Robert Thomas Hill – Father of the Texas Cretaceous

Abstract

Robert T. Hill, an early Texas geologist, developed a general interest in science and a particular fascination for geology during his late teens in Comanche, Texas. He received his formal geological training at Cornell University in New York. After graduation, he was associated with the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Geological Survey in Washington, D.C. In the late 1880s, he helped organize the Texas Geological Survey, the precursor to the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. During his colorful career, he made significant contributions to the geography and geology of the southwest. He not only defined and named the physiographic provinces of Texas but also was responsible for organizing and subdividing the Cretaceous strata of Texas and adjacent areas into useful stratigraphic units. He also contributed to our understanding of the structural framework of Texas by recognizing and describing the Balcones fault zone of Central Texas and the Texas lineament of southwest Texas. In 1900, Hill gained national fame for his exploration of major canyons along the Rio Grande in the Big Bend area. Although he was a “giant” in the field of geology, he felt persecuted by some of his geological associates. Hill died in 1941 after an outstanding professional career that spanned more than 60 years.