A petrologist in South Africa: Frederick Henry Hatch and the Witwatersrand Goldfield R.J. Howarth* Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT --------------------------------------------------- *Tel.: +44 020 8332 7835. E-mail address:
[email protected]. --------------------------------------------------- Keywords: History of geology; Gold mining; The Witwatersrand ABSTRACT The English geologist, Frederick Henry Hatch (1864-1932), today mainly recalled for a textbook on igneous petrology, emigrated to South Africa, where, in the years between 1892 and 1906, he became one of the pioneers of the geology of the Transvaal and the Witwatersrand Goldfield. This article reviews his life and, in particular, his work during this period which led to his becoming a mining geologist with connections to many of the world’s goldfields, set against the political background of the Boer War which influenced the course of his work. 1. Introduction The English geologist, Frederick Henry Hatch (1864-1932) is today probably recalled, if at all, simply as an author of The Petrology of the Igneous Rocks, which ran to 12 editions, the later ones co- authored with the igneous petrologists Alfred Kingsley Wells (1899-1980) and Maurice Kingsley Wells (1921-1994) (1st, Hatch, 1891c; 8th, Hatch and Wells, 1926; 10th, Hatch et al., 1949; 12th, Hatch et al., 1961). However, probably the most important parts of his career took place in South Africa between the years 1892 and 1906, during which time he established a reputation as a consulting mining engineer whose work had helped to unlock the economic potential of the Witwatersrand (commonly referred to as ‘the Rand’) Goldfield, which was becoming the world’s most productive.