Thomas H. Jordan is an American seismologist, and former director (2002-2017) of the

Southern California Earthquake Center The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a collaboration of more than 1,000 scientists across 100 research institutions with a mission to: conduct research on earthquakes in Southern California and elsewhere by gathering data, conductin ...

The University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. He was formerly the head of the Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Department at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

, and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Research

Jordan has made significant contributions to

plate tectonics Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...

concerning the structure of continents, the depth of lithospheric slab penetration, and the nature of mantle convection, for example determining the exact nature and processes involved in plate subduction. Jordan has also pioneered many seismic imaging techniques which he developed for his doctoral dissertation and are now used widely to understand the interior of the earth. Jordan has served on international committees concerning

seismic hazard A seismic hazard is the probability that an earthquake will occur in a given geographic area, within a given window of time, and with ground motion intensity exceeding a given threshold. With a hazard thus estimated, risk can be assessed and incl ...

Awards

In 2017, Jordan was nominated and selected to receive the Bowie Medal, one of the highest honors the American Geophysical Union awards its members. However, AGU rescinded the medal following receipt of a formal ethics complaint and corresponding investigation. The AGU board reaffirmed its decision following an appeal.

Publications

He has been published extensively in scientific journals. He has also published two textbooks, "Understanding Earth" and "The Essential Earth".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Thomas H. Living people American geophysicists Massachusetts Institute of Technology people University of Southern California people California Institute of Technology alumni University of Southern California faculty Southern California Earthquake Center Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the American Philosophical Society