Jennifer Jackson's research focuses on materials in the deep Earth and planetary interiors. Her research incorporates the role of minerals in shaping the diverse processes inside Earth, from the deepest parts of the metallic core to volcanic systems near the surface. She develops and applies unique experiments to materials under extreme conditions using diamond-anvil pressure vessels, infrared lasers, and synchrotron-based x-ray scattering techniques. She fosters interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues at Caltech, JPL and the greater scientific community, while expanding her research purview beyond Earth. Recently, she is developing unconventional geophysical techniques that involve infrasound detection of seismicity from aerial-platforms (balloons) to study the interiors of other planetary bodies, such as Venus.

Goal: Understanding the physics and chemistry of planetary interiors
What role does chemical complexity in minerals play in shaping the diversity of processes and landscapes in Earth's interior? How does the core-mantle boundary region influence the evolution of Earth and its magnetic field? How diverse are terrestrial planetary interiors, in terms of their dynamics and evolution?

Examples of current research

• Crystal chemistry and physical properties of mantle minerals and rocks, including volcanic assemblages
• Seismic wave velocities, equations of state, and phase diagrams of planet-forming materials
• Revealing multi-scale structures in Earth's interior by combing experimental mineral physics results with geophysical observations and modeling
• Method development: Novel in-situ x-ray scattering methods that access different time and length scales of the involved spatio-temporal atomic arrangements, including melting at high-pressures; earthquake detection from balloon-based platforms to be deployed in the skies of other planets, like Venus

Why it matters

Minerals experience enormous changes as they experience the crushing pressures and temperatures deep inside the planet, which are reflected in their physical and chemical properties. These changes exert major controls on planetary interior processes, such as mantle circulation (subduction, plumes) and planetary evolution in general.

Seismo Lab scientists doing research in this area:

Faculty
Mike Gurnis
Zhongwen Zhan
Zachary Ross

Postdocs
Wei Mao

Students
Eli Bird
Ojashvi Rautela
Ben Strozewski
Rebecca Wipfler (geobiology)
Cijin Zhou

Visitor in Geophysics
Wolfgang Sturhahn

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Cross-section within a diamond-anvil cell. By compressing a laser-heated sample between two diamonds, planetary interior conditions are reproduced, while simultaneously probing the sample's evolving geophysical and geochemical properties. Credit: Jackson Lab, Caltech

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Heliotrope balloons, equipped with a similar instrument package as displayed here, were rapidly deployed near Ridgecrest, CA, after a series of earthquakes rattled the region in early July 2019. The low frequency acoustic (infrasound) waves generated by an aftershock were successfully recorded by one of the balloons, and identified as Rayleigh waves in the velocity range 2.7-3.3 km/s (1 to 2.5 Hz) (Brissaud et al. 2021). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech