Wes Hildreth

Edward Wesley Hildreth III, (usually known as Wes Hildreth) is an American field geologist and volcanologist employed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). He is a fellow of both the Geological Society of America (GSA), and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Hildreth was described as "one of the great volcanologists/petrologists of our time" in the magazine ''Wired''.

Biography

Hildreth was born in 1938 in Newton, Massachusetts. He grew up 'bi-coastal', both in the Boston Area, and in Marin County, Bay Area. He spent his first two years of school in Belvedere, California, years three through ten in Massachusetts, and years ten through twelve in Mill Valley, California. Hildreth went to Harvard University, taking some time out between his sophomore and junior years to train with an army reserve unit. In 1961, Hildreth graduated with B.A. in geology. He began working as a Research Geologist in 1977, before which he was a Naturalist for the National Park Service and an Instructor at University of California, Berkeley. He participated in cross country for the Harvard Crimson while he attended Harvard.

Hildreth was interviewed in 2016 by the Grand Canyon Historical Society for their Oral History program.

Hildreth is married to Gail Mahood, a retired geology professor at Stanford University, whom he has also published research papers with.

Education

Hildreth has a 1961 B.A. from Harvard University, as well as a 1977 Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley under Ian S. E. Carmichael.

While attending Harvard College, he won the Detur Book Prize (1958) and became a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 1960.

Career

Much of his work has been in the geological fields of petrology, volcanology, seismology, and geologic mapping. He has made significant contributions to the study of volcanic caldera systems and chemically-zoned silicic eruptions.

While at University of California, Berkeley, he was a student of Garniss Curtis.

Hildreth has worked closely with fellow geologist Dave Tucker on geological research in the North Cascades. Hildreth has also worked with other notable geologists, including Suzanne Mahlburg Kay, David A. Johnston, Mark S. Ghiorso; Charles R. Bacon; and Penrose Medal winner James Gregory Moore.

Hildreth has published works about geology from many regions around the world, including Redoubt and Kaguyak, Alaska; Death Valley, California; Yellowstone, Wyoming; multiple locations in Washington and Oregon, and in the Andes of Chile.

While he worked for the National Park Service, he wrote reports about Muir Woods in California.

Hildreth participated in the 2005 GSA Field Forum in the Sierra Nevada and White- Inyo Mountains, California, as well as the 2009 GSA Field Forum in Bishop, California, which culminated in a special issue in the journal ''Lithosphere''. Hildreth, along with his main research partner Judy Fierstein, hosted a community interpretive walk at Devils Postpile in July 2016.

Research

Some of Hildreth's most notable geologic research has been on the Long Valley caldera and the associated Bishop Tuff, of which he published in-depth research about the order of eruptions causing the geologic phenomena. His work developed a scientific working hypothesis on the origins of the formations.

Hildreth also authored a USGS publication covering the 1912 eruption of Novarupta 100 years after the event. This publication was noted in multiple publications, including ''Wired'', ''Discover'', and ''The Associated Press.''

Awards

Hildreth has received many awards and honors in recognition of his contributions to research in geology, including:

* 1961–62: Sheldon Traveling Fellowship (Harvard)
* 1983–85: G.K. Gilbert Fellowship (USGS)
* 1985: N.L. Bowen Award ( AGU)
* 1985: Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology (VGP) Award ( AGU)
* 2004: Thorarinsson Medal (IAVCEI)
* 2004: Meritorious Service Award ( DOI)
* 2006: Outstanding Publication Award (Association of Earth Science Editors)
* 2019: Florence Bascom Geologic Mapping Award ( GSA)
He has also received awards outside his academic capacity, including "Outstanding Soldier of the Cycle" from the U.S. Army in 1959, and placing 29th in the 1960 Boston Marathon.

Professional service

Hildreth has served on multiple editorial boards or on committees for academic societies, including serving on the editorial board for the ''Bulletin of Volcanology'' (), and acting as Associate Editor for both the ''Journal of Geophysical Research'' () and '' Andean Geology'' (1987–present). He also served on the Fellows Selection Committee for AGU () and the Honors and Awards Committee for IAVCEI (). He was a publications reviewer for USGS from .

Bibliography

Hildreth has published numerous books and papers over his career, amassing over nine thousand citations. He is also briefly mentioned in the book ''A to Z of Earth Scientists''.

References

External links

Wes Hildreth
on ScienceBase-Catalog

Wes Hildreth
on GSA Bulletin

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hildreth, Wes
Harvard College alumni
University of California, Berkeley alumni
United States Geological Survey personnel
American volcanologists
American earth scientists
Scientists from California
Scientists from the San Francisco Bay Area
Academics from California
Fellows of the American Geophysical Union
Fellows of the Geological Society of America
People from Newton, Massachusetts
Living people
1938 births