Professor James Jackson
- Former Head of Department
- Emeritus Professor
Contact
About
Active Continental Tectonics
My work exploits techniques in earthquake source seismology, geomorphology, space geodesy and remote sensing to examine how the continents are deforming today on all scales: from the details of the fault rupture in single earthquakes, to how that faulting has created the local geomorphology and structure, to how regional fault patterns and motions can accommodate deformation of vast continental areas. I generally address problems in structural geology and tectonics by focusing on places that are active now, rather than on older, inactive, basins and mountain belts.
Research
Current research interests:
- Variations and controls on lithosphere rheology in the continents and oceans
- The role of ancient shields in the deformation and support of mountain belts
- Geomorphological development of fold and thrust belts (New Zealand, Iran)
- Large-scale patterns of continental deformation using active faulting and GPS (Iran, Turkey, Tibet)
- Forensic investigations of the faulting responsible for destructive earthquakes (Iran, Greece)
I am part of the Dynamic Earth and Geohazards group (formerly the COMET project), part of the National Centre for Earth Observation, and the Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics.
I was the lead PI on the Earthquakes Without Frontiers Project (2012-2018), a joint NERC-ESRC consortium supporting a partnership of physical and social scientists working to help increase resilience to earthquakes in countries in Asia.