John (Jack) Hillhouse
Jack Hillhouse is an Scientist Emeritus at Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center. He received a M.S. and Ph.D degrees from Stanford University in Geophysics. Since joining the USGS in 1973, he has devoted his career to studying geology/geophysics and specializes in paleomagnetism. He retired from full-time duty in 2012.
Professional Experience
1973-2012 USGS
Education and Certifications
M.S. and Ph.D, Stanford University, Geophysics
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
Geological Society of America
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 20
Analysis of the age and paleomagnetic orientation of the Broadwell Mesa Basalt, Bristol Mountains, CA
To add to the regional paleomagnetic data documenting block rotation in eastern California, we determined the age and paleomagnetic rotation of the Broadwell Mesa basalt, a basalt in the Bristol Mountains, CA as part of an effort to constrain the timing and rotation of blocks adjacent to the fault. The east-striking sinistral Broadwell Mesa fault cuts and separates the basalt into two outcrops. An
Authors
Geoffrey Phelps, John Hillhouse, Robert J. Fleck, David M. Miller, David C. Buesch, Andrew J. Cyr, Kevin M. Schmidt
Analysis of Neogene deformation between Beaver, Utah and Barstow, California: Suggestions for altering the extensional paradigm
For more than two decades, the paradigm of large-magnitude (~250 km), northwest-directed (~N70°W) Neogene extensional lengthening between the Colorado Plateau and Sierra Nevada at the approximate latitude of Las Vegas has remained largely unchallenged, as has the notion that the strain integrates with coeval strains in adjacent regions and with plate-boundary strain. The paradigm depends on poorly
Authors
R. Ernest Anderson, Sue Beard, Edward A. Mankinen, John W. Hillhouse
Magnetostratigraphy and tectonic rotation of the Miocene Spanish Canyon Formation at Alvord Mountain, California
No abstract available.
Authors
John W. Hillhouse, David M. Miller
Age, composition, and areal distribution of the Pliocene Lawlor Tuff, and three younger Pliocene tuffs, California and Nevada
The Lawlor Tuff is a widespread dacitic tephra layer produced by Plinian eruptions and ash flows derived from the Sonoma Volcanics, a volcanic area north of San Francisco Bay in the central Coast Ranges of California, USA. The younger, chemically similar Huichica tuff, the tuff of Napa, and the tuff of Monticello Road sequentially overlie the Lawlor Tuff, and were erupted from the same volcanic fi
Authors
Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, Alan L. Deino, Robert J. Fleck, Robert J. McLaughlin, David Wagner, Elmira Wan, David B. Wahl, John W. Hillhouse, Michael Perkins
Updated paleomagnetic pole from Cretaceous plutonic rocks of the Sierra Nevada, California: Tectonic displacement of the Sierra Nevada block
We report remanent magnetization measurements from 13 sites in Cretaceous plutonic rocks in the northern Sierra Nevada (38°N–39.5°N). By increasing the number of available paleomagnetic sites, the new data tighten constraints on the displacement history of the Sierra Nevada block and its pre-extensional position relative to interior North America. We collected samples in freshly exposed outcrops a
Authors
John W. Hillhouse, Sherman Gromme
Clockwise rotation and implications for northward drift of the western Transverse Ranges from paleomagnetism of the Piuma Member, Sespe Formation, near Malibu, California
New paleomagnetic results from mid-Tertiary sedimentary beds in the Santa Monica Mountains reinforce the evidence for large-scale rotation of the western Transverse Ranges, and anisotropy measurements indicate that compaction-induced inclination flattening may resolve a long-standing controversy regarding the original paleolatitude of the rotated block. Previously published paleomagnetic data indi
Authors
John W. Hillhouse
Correlation of the Miocene Peach Spring Tuff with the geomagnetic polarity time scale and new constraints on tectonic rotations in the Mojave Desert, California
We report new paleomagnetic results and 40Ar/39Ar ages from the Peach Spring Tuff (PST), a key marker bed that occurs in the desert region between Barstow, California, and Peach Springs, Arizona. The 40Ar/39Ar ages were determined using individual hand-picked sanidine crystals from ash-flow specimens used in previous paleomagnetic studies at eight sites correlated by mineralogy, stratigraphic posi
Authors
John W. Hillhouse, David M. Miller, Brent D. Turrin
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geomagnetism Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Reconnaissance geochronology of tuffs in the Miocene Barstow Formation: Implications for basin evolution and tectonics in the central Mojave Desert
Early to middle Miocene lacustrine strata of the Barstow Formation are well dated in just a few places, limiting our ability to infer basin evolution and regional tectonics. At the type section in the Mud Hills, previous studies have shown that the lacustrine interval of the Barstow Formation is between ~16.3 Ma and ~13.4 Ma. Elsewhere, lake beds of the Barstow Formation have yielded vertebrate fo
Authors
David M. Miller, Shannon R. Leslie, John W. Hillhouse, Joseph L. Wooden, Jorge A. Vazquez, R. E. Reynolds
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Volcano Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Stratigraphy, paleomagnetism, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of the Miocene Stanislaus Group, central Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater Mountains, California and Nevada
Paleomagnetism and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) reveal pyroclastic flow patterns, stratigraphic correlations, and tectonic rotations in the Miocene Stanislaus Group, an extensive volcanic sequence in the central Sierra Nevada, California, and in the Walker Lane of California and Nevada. The Stanislaus Group (Table Mountain Latite, Eureka Valley Tuff, and the Dardanelles Formation) i
Authors
Nathan M. King, John W. Hillhouse, Sherman Gromme, Brian P. Hausback, Christopher J. Pluhar
A 3-Dimensional Model of Water-Bearing Sequences in the Dominguez Gap Region, Long Beach, California
A 3-dimensional computer model of the Quaternary sequence stratigraphy in the Dominguez gap region of Long Beach, California has been developed to provide a robust chronostratigraphic framework for hydrologic and tectonic studies. The model consists of 13 layers within a 16.5 by 16.1 km (10.25 by 10 mile) square area and extends downward to an altitude of -900 meters (-2952.76 feet). Ten sequences
Authors
Daniel J. Ponti, Kenneth D. Ehman, Brian D. Edwards, John C. Tinsley, Thomas Hildenbrand, John W. Hillhouse, Randall T. Hanson, Kristen McDougall, Charles L. Powell, Elmira Wan, Michael Land, Shannon Mahan, Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki
Ground-magnetic studies of the Amargosa Desert region, California and Nevada
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard J. Blakely, John W. Hillhouse, Robert L. Morin
Highly magnetic Upper Miocene sandstones of the San Francisco Bay area, California
[1] A high-resolution aeromagnetic survey of the San Francisco Bay area shows prominent positive anomalies over distinctive blue sandstones of Late Miocene age. The total-field survey was measured at a nominal height of 300 m above the land surface along flight lines spaced 0.5 km apart. Anomalies with amplitudes up to 200 nT correlate with sandstones of the San Pablo Group, and these anomalies ar
Authors
John W. Hillhouse, Robert C. Jachens
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in San Francisco City and County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $4 million in damages were assessed in San Francisco City and County.
Late Tertiary and Quaternary geology of the Tecopa Basin, southeastern California
No abstract available.
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 20
Analysis of the age and paleomagnetic orientation of the Broadwell Mesa Basalt, Bristol Mountains, CA
To add to the regional paleomagnetic data documenting block rotation in eastern California, we determined the age and paleomagnetic rotation of the Broadwell Mesa basalt, a basalt in the Bristol Mountains, CA as part of an effort to constrain the timing and rotation of blocks adjacent to the fault. The east-striking sinistral Broadwell Mesa fault cuts and separates the basalt into two outcrops. AnAuthorsGeoffrey Phelps, John Hillhouse, Robert J. Fleck, David M. Miller, David C. Buesch, Andrew J. Cyr, Kevin M. SchmidtAnalysis of Neogene deformation between Beaver, Utah and Barstow, California: Suggestions for altering the extensional paradigm
For more than two decades, the paradigm of large-magnitude (~250 km), northwest-directed (~N70°W) Neogene extensional lengthening between the Colorado Plateau and Sierra Nevada at the approximate latitude of Las Vegas has remained largely unchallenged, as has the notion that the strain integrates with coeval strains in adjacent regions and with plate-boundary strain. The paradigm depends on poorlyAuthorsR. Ernest Anderson, Sue Beard, Edward A. Mankinen, John W. HillhouseMagnetostratigraphy and tectonic rotation of the Miocene Spanish Canyon Formation at Alvord Mountain, California
No abstract available.AuthorsJohn W. Hillhouse, David M. MillerAge, composition, and areal distribution of the Pliocene Lawlor Tuff, and three younger Pliocene tuffs, California and Nevada
The Lawlor Tuff is a widespread dacitic tephra layer produced by Plinian eruptions and ash flows derived from the Sonoma Volcanics, a volcanic area north of San Francisco Bay in the central Coast Ranges of California, USA. The younger, chemically similar Huichica tuff, the tuff of Napa, and the tuff of Monticello Road sequentially overlie the Lawlor Tuff, and were erupted from the same volcanic fiAuthorsAndrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, Alan L. Deino, Robert J. Fleck, Robert J. McLaughlin, David Wagner, Elmira Wan, David B. Wahl, John W. Hillhouse, Michael PerkinsUpdated paleomagnetic pole from Cretaceous plutonic rocks of the Sierra Nevada, California: Tectonic displacement of the Sierra Nevada block
We report remanent magnetization measurements from 13 sites in Cretaceous plutonic rocks in the northern Sierra Nevada (38°N–39.5°N). By increasing the number of available paleomagnetic sites, the new data tighten constraints on the displacement history of the Sierra Nevada block and its pre-extensional position relative to interior North America. We collected samples in freshly exposed outcrops aAuthorsJohn W. Hillhouse, Sherman GrommeClockwise rotation and implications for northward drift of the western Transverse Ranges from paleomagnetism of the Piuma Member, Sespe Formation, near Malibu, California
New paleomagnetic results from mid-Tertiary sedimentary beds in the Santa Monica Mountains reinforce the evidence for large-scale rotation of the western Transverse Ranges, and anisotropy measurements indicate that compaction-induced inclination flattening may resolve a long-standing controversy regarding the original paleolatitude of the rotated block. Previously published paleomagnetic data indiAuthorsJohn W. HillhouseCorrelation of the Miocene Peach Spring Tuff with the geomagnetic polarity time scale and new constraints on tectonic rotations in the Mojave Desert, California
We report new paleomagnetic results and 40Ar/39Ar ages from the Peach Spring Tuff (PST), a key marker bed that occurs in the desert region between Barstow, California, and Peach Springs, Arizona. The 40Ar/39Ar ages were determined using individual hand-picked sanidine crystals from ash-flow specimens used in previous paleomagnetic studies at eight sites correlated by mineralogy, stratigraphic posiAuthorsJohn W. Hillhouse, David M. Miller, Brent D. TurrinByEnergy and Minerals Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geomagnetism Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science CenterReconnaissance geochronology of tuffs in the Miocene Barstow Formation: Implications for basin evolution and tectonics in the central Mojave Desert
Early to middle Miocene lacustrine strata of the Barstow Formation are well dated in just a few places, limiting our ability to infer basin evolution and regional tectonics. At the type section in the Mud Hills, previous studies have shown that the lacustrine interval of the Barstow Formation is between ~16.3 Ma and ~13.4 Ma. Elsewhere, lake beds of the Barstow Formation have yielded vertebrate foAuthorsDavid M. Miller, Shannon R. Leslie, John W. Hillhouse, Joseph L. Wooden, Jorge A. Vazquez, R. E. ReynoldsByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Volcano Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science CenterStratigraphy, paleomagnetism, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of the Miocene Stanislaus Group, central Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater Mountains, California and Nevada
Paleomagnetism and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) reveal pyroclastic flow patterns, stratigraphic correlations, and tectonic rotations in the Miocene Stanislaus Group, an extensive volcanic sequence in the central Sierra Nevada, California, and in the Walker Lane of California and Nevada. The Stanislaus Group (Table Mountain Latite, Eureka Valley Tuff, and the Dardanelles Formation) iAuthorsNathan M. King, John W. Hillhouse, Sherman Gromme, Brian P. Hausback, Christopher J. PluharA 3-Dimensional Model of Water-Bearing Sequences in the Dominguez Gap Region, Long Beach, California
A 3-dimensional computer model of the Quaternary sequence stratigraphy in the Dominguez gap region of Long Beach, California has been developed to provide a robust chronostratigraphic framework for hydrologic and tectonic studies. The model consists of 13 layers within a 16.5 by 16.1 km (10.25 by 10 mile) square area and extends downward to an altitude of -900 meters (-2952.76 feet). Ten sequencesAuthorsDaniel J. Ponti, Kenneth D. Ehman, Brian D. Edwards, John C. Tinsley, Thomas Hildenbrand, John W. Hillhouse, Randall T. Hanson, Kristen McDougall, Charles L. Powell, Elmira Wan, Michael Land, Shannon Mahan, Andrei M. Sarna-WojcickiGround-magnetic studies of the Amargosa Desert region, California and Nevada
No abstract available.AuthorsRichard J. Blakely, John W. Hillhouse, Robert L. MorinHighly magnetic Upper Miocene sandstones of the San Francisco Bay area, California
[1] A high-resolution aeromagnetic survey of the San Francisco Bay area shows prominent positive anomalies over distinctive blue sandstones of Late Miocene age. The total-field survey was measured at a nominal height of 300 m above the land surface along flight lines spaced 0.5 km apart. Anomalies with amplitudes up to 200 nT correlate with sandstones of the San Pablo Group, and these anomalies arAuthorsJohn W. Hillhouse, Robert C. Jachens - Maps
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in San Francisco City and County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $4 million in damages were assessed in San Francisco City and County.Late Tertiary and Quaternary geology of the Tecopa Basin, southeastern California
No abstract available.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government