is the era of plate tectonics. Lithosphere motions are well documented by palaeomagnetism which suggests Earth's internal strong dipolar magnetic field may have developed at ~600 m.y. Organic evolution may have been enabled by these geodynamic changes. The Cambrian explosion of evolution produced almost all phyla of modern animals within about 50 m.y., possibly because the newly-formed strong dipolar magnetic field provided a shield against ionized radiation. Multidisciplinary evidence indicates that Earth, Mars, Venus and the Moon thoroughly fractionated early—by 4.5–4.4 b.y.—to form cores, refractory mantles and thick mafic crusts. All were bombarded by bolides that saturated their surfaces with impact craters and pools of impact-melted mafic protocrust that fractionated into layered igneous complexes. Venus, Mars and the Moon retain their heavily impacted surfaces. Their upper mantles have been solid and strong subsequently, they lack asthenospheres and liquid cores, and cannot sustain plate tectonics or mantle plumes. Variants of plume theory have been inappropriately exported to Venus and Mars to explain circular features and volcanism. Martian “volcanoes” and Venusian “tessera plateaus” are impact-melt products. A long-lasting global magma ocean on the Moon is falsified by petrology and the preservation of extremely ancient landscapes. Volatiles were delivered to Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Venus in a barrage of icy bolides starting at ~4.0–3.9 b.y. which probably formed Earth's oceans and atmosphere. Oceans and their remnants survived for 2–3 b.y. on Venus and ~1 b.y. on Mars. Melts on the Moon were water-enriched for perhaps 1 b.y. and there may have been ancient transient liquid water there also. Only Earth was internally hot and active enough to circulate the volatiles downward enabling hydrous melting, slow re-enrichment of the upper mantle and, at ~600 m.y., plate tectonics and rapid biological evolution.

Here are slides from Lawrence Hamilton's presentation of the paper at the Geological Society of America 2019 meeting in Phoenix, AZ on Sept 22. Also see his slide presentation of the work and legacy of Warren Hamilton.


Links

Wikipedia summary

Memorials:

Memorial fund

  • Family and colleagues have established a memorial fund through the Geological Society of America Foundation to help fund field trips in Warren Hamilton's honor at each GSA Annual Meeting. If you would like to contribute, go to the GSA Foundation website, enter "Hamilton" in the "Search for a fund" box, and then click "Donate to this fund now."

Unconventional Ideas and Outrageous Hypotheses:

  • The Geological Society of America Annual Meeting will hold three different technical sessions plus a separate poster session in honor of Warren on September 22-24 in Phoenix, Arizona (search technical sessions under "outrageous hypotheses"). There will also be a field trip in his honor September 25-28 (see trip 21: A River is Born).

MantlePlumes:

  • A website devoted to fostering discussion of the origin of melting anomalies and “hot spots”, and to make readily available information, ideas and theories that bear on this problem. Information relevant to the debate concerning whether plumes underlie particular areas, or exist at all, is also included.

Archive of geological photographs

  • Please acknowledge the photographer (Warren B. Hamilton) in any re-use of these.

Missy Hamilnook Reflects:

  • This is an account by Warren's wife Alicita Hamilton (1926-2015) of 20 years teaching preschool in the Speech and Hearing Clinic at the University of Denver, 1962 to 1982. The theme is the importance of guided play, laying the foundation for development of symbolic thought. One hundred photographs illustrate activities and 19 cameos describe some of the children. Some of the children were at risk for language development, some were not. Woven throughout are memories of a professional life which interfaced with a personal world and turbulent social change. It is written for teachers, parents, teachers in training and anyone discussing universal preschool education.


Recent publications

  • Hamilton, W.B., 2019. Toward a myth-free geodynamic history of Earth and its neighbors: Earth-Science Reviews 198, 102905.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2015. Terrestrial planets fractionated synchronously with accretion, but Earth progressed through subsequent internally dynamic stages whereas Venus and Mars have been inert for more than 4 billion years: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 514, p. 123-156. For pdf, click here.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2013. Evolution of the Archean Mohorovičić discontinuity from a synaccretionary 4.5 Ga protocrust: Tectonophysics, 609, p.706-733.
  • Foulger, G.R., Panza, G.F., Artemieva, I.M., Bastow, I.D., Cammarano, F., Evans, J.R., Hamilton, W.B., Julian, B.R., Lustrino, M., Thybo, H. and Yanovskaya, T.B., 2013. Caveats on tomographic images. Terra Nova 25, p.259-281.
  • Hamilton, W. B., 2011. Plate tectonics began in Neoproterozoic time, and plumes from deep mantle have never operated: Lithos, 123, p. 1-20.
  • Anderson, D.L., and W.B. Hamilton, 2008, Zombie science & geoscience, 3p., as posted on website www.mantleplumes.org in Dec., 2008. (Plumes and other mythical beasts.) For pdf, click here.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, Earth’s first two billion years—the era of internally mobile crust: Geol. Soc. America Memoir 200, p. 233-296. (No plate tectonics. The key is very early separation of mafic global protocrust.) For pdf, click here.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, Driving mechanism and 3-D circulation of plate tectonics: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 433, p. 1-25. (Plate tectonics is driven by cooling from the top, and circulation is largely or wholly limited to the upper mantle.) For pdf, click here.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, An alternative Venus: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 430, p. 879-914. (The surface of Venus records primarily impacts older than 3.8 Ga and marine sedimentation, not young magmatism. Complements, and only in small part supercedes, 2005 paper.) For pdf, click here.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2005, Plumeless Venus preserves an ancient impact-accretionary surface: Geol. Soc. America Spec. Paper 388, p. 781-814. For pdf, click here.


Selected bibliography

For pdf versions of many of these follow this link.

  • Hamilton, W.B., 1956, Variations in plutons of granitic rocks of the Huntington Lake area of the Sierra Nevada, California: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 67, 1585‑1598.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1956, Precambrian rocks of Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 67, 1319-1330.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and G.J. Neuerburg, 1956, Olivine‑sanidine trachybasalt from the Sierra Nevada, California: Amer. Mineral., 41, 851‑873.
  • Sherlock, D.G., and W.B. Hamilton, 1958, Geology of the north half of the Mount Abbot quadrangle, Sierra Nevada, California: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 69, 1245‑1268 + map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1960, Form of the Sudbury lopolith: Canadian Mineralogist, 6, 437‑447.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1960, Silicic differentiates of lopoliths: 21st Internat. Geol. Congress, Report, pt. 13, p. 59‑67.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1960, Late Cenozoic tectonics and volcanism of the Yellowstone region, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho: Billings Geol. Soc. Guidebook 11, p. 92‑105.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1961, Origin of the Gulf of California: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 72, 1307-1318.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1961, Geology of the Richardson Cove and Jones Cove quadrangles, Tennessee: USGS Prof. Paper 349‑A, 55 p. + map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1961, Description of the basement rocks [of northeast Tennessee and northwest North Carolina], in P.B. King and H.W. Ferguson, Geology of northeasternmost Tennessee: USGS Prof. Paper 311, p. 13‑27.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1962, Late Cenozoic structure of west‑central Idaho: Geol. Soc.America Bull., 72, 511‑516.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1963, Metamorphism in the Riggins region, western Idaho: USGS Prof. Paper 436, 95 p. + map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1963, Columbia River basalt in the Riggins quadrangle, western Idaho: USGS Bull. 1141-L, 37 p. + map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1963, Overlapping of late Mesozoic orogens in western Idaho: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 76, 779‑788.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1963, Antarctic tectonics and continental drift: Soc. Econ. Paleontol. Mineral. Spec. Pub. 10, p. 74‑93.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1963, Geology of the Fountain Run quadrangle, Kentucky‑Tennessee: USGS Map GQ‑254, 1:24,000.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1964, The origin of high‑alumina basalt, andesite, and dacite magmas: Science, 146, 635‑637.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1964, Geologic map of the Big Maria Mountains NE quadrangle, California: USGS Map GQ-350, 1:24,000.
  • Myers, W.B., and W.B. Hamilton, 1964, Deformation accompanying the Hegben Lake earthquake of August 17, 1959: USGS Prof. Paper 435, p. 55‑98 + maps, plates.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1964, Volcanic rocks of the West Yellowstone and Madison Junction quadrangles, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho: USGS Prof. Paper 435, p. 209-221.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1965, Diabase sheets of the Taylor Glacier region, Victoria Land, Antarctica: USGS Prof. Paper 456‑B, 71 p. + map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1965, Geology and petrogenesis of the Island Park caldera of rhyolite and basalt, eastern Idaho: USGS Prof. Paper 504-C, 37 p. + map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and Mountjoy, W., 1965, Alkali content of alpine ultramafic rocks: Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 29, 661‑671.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and L.C. Pakiser, 1965, Geologic and crustal cross section of the United States along the 37th parallel: USGS Map I‑448.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1966, Origin of the volcanic rocks of eugeosynclines and island arcs: Canada Geol. Survey Paper 66‑15, p. 348‑356.
  • Hamilton, W.B., l966, Formation of the Scotia and Caribbean Arcs: Canada Geol. Survey Paper 66‑15, p. 178‑187.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and W.B. Myers, 1966, Cenozoic tectonics of the western United States: Rev. Geophys., 4, 509‑549.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1967, Tectonics of Antarctica: Tectonophysics, 4, 555‑568.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and D. Krinsley, 1967, Upper Paleozoic glacial deposits of South Africa and southern Australia: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 78, 783‑800.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and W.B. Myers, 1967, The nature of batholiths: USGS Prof. Paper 554‑C, 30 p.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1968, Cenozoic climatic change and its cause: Amer. Meteorol. Soc. Monographs, 8, 30, 128‑133.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1969, Reconnaissance geologic map of the Riggins quadrangle, west-central Idaho: USGS Map I‑579, 1:125,000.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1969, The volcanic central Andes—A model for the Cretaceous batholiths and tectonics of North America: Oregon Dept. Geol. Mineral Industries, Bull. 65, p. 175‑184.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1969, Mesozoic California and the underflow of Pacific mantle: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 80, 2409‑2430.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1970, The Uralides and the motion of the Russian and Siberian platforms: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 81, 2553‑2576.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1970, Bushveld complex—product of impacts?: Geol. Soc. South Africa, Spec. Pub. 1, p. 367‑379.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1971, Recognition on space photographs of structural elements of Baja California: USGS Prof. Paper 718, 26 p.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1972, The Hallett volcanic province, Antarctica: USGS Prof. Paper 456‑C, 62 p.
  • Cater, F.W., D.M. Pinckney, W.B. Hamilton, et al., 1973, Mineral resources of the Idaho Primitive Area and vicinity, Idaho: USGS Bull. 1304, 431 p. + plates.
  • Hamilton, W.B., and Myers, W.B., 1974, The nature of the Boulder batholith of Montana: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 85, 365‑378.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1974, Sedimentary basins of the Indonesian region: USGS Map I-875B, 1:5,000,000.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1974, Earthquake map of the Indonesian region: USGS Map I-875C, 1:5,000,000.
  • Richter, D.H., W.N. Sharp, J.T. Dutro, Jr., and W.B. Hamilton, 1977, Geologic map of parts of the Mt. Hayes A‑1 and A‑2 quadrangles, Alaska: USGS Map I‑1031, 1:63,360.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1977, Subduction in the Indonesian region: Amer. Geophys. Union Maurice Ewing Series, v. 1, p. 15-31.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1978, Mesozoic tectonics of the western United States: Soc. Econ. Paleontol. Mineral., Pacific Sec., Paleogeography Symposium 2, p. 33‑70.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1978, Tectonic Map of the Indonesian region: USGS Map I‑875‑D, 1:5,000,000.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1979, Tectonics of the Indonesian region: USGS Prof. Paper 1078, 345 p.+ map.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1981, Crustal evolution by arc magmatism: Royal Soc. London Philos. Trans., A-30l, 279‑291.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1981, Plate‑tectonic mechanism of Laramide deformation: Univ. Wyoming Contribs. Geol., 19, 2, 87‑92.
  • Dillon, J.T., W.B. Hamilton, and L. Lueck, 1981, Geologic map of the Wiseman A-3 quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Div. Geol. Geophys. Surveys Map OFR-119.
  • Dillon, J.T., G.H. Pessel, L. Lueck, and W.B. Hamilton, 1981, Geologic map of the Wiseman A‑4 quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Div. Geology and Geophysics Surveys Map OFR-124.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1982, Structural evolution of the Big Maria Mountains, northeastern Riverside County, southeastern California, in E.G. Frost and D.L. Martin, eds., Mesozoic‑Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Colorado River region, California, Arizona, and Nevada: San Diego, Cordilleran Publishers, p. 1‑27.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1983, Cretaceous and Cenozoic history of the northern continents: Annals Missouri Botanical Garden, 70, 440‑458.
  • Stone, P., K.A. Howard, and W.B. Hamilton, 1983, Correlation of metamorphosed Paleozoic strata of the southeastern Mojave Desert region, California and Arizona: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 94, 1135‑1147.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1984, Generalized geologic map of the Big Maria Mountains region, southeastern California, 1:48,000: USGS Open‑File Report 84‑407, map + 7 p.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1987, Mesozoic geology and tectonics of the Big Maria Mountains region, southeastern California: Arizona Geol. Soc. Digest, 18, 33‑47.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1987, Crustal extension in the Basin and Range Province, southwestern United States: Geol. Soc. London Spec. Pub. 28, p. 155‑176.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1987, Plate‑tectonic evolution of western United States: Episodes, 10, 271‑276.
  • Stone, P., V.M. Page, W.B. Hamilton, and K.A. Howard, 1987, Cretaceous age of the upper part of the McCoy Mountains Formation, southeastern California: Geology, 15, 561‑564.
  • Hamilton, W.B., R.M. Tosdal, P. Stone, and G.B. Haxel, 1987, Mesozoic tectonics of southeastern California: Arizona Bureau Geology and Mineral Technology Spec. Paper 5, p. 337‑350.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1988, Laramide crustal shortening: Geol. Soc. America Mem. 171, p. 27‑39.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1988, Detachment faulting in the Death Valley region, California and Nevada: USGS Bull. 1790, p. 51‑85.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1988, Tectonic setting and variations with depth of some Cretaceous and Cenozoic structural and magmatic systems of the western United States, in W.G. Ernst, ed., Metamorphism and crustal evolution of the western United States: Prentice‑Hall, p. 1‑40.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1988, Plate tectonics and island arcs: Geol. Soc. America Bull., 100, 1503‑1527
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1989, Crustal geologic processes in the United States: Geol. Soc. America Mem. 172, p. 743‑781.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1989, Convergent‑plate tectonics viewed from the Indonesian region, in A.M.C. Sengor, ed., Tectonic evolution of the Tethyan domain: Dordrecht, Kluwer, p. 655‑698.
  • Hoisch, T.D., and W.B. Hamilton, 1990, Granite generation by fluid‑induced anatexis: EOS, 71, 694‑696.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1990, On terrane analysis: Royal Soc. London Philos. Trans., A‑331, 511‑522.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1992, Venusian impact basins and cratered terrains: Papers presented to the International Conference on Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution, Sudbury, Ont., p. 33-35.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1993, Evolution of Archean mantle and crust: Geol. Soc. America, Geology of North America, C-2, p. 597-614.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1994, Detachment faulting and tectonic modeling in the Yucca Mountain region, Nevada: USGS admin. report, 114 p.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1995, Subduction systems and magmatism: Geol. Soc. London Spec. Pub. 81, p. 3-28.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1998, Archean tectonics and magmatism were not products of plate tectonics: Precambrian Research, 91, 143-179.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 1998, Archean tectonics and magmatism: Internat. Geology Review, 40, 1-39.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2002, The closed upper-mantle circulation of plate tectonics: Amer. Geophys. Union Geodynamics Ser. 30, p. 359-409.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2003, An alternative Earth: GSA Today, 13, 11, 4-12 + cover.
  • Glazner, A.F., J.M. Bartley, W.B. Hamilton, and B.S. Carl, 2003, Making space for batholiths by extrusion of sub-batholithic crust: Internat. Geology Review, 45, 959-967.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2003, N. Oreskes, ed., Plate tectonics, An insider’s history . . . [essay review]: Earth Sciences History, v. 22, p. 93-98.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2005, Plumeless Venus preserves an ancient impact-accretionary surface: Geol. Soc. America Spec. Paper 388, p. 781-814.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, Earth’s first two billion years—the era of internally mobile crust: Geol. Soc. America Memoir 200, p. 233-296.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, An alternative Venus: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 430, p. 879-914.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, Driving mechanism and 3-D circulation of plate tectonics.: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 433, p. 1-25.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, Comment on “A vestige of Earth’s oldest ophiolite”: Science, v. 318, 2 Nov. 2007, electronicsupplement, p. 746d.
  • Hamilton, W.B., 2007, Discussion [of paper by W.J. Morgan and J.P. Morgan, “Plate motions in the hotspot reference frame]: Geol. Soc. America Special Paper 430, p. 76-77.

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