Jason Chaytor, PhD
I work on a variety of marine geological and geohazard topics including sedimentary processes and geochronology of submarine slope failures, deep-sea sedimentary systems, submarine geomorphology, and neotectonics in marine and near-shore environments.
Dr. Jason Chaytor is a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. Jason conducts research on issues related to marine geohazards including submarine landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, and plate tectonics and shallow- and deep-water sedimentary processes on Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific margins of the U.S. and in the northeast Caribbean. He is the current principle scientist for the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Sediments Laboratory.
Research Interests
Marine Geohazards
Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme geologic events that affect coastal areas and seabed infrastructure on regional and transoceanic scales. The hazards include submarine earthquakes, submarine slope failures, and tsunami generation. The sediment record of past offshore and coastal hazardous events is generally more complete in the marine environment than on land and can be investigated with geological and geophysical tools. My research involves the identification and characterization of areas of the seafloor and subseafloor within and adjacent to the U.S. EEZ that record a history of fault movement or slope failure (or have the potential to be effected by these processes in the future). Included in this work is the development of conceptual models of seafloor movement and local/regional sedimentation patterns and supporting geochronological frameworks, formulation, planning and performance of field sampling and geophysical imaging activities and laboratory analyses, investigation of local and regional sedimentation processes, and communication of event characteristics to modelers and other stake holders to aid in developing hazard assessments.
Marine Sedimentation Processes and Framework Geology
I investigate dynamic shallow-water (< 200 m) and deep-water sedimentary environments to characterize physical properties affecting acoustic propagation (ONR Mud Patch Project), to evaluate the hazard of recurring seafloor motion to critical offshore infrastructure, and in the development of regional geologic analysis of surfical geologic processes across multiple potential areas of interest in to the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project.
Education and Certifications
2006-2009: Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA
2006: PhD, Geological Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon,
Science and Products
Subaqueous mass movements in the context of observations of contemporary slope failure
Mapping, exploration, and characterization of the California continental margin and associated features from the California-Oregon border to Ensenada, Mexico
Short and long-term movement of mudflows of the Mississippi River Delta Front and their known and potential impacts on oil and gas infrastructure
Geoacoustic inversion for a New England mud patch sediment using the silt-suspension theory of marine mud
Maximum entropy derived statistics of sound speed structure in a fine-grained sediment inferred from sparse broadband acoustic measurements on the New England continental shelf
In situ measurements of compressional wave speed during gravity coring operations in the New England mud patch
The Santa Cruz Basin submarine landslide complex, southern California: Repeated failure of uplifted basin sediment
The Santa Cruz Basin (SCB) is one of several fault-bounded basins within the California Continental Borderland that has drawn interest over the years for its role in the tectonic evolution of the region, but also because it contains a record of a variety of modes of sedimentary mass transport (i.e., open slope vs. canyon-confined systems). Here, we present a suite of new high-resolution marine geo
Characterizing the sponge grounds of Grays Canyon, Washington, USA
A consistent global approach for the morphometric characterization of subaqueous landslides
The role of deep-water sedimentary processes in shaping a continental margin: The Northwest Atlantic
Demersal fish assemblages on seamounts and other rugged features in the northeastern Caribbean
Source characterization and tsunami modeling of submarine landslides along the Yucatán Shelf/Campeche Escarpment, southern Gulf of Mexico
Science and Products
Subaqueous mass movements in the context of observations of contemporary slope failure
Mapping, exploration, and characterization of the California continental margin and associated features from the California-Oregon border to Ensenada, Mexico
Short and long-term movement of mudflows of the Mississippi River Delta Front and their known and potential impacts on oil and gas infrastructure
Geoacoustic inversion for a New England mud patch sediment using the silt-suspension theory of marine mud
Maximum entropy derived statistics of sound speed structure in a fine-grained sediment inferred from sparse broadband acoustic measurements on the New England continental shelf
In situ measurements of compressional wave speed during gravity coring operations in the New England mud patch
The Santa Cruz Basin submarine landslide complex, southern California: Repeated failure of uplifted basin sediment
The Santa Cruz Basin (SCB) is one of several fault-bounded basins within the California Continental Borderland that has drawn interest over the years for its role in the tectonic evolution of the region, but also because it contains a record of a variety of modes of sedimentary mass transport (i.e., open slope vs. canyon-confined systems). Here, we present a suite of new high-resolution marine geo