A petrologist in South Africa: Frederick Henry Hatch and the Witwatersrand Goldfield

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.