The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin Papers 1878-1932
© 2010 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Chamberlin, Thomas Chrowder. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1878-1932 |
| Size: | 42.75 linear feet (35 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin (1843-1928) directed the Department of Geology at the University of Chicago from 1892-1919. Though his academic interests were wide-ranging, he is best known for the Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hypothesis, a theory of solar system formation. Chamberlin's papers include biographies, clippings, personal and professional correspondence, drafts, research notes, reprints, and teaching materials. The collection spans 1878-1932. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Chamberlin, Thomas Chrowder. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin was born in 1843 in the area of Mattoon, Illinois: in his own words, "on the crest of the Shelbyville moraine…under the great six-tailed comet of 1843." He received his undergraduate degree from Beloit College in 1866. After completing graduate studies at the Universities of Wisconsin and Michigan, he returned to Beloit as Professor of Geology in 1873. He taught there and at Columbia University before serving as President of the University of Wisconsin from 1887 until 1892.
Chamberlin's education and early career coincided with an extremely important period in American geology, both in terms of knowledge and institutional structure. The expansion of mining, the discovery of North American dinosaurs, and the mapping of glaciers provided new opportunities for study. At universities geology was increasingly recognized as a discipline separate from geography and requiring its own department. The developing field was fostered by national organizations such as the United States Geological Survey (USGS, founded 1879) and the Geological Society of America (founded 1888). Chamberlin conducted his first research on glaciers and glacial movement. He was variously State Geologist of Wisconsin (1876 -1882), chief of the USGS Glacial Division (1881-1904) and geologist to the Peary Expedition in Greenland (1894). His work in Wisconsin articulated some of the basic laws of glacier movement and glacial stages, still accepted by geologists. His study of the multiple stages of glaciation informed his interest in climate change and the future habitability of earth.
Chamberlin was committed to scientific study as a means to materially and spiritually improve the human condition. His father was a Methodist preacher, and though Chamberlin opposed what he called "superstition" and "the dead weight of conservatism," he remained a Christian. He believed that by seeking to explain the history of humanity and the earth, both religion and science focused attention on important issues and freed individuals from everyday trivialities. In 1909 he reported to the University of Chicago's Oriental Education Commission on China's potential for developing scientific educational programs; throughout his career he wrote and spoke on pedagogy and the role of the university.
In 1892 Chamberlin left Wisconsin to chair the Department of Geology at the University of Chicago. He founded the Journal of Geology there in 1893. He was also active as a research associate of the Carnegie Foundation and president of the Chicago Academy of Science. During the second part of his career his research was concerned with the origins and formation of the earth, and through his collaboration with astronomer Forest Ray Moulton advanced the "Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hyposthesis" in 1904-1905. This theory of the solar system posited that planets had formed from the collision of planetesimals, or debris ejected from the sun. Though extremely influential at the time, the Planetesimal Hypothesis was disproven during the 1940s.
Chamberlin became emeritus faculty in 1919. He received geology's highest honour, the Penrose Medal, in 1926, and died in 1928. A lunar crater and a crater on Mars are named for him. He was survived by his son, Rollin Thomas Chamberlin (1881-1948), also a geologist and University of Chicago faculty member.
Series I: Personal, contains awards and commemorations, biographical sketches, clippings, and memorabilia. Of note is a draft of Chamberlin's autobiography, "Little Things in the Life of Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin." Material spans 1903-1928.
Series II: Correspondence, contains Chamberlin's personal and professional correspondence, both incoming and outgoing. Correspondence pertaining to specific research projects can be found in Series III.3 and in Series V and VI. Material spans 1876-1927.
Series III: Writings and Research, contains clippings, correspondence, drafts of papers and addresses, and reprints of articles by Chamberlin and others. It includes research materials related to the development of the Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hypothesis. Material spans 1878-1932.
Series IV: Teaching, contains lecture outlines and a bound volume of complete lectures by Chamberlin and lecture notes taken by one of his students. Material spans 1896-1915.
Series V: Oriental Education Commission, contains correspondence, reports, and recollections Chamberlin wrote and co-authored during his trip to China in 1909 as part of the University of Chicago's ongoing "Oriental Educational Investigation." Material spans 1901-1929.
Series VI: United States Geological Survey, contains correspondence, proposals, and reports authored by Chamberlin and others for the USGS. Material spans 1881-1907.
Burton, Ernest DeWitt. Papers
Salisbury, Rollin D. Papers
University of Chicago. Department of Geology. Records
Series I: Personal |
This series contains awards and commemorations, biographical sketches, clippings, and memorabilia. Of note is a draft of Chamberlin's autobiography, "Little Things in the Life of Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin." Material spans 1903-1928.
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Bibliography of published works, 1929 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Biographical information sent to encyclopedias, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Biographical notes, 1914 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Biographical sketch, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 5-6 | Clippings, 1908-1918 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Commencement programs, 1903-1916 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Eightieth birthday, list of well-wishers, 1923 |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Family history, 1920s |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | "The List of the American Philosophical Society," 1917 |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | "Little Things in the Life of Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin," 1928 |
| Box 1 Folder 12-13 | Obituaries, clippings, 1928 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Penrose medal, Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 1927 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Penrose medal, Chamberlin's response, 1926 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Penrose medal, "What I should have said," 1926 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Reminiscences as told to J.V. Nash, 1928 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | "Report of the Committee on the Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin Memorial Portrait, 1918 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | "A Short Biography by Eugenie Williston," undated |
Series II: Correspondence |
This series contains Chamberlin's personal and professional correspondence. Correspondence pertaining to specific research projects can be found in Series III, V and VI. This series is divided into three subseries:
Subseries 1: Family, contains letters Chamberlin wrote to his wife, Alma Isabel (Wilson) Chamberlin, and his son, Rollin Thomas, during 1885 and 1886. It also includes correspondence between Chamberlin and his son from 1905-1923, and other correspondence addressed to Rollin.
Subseries 2: Professional, contains both incoming and outgoing correspondence, 1876-1927, some original and some copied. Material is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by correspondent.
Subseries 3: Letterbooks, consists of twenty-one bound letterbooks. All but the first two include indexes. These contain copies of letters written by Chamberlin between 1888 and 1908, though the years 1892-1893 are incomplete. Correspondents include prominent academics and geologists, including William Rainey Harper, C.R. Van Hise, G.K. Gilbert, and Rollin D. Salisbury. Letterbooks are organized chronologically.
Subseries 1: Family |
| Box 2 Folder 7-8 | Chamberlin, Alma Isabel (Wilson) and Rollin Thomas, 1885-1886 |
| Box 2 Folder 9-10 | Chamberlin, Rollin Thomas, 1905-1923 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | Chamberlin, Rollin Thomas, other correspondence, 1929 |
Subseries 2: Professional |
| Box 2 Folder 12-16 | 1880-1919 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | A, 1905-1926 |
| Box 3 Folder 2-3 | B, 1905-1923 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Beloit College, 1897, 1917 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Brazilian Iron and Steel Company, 1911-1922 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | C, 1893-1919 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Carnegie Institute, 1902-1918 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Chicago Academy of Sciences, 1897-1906 |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | D, 1908-1918 |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | E-F, 1905-1919 |
| Box 3 Folder 11 | Experimental shrapnel, 1918 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | G, 1906-1927 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | H, 1903-1926 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Harper, William Rainey, 1892, 1905 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | I-J, 1906-1917 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Illinois Department of Conservation, 1910-1919 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Illinois State Museum, 1901-1902 |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Indiana Dunes National Park Project, 1916 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Jeans, J.H., 1917 |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | K, 1894-1925 |
| Box 4 Folder 10 | L, 1904-1923 |
| Box 4 Folder 11 | M, 1904-1926 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | N-O, 1905-1918 |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | P, 1906-1927 |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | R, 1908-1918 |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | Rock River Paper Company, 1876-1886 |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | S, 1893-1919 |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | T, 1913-1922 |
| Box 5 Folder 7-9 | University of Chicago, 1895-1919 |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | University of Chicago chapel, 1911-1923 |
| Box 5 Folder 11 | University of Chicago museums, 1900-1905 |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | V, 1904-1927 |
| Box 6 Folder 2-3 | W-Y, 1904-1924 |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Whitman, C.O., to William Rainey Harper, 1894 |
Subseries 3: Letterbooks |
| Box 7 | October 22, 1888-October 19, 1891 |
| Box 7 | October 27, 1891-August 9, 1892 |
| Box 8 | October 12, 1893 - March 7, 1894 |
| Box 8 | March 7, 1894- May 17, 1894 |
| Box 9 | June 2, 1894-February 27, 1895 |
| Box 10 | Feb. 27, 1895 – Sept. 30, 1895 |
| Box 11 | September 30, 1895-July 3, 1896 |
| Box 12 | July 14, 1896-April 6, 1897 |
| Box 12 | April 7, 1897-January 31, 1898 |
| Box 13 | January 31, 1898 – September 12, 1898 |
| Box 13 | September 12, 1898-August 10, 1899 |
| Box 14 | August 7, 1899-November 28, 1900 |
| Box 15 | November 30, 1900-July 18, 1901 |
| Box 16 | July 18, 1901-March 13, 1902 |
| Box 17 | March 13, 1902-September 9, 1902 |
| Box 18 | September 10, 1902-March 10, 1903 |
| Box 19 | March 10, 1903-February 16, 1904 |
| Box 20 | February 16, 1904-March 11, 1905 |
| Box 21 | April 3, 1905-March 26, 1906 |
| Box 22 | March 27, 1906-July 3, 1907 |
| Box 23 | July 8, 1907-September 16, 1908 |
Series III: Writings and Research |
This series contains Chamberlin's writing and research materials. It is divided into three subseries:
Subseries 1: Planetesimal Hypothesis, contains clippings, correspondence, and research notes related to the Chamberlin-Moulton Planetesimal Hypothesis on the formation of the solar system. Material spans 1897-1932 and is organized by topic and title, preserving Chamberlin's own headings for notes.
Subseries 2: Drafts and Notes, contains drafts of papers and addresses by Chamberlin. These cover scientific topics and thoughts on education. It also contains clippings and research notes in the form of short writing pieces and outlines. Material spans the 1880s though 1927 and is organized by title.
Subseries 3: Reprints, contains reprints of articles, editorials, and reviews written by Chamberlin and others. Material spans 1878-1931. It is organized alphabetically by title, and author when other than Chamberlin.
Subseries 1: Planetesimal Hypothesis |
| Box 24 Folder 1-3 | Clippings, 1900-1928 |
| Box 24 Folder 4 | “Considerations bearing upon the duration of the heat of the solar system,” undated |
| Box 24 Folder 5 | Correspondence, 1900-1914 |
| Box 24 Folder 6 | Correspondence, T.C. Chamberlin and R.T. Chamberlin with F.R. Moulton, 1897-1932 |
| Box 24 Folder 7 | Criticism of the hypothesis by F.R. Moulton, 1914 |
| Box 24 Folder 8 | “Hypothesis respecting the origin of the moon," undated |
| Box 24 Folder 9 | Jeffries and the Planetesimal Hypothesis, 1924 |
| Box 24 Folder 10 | “List of special problems,” undated |
| Box 24 Folder 11 | “Memorandum of Chamberlin's studies on the fundamental doctrines of geology,” undated |
| Box 24 Folder 12 | “Memorandum on the original announcement of the Planetesimal Hypothesis in 1904," 1928 |
| Box 24 Folder 13-16 | Notes and calculations, circa 1901-1904, 1924undated |
| Box 24 Folder 17 | “Notes on nebulae relative to parallax and other inquiries,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 1 | “Preliminary notes on the consequences of collisions between larger and smaller nebulae,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 2 | “Propositions involved in the evolution of a spiral nebulae into a planetary system,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 3 | Scheme of inquiry,” 1910 |
| Box 25 Folder 4 | “Spiro-nebulae hypothesis, undated |
| Box 25 Folder 5 | "Synopsis of the Stages of Study on Earth Genesis by T.C. Chamberlin and F.R. Moulton," 1906 |
| Box 25 Folder 6 | “Translation of passages in Les hypothèses cosmographiques,” 1913 |
Subseries 2: Drafts and Notes |
| Box 25 Folder 7 | “Academic test,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 8 | “Additional cosmic theories,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 9 | "Address Before the Association of Doctors of Philosophy of the University of Chicago," 1918 |
| Box 25 Folder 10 | "Address on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the St. Louis Academy," undated |
| Box 25 Folder 11 | "Address at the Laying of the Cornerstone of the Julius Rosenwald Hall," 1914 |
| Box 25 Folder 12 | “Addresses at congregational dinners,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 13 | "The Advisability of Reorganizing the A.A.A.S.," 1910 |
| Box 25 Folder 14 | "The American University and its Ideals," undated |
| Box 25 Folder 15 | "The Ample Basis for Diastrophism," 1926 |
| Box 25 Folder 16 | “Analysis of compressional energy,” 1921 |
| Box 25 Folder 17 | “Analysis of modes of internal movement and the structure of bodies relative to such motion,” 1910 |
| Box 25 Folder 18 | "The Ancestral Family of the Sun," 1915 |
| Box 25 Folder 19 | "The Atmosphere," 1922 |
| Box 25 Folder 20 | “Basal concepts of evolution,” 1916 |
| Box 25 Folder 21 | “Bases of reference in determining the earth's form and dimensions,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 22 | “Basis for drawing a revised map of the western hemisphere,” 1926 |
| Box 25 Folder 23 | “Basis for long-time regional weather predictions,” 1923 |
| Box 25 Folder 24 | "The Bearing of Molecular Activity on Spontaneous Fission in Gaseous Spheroids," 1908 |
| Box 25 Folder 25 | “Behaviour of the borders of the continents,” 1905 |
| Box 25 Folder 26 | “The bending of star rays in passing the sun,” 1923 |
| Box 25 Folder 27 | "Birth, Growth, and Mature Stages of Glaciers: the Harris Lectures," 1918 |
| Box 25 Folder 28 | Bibliographies, circa 1919 |
| Box 25 Folder 29 | “The case of eruption before star reaches periastion,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 30 | "Change in the Concept of Cosmology," 1916 |
| Box 25 Folder 31 | "The Climatic Evidences of the Proterozic Era," 1917 |
| Box 25 Folder 32 | “Climatic fallacy,” 1923 |
| Box 25 Folder 33 | "The Coast Glaciers Between Disco Island and Inglefield Gulf," undated |
| Box 25 Folder 34 | "Comments Relative to the Interpretation of the Paper of W.J. McGee," 1926 |
| Box 25 Folder 35 | "Communication of College Economics: Addressed to Beloit College," 1917 |
| Box 25 Folder 36 | "The Conditions of a Wholesome, Ethical, and Religious Atmosphere in a University," 1897 |
| Box 25 Folder 37 | "The Content of the Cosmogonic Field," 1916 |
| Box 25 Folder 38 | “Continental platforms,” 1899 |
| Box 25 Folder 39 | “Cosmogony,” 1911 |
| Box 25 Folder 40 | "The Cosmos, the Psychos, the Monontos," 1927 |
| Box 25 Folder 41 | “Crushing tests, Tarr and Von Engeln,” 1918 |
| Box 25 Folder 42 | “Curves of pressure, freed energy, and density,” 1921 |
| Box 25 Folder 43 | Darwin, Charles, undated |
| Box 25 Folder 44 | “Deployments and powers of deployment,” 1916 |
| Box 25 Folder 45 | “Diagram and statistics relative to seismic pier beneath Rosenwald Hall,” 1917 |
| Box 25 Folder 46 | "A Differential Method of Voting on the (Liquor) License Question," circa 1897 |
| Box 25 Folder 47 | “Directions of individual paths of the nebulous units,” 1916 |
| Box 25 Folder 48 | “Discussion of conditions which control the distribution and evolution of early life,” undated |
| Box 25 Folder 49 | “Distinction between original satellitesimal earth and later planetesimal earth,” 1919 |
| Box 25 Folder 50 | “The distortional factor,” 1921 |
| Box 25 Folder 51 | “A dynamic classification of small astronomic bodies,” 1908 |
| Box 25 Folder 52 | “The dynamic contribution of planetesimal infall during the core formation”, 1924 |
| Box 26 Folder 1 | "The Early Shaping of the Earth," 1924 |
| Box 26 Folder 2 | "The Educational Era of July 13, 1899," 1899 |
| Box 26 Folder 3 | Educational proposals, clippings, 1880s-1890s |
| Box 26 Folder 4 | "Effects of Ionization on the Chamberlin Theory of Meteorites," 1935 |
| Box 26 Folder 5 | “Effect of the planetesimals on the erupto-vortical motion,” 1924 |
| Box 26 Folder 6 | “Electric and magnetic fields of force,” 1916 |
| Box 26 Folder 7 | “Energy,” 1921, undated |
| Box 26 Folder 8 | "The Enrichment and Depletion of the Atmosphere," undated |
| Box 26 Folder 9 | "The Ethical Nature of True Scientific Study," 1899 |
| Box 26 Folder 10 | “Evolution of the earth,” 1926 |
| Box 26 Folder 11 | "Existing Glaciation and the Place it Gives the Present Epoch in the Cycle of Climates," 1918 |
| Box 26 Folder 12 | Falkland Islands, 1923 |
| Box 26 Folder 13 | "The Field of Force About the Earth," 1926 |
| Box 26 Folder 14 | "The Former Rate of the Earth's Rotation," undated |
| Box 26 Folder 15 | "The Former Rates of the Earth's Rotation and Their Relations to Terrestrial Deformation," undated |
| Box 26 Folder 16 | "The Freedom of University Professors," circa 1899 |
| Box 26 Folder 17 | The function of fluxes in the interior of the earth in connection with igneous ascension and with strain zones, 1910 |
| Box 26 Folder 18 | "The Function of the Ocean Relative to Atmospheric Gases," 1905 |
| Box 26 Folder 19 | "The Function of Scientific Study in Secondary Schools," circa 1880s |
| Box 26 Folder 20 | "Fundamental Factors in Earth Shaping," 1925 |
| Box 26 Folder 21 | "The Fundamental Segmentation of the Earth," 1914 |
| Box 26 Folder 22 | "Fundamental Sources of Energy," 1921 |
| Box 26 Folder 23 | "The Fundamentals of Geology," 1922 |
| Box 26 Folder 24 | "The Fundamentals of Isostasy," undated |
| Box 26 Folder 25 | "The Future of Earth and of Man," 1921 |
| Box 26 Folder 26 | The "gagenschein," undated |
| Box 26 Folder 27 | Geikie, undated |
| Box 26 Folder 28 | General notes, undated |
| Box 26 Folder 28 | "The Genesis and Growth of the Earth," 1926-1927 |
| Box 26 Folder 30 | "Geologic Climates," 1917-1922 |
| Box 27 Folder 1-2 | Geology, clippings, 1880s-1904 |
| Box 27 Folder 3 | "Geology as a By-pasture for Preachers," circa 1895 |
| Box 27 Folder 4 | Glaciers, clippings, 1890s |
| Box 27 Folder 5 | "Glaciers, Ancient and Modern: Harris Lectures," 1918 |
| Box 27 Folder 6 | "Glaciers and Their Work," 1902 |
| Box 27 Folder 7 | "A Glance at the Intellectual Attitudes of Beloit College," 1897 |
| Box 27 Folder 8 | "Grand Divisions of the Earth," 1923 |
| Box 27 Folder 9 | "Grant for the Study of Fundamental Problems of Geology," 1906 |
| Box 27 Folder 10 | Graphic interpretations of mean density, 1921 |
| Box 27 Folder 11 | Gravity, undated |
| Box 27 Folder 12 | "The Greenland Scientific Expedition of 1895," undated |
| Box 27 Folder 13 | "The Growth of the Earth," 1926-1927 |
| Box 27 Folder 14 | Hayford, 1915 |
| Box 27 Folder 15 | "How Can Endowments Most Effectively Aid Research?" 1903 |
| Box 27 Folder 16 | "How the Earth Got its Start and How it Grew," 1926 |
| Box 27 Folder 17 | Hydrogeoid, 1925 |
| Box 27 Folder 18 | “Hypothesis respecting the interior of the earth,” undated |
| Box 27 Folder 19 | “Hypothetical sequences of ejection from sun of vortex,” 1922 |
| Box 27 Folder 20 | “Immortality of matter,” undated |
| Box 27 Folder 21 | "The Importance of a Belief in the Divine Immanence at the Present Crisis of Intellectual Development," undated |
| Box 27 Folder 22 | "The Influence of Science on Literature," undated |
| Box 27 Folder 23 | “Influence of tidal force on the solid and liquid earth,” undated |
| Box 27 Folder 24 | “Internal distortion an extrusive agency,” undated |
| Box 27 Folder 25 | “Investigation of basal factors in climate,” 1922 |
| Box 27 Folder 26 | “Jeans' problems of cosmogony and stellar dynamics,” 1920 |
| Box 27 Folder 27 | Jeffries, Harold, "The Earth, Its Origin, History, and Physical Constitution," 1924 |
| Box 27 Folder 28 | “Jottings for H.L.,” 1918 |
| Box 27 Folder 29 | La Touche, undated |
| Box 27 Folder 30 | “Land connections and relations in North Atlantic area and beyond, “1923 |
| Box 27 Folder 31 | "The Laplacian and Other Laws of Density," 1921 |
| Box 27 Folder 32 | "Lectures on Historical Geology," 1895 |
| Box 27 Folder 33 | "Life After Death From the Point of View of Science," 1897 |
| Box 27 Folder 34 | "The Litho-geoid," 1925 |
| Box 27 Folder 35 | "Lord Kelvin's Address on the Age of the Earth as an Abode Fitted for Life," 1899 |
| Box 27 Folder 36 | "The Lower Division of the Atmosphere," 1922 |
| Box 27 Folder 37 | Lunn's results, 1921 |
| Box 28 Folder 1 | "Major Ice Invasions of the Pleistocene Period," 1928 |
| Box 28 Folder 2 | “Maximum climatic amelioration,” 1923 |
| Box 28 Folder 3 | “Memoranda for "Evolution and its Remaking," 1927 |
| Box 28 Folder 4 | “Memorandum on the industrial situation,” 1903 |
| Box 28 Folder 5 | “Memorandum on magnetism problem,” undated |
| Box 28 Folder 6 | “Memorandum relative to a possible basis for a naturalistic system of mathematics,” 1918 |
| Box 28 Folder 7 | "Methods of Teaching," circa 1895 |
| Box 28 Folder 8 | “Mind in evolution,” undated |
| Box 28 Folder 9 | “Mode of end movement sections,” 1910 |
| Box 28 Folder 10 | “Molecular escape and solar exchange,” 1922 |
| Box 28 Folder 11 | "The Moral Functions of Modern Scholarship," undated |
| Box 28 Folder 12 | "The Moral Functions of Scientific Study," undated |
| Box 28 Folder 13 | “The more massive and deeper circulation,” 1923 |
| Box 28 Folder 14 | “A neglected climatic factor,” 1922 |
| Box 28 Folder 15 | “New arrangement of article,” 1925 |
| Box 28 Folder 16 | "New Aspects of Geologic Fundamentals," 1922 |
| Box 28 Folder 17 | “New sub-hypothesis respecting the order of eruption,” 1926 |
| Box 28 Folder 18 | "New Views of the Universe," 1912 |
| Box 28 Folder 19 | Notes from Encyclopedia Britannica, 1923 |
| Box 28 Folder 20 | “Notes from Murray,” 1923 |
| Box 28 Folder 21 | “Notes on Article XV,” 1921 |
| Box 28 Folder 22 | “Notes on the climatic problem,” 1916 |
| Box 28 Folder 23 | “Notes on the depth of the ocean,” 1923 |
| Box 28 Folder 24 | “Notes on metamorphism,” 1921 |
| Box 28 Folder 25 | “Notes on northeast Greenland,” 1918 |
| Box 28 Folder 26 | “Notes on the reconstruction of the A.A.A.S.,” 1910 |
| Box 28 Folder 27 | "Observational Evidence of the Existence of Supplementary Atmospheres," 1908 |
| Box 28 Folder 28 | "Oceanic Circulation," 1923 |
| Box 28 Folder 29 | "On the Interior of the Earth," 1896 |
| Box 28 Folder 30 | “On language,” undated |
| Box 28 Folder 31 | "On the Peninsular Character of Palaeozoic Wisconsin," undated |
| Box 28 Folder 32-37 | “Origin of the earth,” book draft, 1919-1926 |
| Box 29 Folder 1 | "The Origin of the Earth," 1925-1926 |
| Box 29 Folder 2 | “Origin of life: hypotheses,” 1896 |
| Box 29 Folder 3 | “Outline for club,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 4 | “The part played by liquid rock,” 1926 |
| Box 29 Folder 5 | "The Planetesimal Factor in Cosmogony," 1908 |
| Box 29 Folder 6 | "Pleistocene Glaciation of the Last Geological Period," 1918 |
| Box 29 Folder 7 | “Possible explanation for the canals of Mars,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 8 | “Possible masses of the nuclei of the earth and moon,” 1920 |
| Box 29 Folder 9 | “Present standing of the several hypotheses of the cause of the glacial period,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 10 | Presidential address to the Royal Society of New South Wales by T.W.E. David, notes, undated |
| Box 29 Folder 11 | “Principles of segment deformation,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 12 | “Probable function of glacial air currents,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 13 | “The problem simply,” 1925 |
| Box 29 Folder 14 | "A Proposal for a West Side Park for the City of Beloit," 1924 |
| Box 29 Folder 15 | Proposed beginning of a paper on the fundamentals of isostasy, 1923 |
| Box 29 Folder 16 | "A Proposed Field School of Geology," 1911 |
| Box 29 Folder 17 | "A Proposition to Enlarge the Scope of the American System of Education," 1923 |
| Box 29 Folder 18 | "Radioactivity and Thermal Geology," 1911 |
| Box 29 Folder 19 | "Remarks at the Dedication of the Hull Biological Laboratories," 1896 |
| Box 29 Folder 20 | "Report on the Gurley Collection of Fossils," circa 1899 |
| Box 29 Folder 21 | "Review of Thwaites' Development of the Theory of Multiple Glaciation," 1928 |
| Box 29 Folder 22 | Review of Reid, 1924 |
| Box 29 Folder 23 | “Scheme for national university,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 24 | “The science of geology,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 25 | "Science in the Service War," 1918 |
| Box 29 Folder 26 | "The Scientific and the Non-scientific," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 27 | “Scientific results, Nansen, 1923 |
| Box 29 Folder 28 | "Secular Theology: An Appropriate Field of Public Instruction," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 29 | “Selection of a theme for research viewed as a foreshadowing of selections in life,” 1899 |
| Box 29 Folder 30 | "The Shaping Effects of Rotation," 1925 |
| Box 29 Folder 31 | "Short Glacial Dependencies of the Main Ice Gap," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 32 | "Significance in Landscape Contours," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 33 | “Sketch of an attempt to decipher ancient geography,” 1899 |
| Box 29 Folder 34 | "Soil Wastage," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 35 | “Some notions regarding the early stages of the earth,” 1900 |
| Box 29 Folder 36 | "Special Features in the Forms of Spiral Development," 1916 |
| Box 29 Folder 37 | "The Special Value of Salinity as a Working Factor in Interpretation," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 38 | “Specific gravity,” undated |
| Box 29 Folder 39 | "Speculations Concerning Mode of Differentiation of the Archean Material under the Accretion Hypothesis," undated |
| Box 29 Folder 40 | “Speculations on the ultimate nature of things,” 1926 |
| Box 29 Folder 41 | “Standards of the form and development of the earth,” 1925 |
| Box 29 Folder 42 | "The State University and Research," 1904 |
| Box 30 Folder 1 | "The Structure of the Core as Formed by the Erupt-Vertical Circulation," 1924 |
| Box 30 Folder 2 | "Studies in Cosmogony," 1916 |
| Box 30 Folder 3 | "A Study of the Fundamental Problems of Geology," 1922 |
| Box 30 Folder 4 | “Study of the normal circulation of the atmosphere on a sphere,” 1917 |
| Box 30 Folder 5 | “Suggestions relative to the possible origin of start clusters,” 1916 |
| Box 30 Folder 6 | "Synopsis of the Address on the Methods of the Earth Sciences," 1904 |
| Box 30 Folder 7 | "The Teaching of Geology in College," 1917 |
| Box 30 Folder 8 | “Tentative scheme for work in the military aspects of the earth sciences,” 1918 |
| Box 30 Folder 9 | "Tentative Sketch of a Plan for the Development of Original Research in the University of Chicago," undated |
| Box 30 Folder 10 | “Tentative working interpretations of nebulae,” 1916 |
| Box 30 Folder 11 | “Tests of shifts on the revised basis, “1919 |
| Box 30 Folder 12 | Textbook on oceanography, 1923 |
| Box 30 Folder 13 | "A Theory of Radiance," 1911 |
| Box 30 Folder 14 | "A Theory of the Sub-Sub-Mechanism," 1922 |
| Box 30 Folder 15 | “Thermal courses,” undated |
| Box 30 Folder 16 | “Tidal theory,” undated |
| Box 30 Folder 17 | "Topography of the Great West," undated |
| Box 30 Folder 18 | "The Tripartite Construction of the Earth," 1922 |
| Box 30 Folder 19 | University of Chicago, clippings, undated |
| Box 30 Folder 20 | "Unrecognized Religiousness," undated |
| Box 30 Folder 21 | "A Vision of Modern Type, by a Disciple of the Physical Sciences," 1917 |
| Box 30 Folder 22 | "The Vitalizing of Geographic Study," 1895 |
| Box 30 Folder 23 | "What are the Real Issues?" 1925 |
| Box 30 Folder 24 | What does Paris mean for future peace, circa 1914 |
| Box 30 Folder 25 | Why should the tectonic equator still pass through center of heavy and center of light hemisphere? 1924 |
| Box 30 Folder 26 | "Working Concepts Appropriate to an Earth of Planetesimal Origin," 1926 |
| Box 30 Folder 27 | "World Organization after the World War," 1919 |
Subseries 3: Reprints |
| Box 30 Folder 28 | Abstracts, 1892-1901 |
| Box 30 Folder 29 | "Address Before the Association of Doctors of Philosophy at the University of Chicago," 1918 |
| Box 30 Folder 30 | "Address at the Laying of the Cornerstone of Julius Rosenwald Hall," 1914 |
| Box 30 Folder 31 | "An Ancient Theory of the Pacific," 1923 |
| Box 30 Folder 32 | "Annual Report of the Wisconsin Geological Survey,
|
| Box 30 Folder 33 | "The Appropriate Moral Field of Public Educational Institutions," 1890 |
| Box 30 Folder 34 | "Are There Line Fences in Science?" 1910 |
| Box 30 Folder 35 | "An Attempt to Frame a Working Hypothesis of the Cause of Glacial Periods on at Atmospheric Basis," 1900 |
| Box 30 Folder 36 | "An Attempt to Test the Nebular Hypothesis by the Relations of Masses and Momenta," with F.R. Mouton, 1900 |
| Box 30 Folder 37 | "The Attitude of the Eastern and Central Portions of the United States During the Glacial Period," 1891 |
| Box 30 Folder 38 | "Baccalaureate Address at the University of Wisconsin Commencement," 1892 |
| Box 30 Folder 39-40 | "The Bearings of Radioactivity on Geology," 1911, 1912 |
| Box 30 Folder 41 | "The Bearing of Some Recent Determinations on the Correlation of the Eastern and Western Terminal Moraines," 1882 |
| Box 30 Folder 42 | "Certain Phases of Glacial Erosion," 1911 |
| Box 30 Folder 43 | "Certain Phases of Metatectonic Geology," 1926 |
| Box 30 Folder 44 | "Certain Valley Configurations in Low Latitudes," with R.T. Chamberlin, 1910 |
| Box 30 Folder 45 | Chamberlin, R.T., "Further Studies at Vero, Florida," 1917 |
| Box 30 Folder 46 | Chamberlin, R.T., "Glacial Features of the St. Croix Dulles Region," 1905 |
| Box 30 Folder 47 | "Charles Richard Van Hise, 1857-1918," 1918 |
| Box 31 Folder 1 | "The Chinese Problem," 1910 |
| Box 31 Folder 2 | "The Coming of Age of State Universities," 1910 |
| Box 31 Folder 3 | "A Contribution to the Theory of Glacial Motion," 1904 |
| Box 31 Folder 4 | "Convocation Address on Behalf of the Faculties of the University," 1916 |
| Box 31 Folder 5 | "The Criteria Requisite for the Reference of Relics to a Glacial Age," 1903 |
| Box 31 Folder 6 | "De la détermination des faits fondamentaux et des principles qui doivent server de bases à la classification géologique," 1901 |
| Box 31 Folder 7 | "The Development of the Planetesimal Hypothesis," with F.R. Moulton, 1909 |
| Box 31 Folder 8 | "The Development of the Revised Hypothesis Respecting White Nebulae," 1917 |
| Box 31 Folder 9 | "Diastrophism and the Formative Processes, Parts 1-14," 1913 |
| Box 31 Folder 10 | "Diastrophism as the Ultimate Correlation," 1909 |
| Box 31 Folder 11 | "The Diversity of the Glacial Period," 1893 |
| Box 31 Folder 12 | "Early Terrestrial Conditions," 1908 |
| Box 31 Folder 13 | "The Earth: its Figure and Dimensions, and the Constitution of its Interior," 1917 |
| Box 31 Folder 14 | Editorials, 1910-1913 |
| Box 31 Folder 15 | "The Evolution of the Earth," 1916 |
| Box 31 Folder 16 | "The Fault Problem," 1907 |
| Box 31 Folder 17 | "The Former Rates of the Earth's Rotation and Their Bearings on its Deformation," undated |
| Box 31 Folder 18 | "The Founding of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters," 1920 |
| Box 31 Folder 19 | "Fundamental Concepts of Time and Space," undated |
| Box 31 Folder 20 | "Fundamental Problems of Geology," with F.R. Moulton, 1907 |
| Box 31 Folder 21 | "Further Studies of the Drainage Features of the Upper Ohio Basin," 1894 |
| Box 31 Folder 22 | "The Future Habitability of the Earth," 1911 |
| Box 31 Folder 23 | "The Genesis of the Planets," 1924 |
| Box 31 Folder 24 | "A Genetic Classification of Pleistocene Deposits," 1891 |
| Box 32 Folder 1 | "A Geologic Forecast of the Future Opportunities of Our Race," 1909 |
| Box 32 Folder 2 | "The Geologic Relations of the Human Relics of Lansing," 1902 |
| Box 32 Folder 3 | "Glacial Studies in Greenland," 1894 |
| Box 32 Folder 4 | "The Greater Earth," 1921 |
| Box 32 Folder 5 | "Groundwork of the Earth's Diastrophism" 1921 |
| Box 32 Folder 6 | "Grove Karl Gilbert," 1918 |
| Box 32 Folder 7 | "The Growth of the Earth," 1925, 1927 |
| Box 32 Folder 8 | "Hillocks of Angular Gravel and Disturbed Stratification," 1884 |
| Box 32 Folder 9 | "The Horizon of Drumlin, Osar, and Kane Formation," 1893 |
| Box 32 Folder 10 | "How Can Endowments Most Effectively Aid Research?" 1903 |
| Box 32 Folder 11 | "L'hypothèse planétésimale," 1914 |
| Box 32 Folder 12 | "An Ignored Theory of the Ice Age," 1906 |
| Box 32 Folder 13 | "The Interior of the Earth from the Viewpoint of Geology," 1915 |
| Box 32 Folder 14 | "Intrageology – Elastasy vs. Isostasy," 1927 |
| Box 32 Folder 15 | "Investigation Versus Propagandism," 1919 |
| Box 32 Folder 16 | "Jones' Criticism of Chamberlin's Groundwork for the Study of Megadiastrophism," 1922 |
| Box 32 Folder 17 | "King's Farmer's of Forty Centuries," 1912 |
| Box 32 Folder 18 | "Lord Kelvin's Address on the Age of the Earth as an Abode Fitted for Life," 1899 |
| Box 32 Folder 19 | "The Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses," 1931 |
| Box 32 Folder 20 | "The Methods of the Earth Sciences," 1904 |
| Box 32 Folder 21 | "The Mission of the Scientific Spirit," 1893 |
| Box 32 Folder 22 | Moulton, F.R., "On the Evolution of the Solar System," 1905 |
| Box 32 Folder 23 | Moulton, F.R., "Professor Chamberlin on the Nebular Hypothesis," undated |
| Box 32 Folder 24 | Moulton, F.R., "Spheres of Activity of the Planets," undated |
| Box 32 Folder 25 | "The Nature of Englacial Drift of the Mississippi Basin," 1893 |
| Box 32 Folder 26 | The New Theory of Cosmic Evolution," 1909 |
| Box 32 Folder 27 | "Notes on the Glaciation of Newfoundland," 1894 |
| Box 32 Folder 28 | "On Fundamental Problems of Geology," 1923 |
| Box 32 Folder 29 | "On the Habitat of the Early Vertebrates," 1900 |
| Box 32 Folder 30 | "On the Possible Function of Disruptive Approach in the Formation of Meteorites, Comets, and Nebulae," 1901 |
| Box 32 Folder 31 | "On the Possible Reversal of Deep-Sea Circulation and its Influence on Geologic Climates," 1906 |
| Box 32 Folder 32 | "On the Relationship of the Pleistocene to the Pre-Pleistocene Formation of the Mississippi Basin," with R.D. Salisbury, 1891 |
| Box 32 Folder 33 | "Preliminary Paper on the Driftless Area of Upper Mississippi Valley," 1886 |
| Box 32 Folder 34 | "Proposed International Geologic Institute," 1900 |
| Box 32 Folder 35 | "Recent Glacial Studies in Greenland," 1895 |
| Box 32 Folder 36 | "Reform of the Calendar," 1910 |
| Box 32 Folder 37 | "Requisite and Qualifying Conditions of Artesian Wells," 1885 |
| Box 32 Folder 38 | "Review of Reed's 'The Planetesimal Hyposthesis of the Solar System," 1925 |
| Box 32 Folder 39 | Reviews, 1910-1928 |
| Box 32 Folder 40 | "Rock Scorings of the Great Ice Invasions," 1888 |
| Box 33 Folder 1 | "Self-Compression of the Earth and Related Problems," 1920 |
| Box 33 Folder 2 | "Seventy-Five of American Geology," 1924 |
| Box 33 Folder 3 | "The Shelf-Seas of the Paloezoic and Their Relations to Diastrophism and Time Divisions," undated |
| Box 33 Folder 4 | "Significant Ameliorations of Present Arctic Climates," 1923 |
| Box 33 Folder 5 | "Soil Productivity," 1911 |
| Box 33 Folder 6 | "Soil Wastage," 1908 |
| Box 33 Folder 7 | "Some Additional Evidences," 1890 |
| Box 33 Folder 8 | "The State University and Research," 1904 |
| Box 33 Folder 9 | "Studies for Students: the Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses," 1897 |
| Box 33 Folder 10 | "Study of Fundamental Problems in Geology," 1926 |
| Box 33 Folder 11 | "Supplementary Hypothesis Respecting the Origin of the Loess of the Mississippi Valley," 1897 |
| Box 33 Folder 12 | "Symposium on the Age and Relations of the Fossil Human Remains Found at Vero, Florida," 1917 |
| Box 33 Folder 13 | "A Systematic Source of Evolution of Provincial Faunas," 1898 |
| Box 33 Folder 14 | "The Ulterior Basis of Time Divisions and the Classification of Geologic History," 1898 |
| Box 33 Folder 15 | "A Venerable Climatic Fallacy," 1923 |
| Box 33 Folder 16 | "World Organization After the World War: An Omni-National Confederation," 1918 |
Series IV: Teaching |
This series contains lecture outlines and a bound volume of complete lectures by Chamberlin and lecture notes taken by one of his students. Material spans 1896-1915.
| Box 33 Folder 17 | Lecture notes, J. Paul Goode, "Working Methods of Geology," 1896 |
| Box 33 Folder 18 | Lecture notes, 1902 |
| Box 33 Folder 19 | Lecture outlines, "Working Methods of Geology" and "Principles of Geology," 1912, 1914-1915 |
| Box 34 Folder 1 | Lectures, "Principles of Geology," 1915 |
Series V: Oriental Educational Commission |
This series contains correspondence, reports, and recollections Chamberlin wrote and co-authored during his trip to China in 1909. In 1901 Chamberlin had suggested to William Rainey Harper that the University of Chicago might be a valuable partner for China in the exploration and exploitation of its natural resources. The 1909 trip was part of the University of Chicago's ongoing "Oriental Educational Investigation" into the possibility of developing scientific education there. Chamberlin travelled with his son, Rollin Thomas Chamberlin, and Ernest DeWitt Burton, a biblical scholar (and University President 1923-1925). Material spans 1901-1929 and is organized chronologically; all "synopses" were co-authored with R.T. Chamberlin.
| Box 34 Folder 2 | Chinese geology, correspondence with William Rainey Harper, 1901 |
| Box 34 Folder 3 | Clippings, 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 4 | Itinerary and correspondence with Ernest DeWitt Burton, 1908 |
| Box 34 Folder 5 | Itinerary and correspondence with H.P. Judson, 1908-1910 |
| Box 34 Folder 6 | "Notes on Honolulu," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 7 | "Synopsis of Studies in Central China," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 8 | "Synopsis of the Observations of the Messrs. Chamberlin North of the Yangtze River," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 9 | "Synopsis of the Observations of the Messrs. Chamberlin in the Province of Honan," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 10 | "Synopsis of the Observations of the Messrs. Chamberlin in Shansi," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 11 | "Synopsis of the Observations of the Messrs. Chamberlin in the Province of Chili," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 12 | "Synopsis of the Observations of the Messrs. Chamberlin on the Borderland of the Gulf of Chili Between Peking and Mukden," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 13 | "Synopsis of the Observations of the Messrs. Chamberlin on Manchuria," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 14 | "Notes on Women's Education in China," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 15 | "Summer Work in China," 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 16 | "West China – Szechuan," circa 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 17 | Address by T.C. Chamberlin on his trip, circa 1909 |
| Box 34 Folder 18 | "The Chinese Expedition of 1909," R.T. Chamberlin, 1929 |
Series VI: United States Geological Survey |
This series contains correspondence, proposals, and reports authored by Chamberlin and others. Chamberlin served as the chief of the USGS Glacial Division between 1881 and 1904, during which time he articulated some of the basic laws of glacier movement and mapped their limits in the continental U.S. Material is organized chronologically and spans 1881-1907.
| Box 35 Folder 1 | Upham, Warren, reports and correspondence, 1881-1885 |
| Box 35 Folder 2 | Incoming correspondence, 1884-1892 |
| Box 35 Folder 3 | Branner, J.C. correspondence, 1886-1897 |
| Box 35 Folder 4 | Leverett, Frank, correspondence, 1886-1904 |
| Box 35 Folder 5 | Buell, D.M., correspondence, 1887-1892 |
| Box 35 Folder 6 | Reports and correspondence, 1891-1897 |
| Box 35 Folder 7 | Pleistocene survey, proposal and correspondence, 1900 |
| Box 35 Folder 8 | Maryland and New Jersey, reports and correspondence, 1901 |
| Box 35 Folder 9 | Washington, reports and correspondence, 1902 |
| Box 35 Folder 10 | Correspondence, 1903 |
| Box 35 Folder 11 | Midwest and the Rockies, proposals and correspondence, 1904 |
| Box 35 Folder 12 | Midwest, report and correspondence, 1905 |
| Box 35 Folder 13 | Michigan, report, 1906 |
| Box 35 Folder 14 | Chamberlin, "Comments on the Manuscript of F.B. Taylor on the Surficial Geology of the Housatonic Quadrangle," 1907 |