James A. Jackson
Encyclopedia
James Anthony Jackson, FRS, (b. December 12, 1954), is Professor of Active Tectonics
and Head of Bullard Laboratories, Department of Earth Sciences
, Cambridge University. He made his name in geophysics
, using earthquake
source seismology
to examine how continents are deformed. His central research focus is to observe the active processes shaping our continents.
, which probably established his interest in all aspects of Asia
, which is where much of his current research has been concentrated.
Jackson attended the University of Cambridge
graduating with a 1st Class
degree in Geology
in 1976. Then, under the tutelage of Dan McKenzie at the Bullard Laboratories, Cambridge
, he received his PhD
in 1980. His research used earthquakes to study the processes that produce the major surface features of the continents, such as mountain belts and basins.
Between 1977 and 1981 he was a Visiting Scientist in the Seismic Discrimination Group at MIT before returning to Cambridge to take up a Research Fellow
position in Queens' College, Cambridge
, where he became Assistant Dean
in 1983. In 1984, he was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences
, Cambridge, Lecturer
in 1988 and Reader
in 1996. He was made Professor of Active Tectonics in the Department of Earth Sciences in 2003.
, geodesy
and geomorphology
he is able to observe, quantitatively, the geometry
and rates of deformation processes while they are active. In addition to seismology
, his current research uses space-based remote sensing (including radar
interferometry
, GPS measurements and optical imagery) combined with observations of the landscape in the field, to study the evolution and deformation of the continents on all scales, from the movement of individual faults in earthquakes to the evolution of mountain belts.
Much of his work is carried out in collaboration with researchers from the COMET Project where he is Associate Director.
Tectonics
Tectonics is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the lithosphere of the Earth and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures.Tectonics is concerned with the orogenies and tectonic development of...
and Head of Bullard Laboratories, Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences
The Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge is the University of Cambridge's Earth Sciences department. The main location of the department is at the Downing Site, Downing St. The Bullard Laboratories, located in West Cambridge on Madingley Rd, and the Godwin Laboratory, in the New Museums Site...
, Cambridge University. He made his name in geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
, using earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
source seismology
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...
to examine how continents are deformed. His central research focus is to observe the active processes shaping our continents.
Education and career
Jackson was born and raised in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which probably established his interest in all aspects of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, which is where much of his current research has been concentrated.
Jackson attended the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
graduating with a 1st Class
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
degree in Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
in 1976. Then, under the tutelage of Dan McKenzie at the Bullard Laboratories, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, he received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1980. His research used earthquakes to study the processes that produce the major surface features of the continents, such as mountain belts and basins.
Between 1977 and 1981 he was a Visiting Scientist in the Seismic Discrimination Group at MIT before returning to Cambridge to take up a Research Fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
position in Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, where he became Assistant Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
in 1983. In 1984, he was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences
The Department of Earth Sciences at Cambridge is the University of Cambridge's Earth Sciences department. The main location of the department is at the Downing Site, Downing St. The Bullard Laboratories, located in West Cambridge on Madingley Rd, and the Godwin Laboratory, in the New Museums Site...
, Cambridge, Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in 1988 and Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in 1996. He was made Professor of Active Tectonics in the Department of Earth Sciences in 2003.
Current Research
Using evidence from earthquakes, remote sensingRemote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
, geodesy
Geodesy
Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...
and geomorphology
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
he is able to observe, quantitatively, the geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
and rates of deformation processes while they are active. In addition to seismology
Seismology
Seismology is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other planet-like bodies. The field also includes studies of earthquake effects, such as tsunamis as well as diverse seismic sources such as volcanic, tectonic, oceanic,...
, his current research uses space-based remote sensing (including radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
interferometry
Interferometry
Interferometry refers to a family of techniques in which electromagnetic waves are superimposed in order to extract information about the waves. An instrument used to interfere waves is called an interferometer. Interferometry is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy,...
, GPS measurements and optical imagery) combined with observations of the landscape in the field, to study the evolution and deformation of the continents on all scales, from the movement of individual faults in earthquakes to the evolution of mountain belts.
Much of his work is carried out in collaboration with researchers from the COMET Project where he is Associate Director.
Selected publications
- Jackson, J.A. 1982, "Seismicity, normal faulting, and the geomorphological development of the Gulf of Corinth ( Greece): the Corinth earthquakes of February and March 1981.", Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 377–397.
- McKenzie, D. & Jackson, J. 1983, "The relationship between strain rates, crustal thickening, palaeomagnetism, finite strain and fault movements within a deforming zone.", Earth & Planetary Science Letters, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 182–202.
- Jackson, J. & McKenzie, D. 1984, "Active tectonics of the Alpine- Himalayan Belt between western Turkey and Pakistan.", Geophysical Journal - Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 77, no. 1, pp. 185–264.
- Jackson, J. & McKenzie, D. 1988, "The relationship between plate motions and seismic moment tensors, and the rates of active deformation in the Mediterranean and Middle East", Geophysical Journal - Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 45–73.
- Ambraseys, N.N. & Jackson, J.A. 1990, "Seismicity and associated strain of central Greece between 1890 and 1988", Geophysical Journal InternationalGeophysical Journal InternationalGeophysical Journal International is a monthly , peer reviewed, scientific journal, published monthly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft . Publishing formats are original research papers, research notes, letters, and book...
, vol. 101, no. 3, pp. 663–708. - Taymaz, T., Jackson, J. & McKenzie, D. 1991, "Active tectonics of the north and central Aegean Sea", Geophysical Journal International, vol. 106, no. 2, pp. 433–490.
- Jackson, J. 1994, "Active tectonics of the Aegean region", Annual Review of Earth and Planetary SciencesAnnual Review of Earth and Planetary SciencesAnnual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences is a scientific journal covering earth and planetary sciences, such as geology and atmospheric sciences.- See also :* List of scientific journals...
, vol. 22, pp. 239–271. - Jackson, J., Norris, R. & Youngson, J. 1996, "The structural evolution of active fault and fold systems in central Otago, New Zealand: Evidence revealed by drainage patterns", Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 18, no. 2-3, pp. 217–234.
- Ambraseys, N.N. & Jackson, J.A. 1998, "Faulting associated with historical and recent earthquakes in the Eastern Mediterranean region", Geophysical Journal InternationalGeophysical Journal InternationalGeophysical Journal International is a monthly , peer reviewed, scientific journal, published monthly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft . Publishing formats are original research papers, research notes, letters, and book...
, vol. 133, no. 2, pp. 390–406. - Maggi, A., Jackson, J.A., McKenzie, D. & Priestley, K. 2000, "Earthquake focal depths, effective elastic thickness, and the strength of the continental lithosphere", Geology, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 495–498.
- Jackson, J. 2002, "Strength of the continental lithosphere: Time to abandon the jelly sandwich?", GSA Today, vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 4–10.
Awards
- Entrance Exhibition, Queens' CollegeQueens' College, CambridgeQueens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, 1973 - Foundation Scholar, Queens' College, 1975
- Harkness Prize, University of Cambridge, 1976
- Shell International PetroleumPetroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
ScholarshipScholarshipA scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, 1976–1979 - President's Award, Geological Society of LondonGeological Society of LondonThe Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
, 1985 - Sedgwick Prize, University of Cambridge, 1986 & 1990
- Royal Institution Christmas LecturesRoyal Institution Christmas LecturesThe Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner....
, 1995 - Bigsby MedalBigsby MedalThe Bigsby Medal is a medal of the Geological Society of London established by John Jeremiah Bigsby. It is awarded for the study of American geology and recipients must be under 45 years of age.-Bigsby Medalists:List of Medallists...
, Geological Society of LondonGeological Society of LondonThe Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
, 1997 - Joly Lecture, Trinity College, 2000
- Bullerwell Lecture, British Geophysical AssociationBritish Geophysical AssociationThe British Geophysical Association is a joint association of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Geological Society of London, which advances the interests of geophysics and geophysicists within the UK...
, 2000 - Mallet-Milne Lecturer, Society of Earthquake & Civil Engineering Dynamics, 2001
- Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), 2002
- Fellow of the American Geophysical UnionAmerican Geophysical UnionThe American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
, 2003