Forrest Horton
Assistant Scientist II
Department of Geology & Geophysics
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Forrest Horton, PhD
Department of Geology & Geophysics
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
360 Woods Hole Rd
McLean 210a, MS #08
Woods Hole, MA 02543
fhorton@whoi.edu
+1-508-289-2776
CURRENT POSITION
Assistant Scientist II, Department of Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
EDUCATION
Postdoctoral Fellow, Caltech Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences. Investigating subgrain-scale noble gas distributions in mantle olivine with Kenneth Farley.
Ph.D. in Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara. Himalaya gneiss dome formation, focused radiogenic heating in southern Madagascar, and fertilization of the Neoproterozoic ocean by mantle-derived phosphorus. June, 2015. Doctoral advisor Bradley Hacker.
M.S. in Geology, San Francisco State University. Geochronology of the Zanskar Himalaya, 2011. Masters advisor Mary Leech.
B.A., Bowdoin College. Geology Major and Environmental Studies Coordinate Major, 2008.
Undergraduate advisor Rachel Beane.
University of Montana. Field geology coursework, 2007.
University of Otago, New Zealand. Petrology and hydrology coursework, 2006.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Holder, R., Horton, F., Swindle, C., Rakotondrazafy, M., 2023, The monazite record of (ultra)high-temperature metamorphism in S. Madagascar: Terrane correlations and structural trapping of hot middle crust in the Eastern-Africa / Kuunga orogen, Journal of the Geological Society, doi.org/10.1144/jgs2024-065.
Kaare-Rasmussen*, J., Horton, F., Holder, R., Kylander-Clark, A., Bouvier, A.S., Muntener, O., Rakotondrazafy, M., 2023, Protracted mantle heat conduction after lithospheric foundering beneath the Malagasy Orogen, Geology, doi.org/10.1130/G52316.1.
Kaare-Rasmussen*, J., Peters, D., Rizo, H., Carlson, R.W., Nielsen, S.G., Horton., F., 2023, Tungsten isotopes in Baffin Island lavas: Evidence of Iceland plume evolution, Geochemical Perspectives Letters, v. 28, p. 7–12.
Horton, F., Asimow, P., Farley, K., Curtice, J., Kurz, M.D., Blusztajn, J., Biasi, J., Boyes, X., 2023, Highest terrestrial 3He/4He credibly from the core, Nature, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06590-8.
Mollica, N.R., Cohen, A.L., Horton, F., Oppo, D.W., Solow, A.S., McGee, D., 2023, Resolving seasonal variability with the Sr-U coral thermometer using LA-ICPMS, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, e2022PA004508.
Galochkina, M., Cohen, A.L., Oppo, D.W., Mollica, N., Horton, F., 2023, Coral Sr‐U thermometry tracks ocean temperature and reconciles Sr/Ca discrepancies caused by Rayleigh fractionation, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 38, e2022PA004541.
Biasi, J., Asimow, P., Horton, F., Boyes, X., 2022, Eruption rates, tempo, and stratigraphy of Paleocene flood basalts on Baffin Island, Canada, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 23, e2021GC010172.
Horton, F., Holder, R.M., Swindle, C.R., 2022, An extensive record of orogenesis recorded in a Madagascar granulite, Journal of Metamorphic Geology. DOI: 10.1111/jmg.12628.
Horton, F., 2021, Rapid recycling of subducted sedimentary carbon revealed by Afghanistan carbonatite volcano, Nature Geoscience, v. 14, p. 508-512.
Horton, F., Nielsen S., Shu Y., Gagnon A., Blusztajn J., 2021, Thallium isotopes reveal brine activity during
carbonatite magmatism, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. DOI: 10.1029/2020GC009472.
Horton, F., Curtice J., Farley K., Kurz M., Asimow P., Treffkorn J., Boyes X.. 2021, Primordial neon in high-
3He/4He Baffin Island olivines. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 558, 116762.
Horton, F., Farley, K., and Jackson, M., 2019, Helium distributions in ocean island basalt olivines revealed by X-ray computed tomography and single-grain crushing experiments: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 244, p. 467–477.
Holder, R.M., Hacker, B.R., Horton, F., Michel Rakotondrazafy, A.R., 2018, Ultrahigh-temperature osumilite gneisses in southern madagascar record combined heat advection and high rates of radiogenic heat produection in a long-lived high-T orogen: Journal of Metamorphic Geology, v. 36, p. 855–880.
Horton, F., Hacker, B., Kylander-Clark, A., Holder, R., Jöns, N., 2016, Focused radiogenic heating of middle crust caused ultrahigh temperatures in southern Madagascar: Tectonics, v. 35, p. 293–314.
Di Vincenzo, G., Horton, F., Palmeri, R., 2016, Protracted (~30 Ma) eclogite-facies metamorphism in northern Victoria Land (Antarctica): Implications for the geodynamics of the Ross/Delamerian Orogen, Gondwana Research, v. 40, p. 91–106.
Horton, F., 2015, Did phosphorus derived from weathering of large igneous provinces fertilize the Neoproterozoic ocean? Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, v. 16, 1723–1738.
Horton, F., Lee, J., Hacker, B., Bowman-Kamaha'o, M, Cosca, M., 2014, Himalaya gneiss dome formation in the middle crust and exhumation by normal faulting: New geochronology of Gianbul dome, northwestern India: GSA Bulletin, v. 126, B31005.1.
Horton, F., Leech, M.L., 2013, Age and origin of granites in the Karakoram shear zone and Greater Himalaya Sequence, NW India: Lithosphere, v. 5, p. 300–320.
Tucker, R.D., Belkin, H.E., Schulz, K.J., Peters, S.G., Horton, F., Buttleman, K., Scott, E.R., 2012, A major rare-earth element (LREE) resource in the Khanneshin carbonatite complex, Southern Afghanistan: Economic Geology, v. 107, p. 197–208.
THESES
Horton, F., 2015. Himalaya gneiss dome formation, focused radiogenic heating in southern Madagascar, and fertilization of the Neoproterozoic ocean by mantle-derived phosphorus. University of California, Santa Barbara, 180 pp.
Horton, F., 2011, Geochronology and zircon geochemistry of Greater Himalaya leucogranites in Zanskar, NW India, San Francisco State University Archives, 104 pp.
Horton, F., Beane, R.J., 2008. EBSD and HRXCT analysis of elongated garnets of the Spring Point Formation, Casco Bay, ME. Bowdoin College Archives, Thesis 2008 H6, 45 pp, CD-ROMs 1–2.
Published Abstracts
Horton, F., Earth’s core as a reservoir and source of volatile elements: Insights from Baffin Island lava geochemistry, Goldschmidt 2024 (Chicago).
Kaare-Rasmussen*, J., Horton, F., Holder, R.M., Kylander-Clark, A., Bouvier, A.-S., Müntener, O., Rakotondrazafy, A.F.M., Elevated mantle heat flow after lithospheric foundering causes differentiation and metamorphism during orogenesis, Goldschmidt 2024 (Chicago).
Anderson, M.K., Barry, B.H., Li, K., Curtice, J., Sinton, J., Horton, F., Le Roux, V., Kurz, M.D., Seamount Nitrogen and Noble Gas Evidence for Subduction-Derived Volatiles in the East Pacific Rise Mantle, Goldschmidt 2024 (Chicago).
Horton, F., Curtice, J., Blusztajn, J., Farley, K.A., Asimow, P.D., Kurz, M.D., Kaare-Rasmussen, J., Exploring the origins of the solar nebula in the Earth: Clues from Baffin Island lava geochemistry, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023.
Horton, F., Afghanistan carbonatites derived from subducted marine sediments (Invited), American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023.
Horton, F., Kaare-Rasmussen, J., Petrochronologic 4D reconstruction of the Malagasy orogen, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023.
Kaare-Rasmussen*, J., Horton, F., Holder, R.M., Kylander-Clark, A.R., Bouvier, A.-S., Muntener, O., Rakotondrazafy, M., Paquette, J.-L., Mantle Heat Advection Not Responsible for Ultrahigh-Temperature Metamorphism in Madagascar, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023.
Horton, F., Exploring the origins of solar nebula in the terrestrial mantle, Developments in Noble Gases Understanding and Expertise VIII, 2023, Switzerland.
Horton, F., Marshall, E.W., Halldorsson, S.A., Barry, P.H., Curtice, J., Kurz, M.D., Rapid 3He/4He changes in Fagradalsfjall (Iceland) 2021 lavas, Goldschmidt 2023.
Kaare-Rasmussen*, J., Nielsen, S.G., Auro, M., Peters, D., Rizo, H., Horton, F., Anomalous vanadium isotopes in Baffin Island lavas: Evidence of core-mantle exchange? Goldschmidt 2023.
Cohen*, M., Horton, F., Longpre, M.-A., Pankhurst, M., Blusztajn, J., Barry, P., Covariance of radiogenic isotopes (Sr, Nd, and Pb) and trace elements in 2021 Cumbre Vieja lavas, Goldschmidt 2023.
Galochkina, M., Cohen, A.L., Oppo, D.W., Mollica, N., Horton, F., Sr-U thermometry captures ocean temperatures and corrects for Sr/Ca vital effects in a slow-growing Atlantic coral, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2022.
Hudak, M.R., Barry, P.H., Bekaert, D.V., Day, J.M., Gazel, E., Curtice, J., Krantz, J.A., Horton, F., Kurz, M.D., Nitrogen isotope heterogeneity of the oceanic mantle, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2022.
Cohen*, M., Horton, F., Longpré, M.-A., Curtice, J., Kurz., M.D., Evolution of 3He/4He ratios in the 2021 Cumbre Vieja lavas, Goldschmidt 2022.
Kaare-Rasmussen*, J., Peters, D., Rizo, H., Horton, F., New tungsten isotope results for high-3He/4He Baffin Island lavas, Goldschmidt 2022.
Horton, F., Curtice, J., Farley, K., Kurz, M.D., Asimow, P., Blusztajn, J., Biasi, J., Boyes, X., 3He/4He >65 times the atmospheric ratio measured in Baffin Island lavas: Evidence of core-mantle exchange? Goldschmidt 2022, #11114.
Galochkina, M., Oppo, D., Mollica, N., Horton, F., Accurate Seawater Temperatures from Coral Sr-U, American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences 2022, OC11.
Horton, F., Carbonatite Magmatism in Subduction Zones: Evidence from the Khanneshin Volcano in Afghanistan, Goldschmidt 2021, #6367.
Bauer, W., Rasaona, I.T., Tucker, R.D., Horton, F., The Ambatolampy Group, central Madagascar, a Neoproterozoic rift-basin sequence? European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2020, #1413.
Mollica, N.R., Cohen, A.L., Horton, F., Constraining Paleo-ENSO with Coral Based Sr-U Thermometry, American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences 2020, PC14B-1723.
Horton, F., Kurz, M.D., Curtice, J., Asimow, P., Farley, K., Neon Isotopes Indicate that Baffin Island and Iceland Lavas Share a Common Origin, Goldschmidt 2020, #1063.
Pfleger, C.M., Murty, S., Horton, F., Monteleone, B., Giosan, L., Gaetani, G., Denniston, R., Ummenhofer, C.C., Investigating Australian Monsoon Sensitivity to Large Volcanic Eruptions in the Last Millennium through Model-Proxy Synthesis, 100th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting 2020.
Biasi, J., Karlstrom, L., Asimow, P., Horton, F., Rapid and Frequent Flood Basalt Eruptions: Evidence from the North Atlantic Igneous Province and the Columbia River Basalts. American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference 2019.
Boyes, X., Peterson, M., Biasi, J., Horton, F., Asimow, P., Characterization of a new suite of Baffin Island basalts, American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference 2019.
Horton, F., Di Vincenzo, G., Palmeri, R., Island arc–continental arc collision caused protracted eclogite-facies metamorphism in northern Victoria Land (Antarctica), International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences 2019, South Korea, #A245.
Horton, F., Extreme CO2/3He variability in ocean island basalt olivines, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2018, V12A-03.
Farley, K., Horton, F., Olivine Barometry Based on X-Ray Computed Tomography of Fluid Inclusions, Goldschmidt 2017, #1110.
Horton, F., Focused heating in continental collision zones caused by the burial of highly radioactive sedimentary rocks, Goldschmidt 2017, #1695.
Horton, F., Farley K.A., Taylor, H.P., Noble gas systematics of the Skaergaard intrusion, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2017, V33F-2678.
Horton, F., Fertilization of the Neoproterozoic ocean by phosphorus from flood basalts (Invited), American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2016, V13B-2839.
Horton, F., Farley, K.A., Searching for noble gases with X-ray computed tomography: New microanalytical methods for isotopic characterization of ocean island basalts, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2016, V11B-2766.
Horton, F., Did mantle-derived phosphorus fertilize the Cryogenian ocean? Geological Society of America Fall Meeting 2014, #256-7.
Horton, F., Hacker, B.R., Kylander-Clark, A.R., Radiogenic heating to ultrahigh temperature: Geochronology and 4+ thermometry across southern Madagascar, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2014, V43B-4875.
Hacker, B.R., Kylander-Clark, A., Horton, F., Holder, R., Applying U/Th-Pb and trace-element LASS petrochronology to understanding high-temperature metamorphism, Geological Society of America Fall Meeting 2013, #287-1.
Horton, F., Lee, J., Hacker, B.R., Bowman-Kamaha’o, M., Cosca, M.A., Western Himalaya Gianbul gneiss dome geochronology reveals initiation of doming in the middle crust, buoyancy-driven ascent, and exhumation by normal faulting, Geological Society of America Fall Meeting 2013, #323-6.
Horton, F., Hacker, B.R., Kylander-Clark, A.R., Geochronology and 4+ thermometry of the ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism in southern Madagascar, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2013, T31D-2556.
Palmeri, R., Di Vincenzo, G., Horton, F., Hacker, B., Kylander-Clark, A., In situ U-Pb geochronology and trace-element chemistry of zircon from eclogites and host gneisses of the Lanterman Range (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica), X International Eclogite Conference 2013, #98.
Lee, J., Horton, F., Hacker, B.R., Kamaha’o, M., Cosca, M.A., New monazite geochronology across Gianbul Dome, Greater Himalaya Range, NW India, Geological Society of America Fall Meeting 2012, #40-2.
Hassett, W.C., Sommerfeld, J.W., Horton, F., Leech, M.L., 2010, Geochemical investigation of north Himalayan gneiss domes, in Leech, M.L., and others, eds., Proceedings for the 25th Himalaya-Karakoram-Tibet Workshop: U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 2010-1099, 2 p.
Horton, F., Sommerfeld, J., Hassett, W., Leech, M., U-Pb geochronology and zircon Hf isotopic signatures of the Greater Himalaya Sequence in Zanskar and the Karakoram fault zone, NW India, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2010, T43B-2226.
Horton, F., Sommerfeld, J., Hassett, W., Leech, M., Himalaya Leucogranites from the Zanskar Region, Northern India, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2009, T43C-2119.
Horton, F., Beane, R., Ketcham, R., EBSD and HRxCT analysis of elongated garnet of the Spring Point Formation, Casco Bay, ME, Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Annual Meeting 2008, #14-1.
GRANTS AND AWARDS
Harris Family Fellowship, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2024.
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Caltech Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, 2015.
G.K. Gilbert Award, University of California Santa Barbara Department of Earth Science, 2015.
Alumni Graduate Award for Research Excellence, University of California Santa Barbara Department of Earth Science, 2015.
Migues Field Research Prize, University of California Santa Barbara Department of Earth Science, 2013.
Doctoral Fellowship, University of California Santa Barbara, 2011–2015.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2010–2014.
Global War on Terror Civilian Service Medal, 2010. Recognition for working in a war zone for more than 60 consecutive days on a project related to national security.
Geological Society of America Graduate Research Grant, 2010.
Arthur M. Hussey Geology Award, for scholarship and fieldwork in Geology, 2008.
Maine Space Grant Consortium Fellowship for undergraduate research on garnet microstructure in collaboration with UT Austin, 2007.
Cook Scholarship, St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire, 2000.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Afghanistan Mineral Exploration. Department of Defense, Task Force for Business and Stability Operations. Assisted with mineral resource assessments in 2010–2011.
Alaska Exploration Geology. Avalon Development Corp., core logging, soil/stream sediment sampling, and modeling of a massive hydrothermal gold deposit at Donlin Creek in Alaska. 2008.
Land Surveying. DJ&A Engineers, Montana. 2004, 2006.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Instructor. Coteach cosmochemistry, geochemistry, petrology, and volcanism sections of Geological Oceanography, a core course required in the Marine Geology & Geophysics department of the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. 2021-present.
Instructor. Earth 10: Antarctica. University of California, Santa Barbara, 2015.
Teaching Assistant. Earth 20: Catastrophes. University of California, Santa Barbara, 2015.
Teaching Assistant. Earth 18: Introductory Field Geology. University of California, Santa Barbara, 2015.
Teaching Assistant. Earth 104b: Spring Field Geology. University of California, Santa Barbara, 2012.
Co-teacher of Middle School Geology. Designed and co-taught hands-on lessons in a 6th grade Earth Sciences classroom as part of a Science Partners in K-12 Education course, 2009.
Volunteer English Teacher. Taught in the rural village Mulbekh, northwestern India in coordination with the Omprakash Foundation, 2009.