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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

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land movement

Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Earthquakes | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Terremotos

USGS provides real-time earthquake data, information on historic earthquakes, resources for the most significant earthquakes, and seismicity and ground motions to support future updates to the seismic hazard models for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our seismic research can help establish better building regulations that mitigate earthquake risks and improve public safety. The USGS...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area
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Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Earthquakes | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Terremotos

USGS provides real-time earthquake data, information on historic earthquakes, resources for the most significant earthquakes, and seismicity and ground motions to support future updates to the seismic hazard models for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our seismic research can help establish better building regulations that mitigate earthquake risks and improve public safety. The USGS...
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Perspective view of the seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Tsunamis | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Maremotos

Tsunamis are long waves formed from a sudden displacement of the sea floor due to a fault rupture, landslide, or volcanic activity. Given that Puerto Rico lies above a subduction zone in the Caribbean Sea, it is especially susceptible to large earthquakes and tsunamis. The greatest tsunami ever recorded in Puerto Rico occurred from an earthquake off the Mona Passage in 1918. The USGS Earthquake...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area
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Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Tsunamis | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Maremotos

Tsunamis are long waves formed from a sudden displacement of the sea floor due to a fault rupture, landslide, or volcanic activity. Given that Puerto Rico lies above a subduction zone in the Caribbean Sea, it is especially susceptible to large earthquakes and tsunamis. The greatest tsunami ever recorded in Puerto Rico occurred from an earthquake off the Mona Passage in 1918. The USGS Earthquake...
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Pamlico Canyon

USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats

USGS scientists are collaborating with multiple agencies to provide the esssential foundation for understanding these deep-sea environments.
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats

USGS scientists are collaborating with multiple agencies to provide the esssential foundation for understanding these deep-sea environments.
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Colonies of the deep-sea coral Lophelia pertusa off the coast of South Carolina

DISCOVRE: Diversity, Systematics and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems

DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) is an integrated, multidisciplinary, international effort investigating the unique and fragile deep-sea coral environments from the microscopic level to the ecosystem level.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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DISCOVRE: Diversity, Systematics and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems

DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) is an integrated, multidisciplinary, international effort investigating the unique and fragile deep-sea coral environments from the microscopic level to the ecosystem level.
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Carbonate chemistry measurements of authigenic carbonates collected offshore the U.S. Mid- and South Atlantic in 2018 and 2019 as part of the DEEPSEARCH Project

Geochemical analysis of carbonate rock samples collected from seep fields on the RB1903 and AT41 research expeditions in the U.S. Mid- and South Atlantic. Samples were collected as a fingerprint to past hydrocarbon seep activity, fluid source, and depositional environment.
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Organic Geochemistry Laboratory

Sedimentological and geotechnical analyses of marine sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch

Variability in sediment properties with depth and the thickness of individual sedimentary layers are critical determinants of seabed acoustic response. The New England Mud Patch, located south of Cape Cod, is an unusual feature on the U.S. Continental Shelf in that it is composed of fine-grained sediment layers containing a relatively-homogeneous mix of sand, silt, and clay-sized particles bounded
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, WHCMSC Sediment Laboratory

Multichannel seismic-reflection and navigation data collected using SIG ELC1200 and Applied Acoustics Delta Sparkers and Geometrics GeoEel digital streamers during USGS field activity 2020-014-FA.

In March 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez (UPRM) Department of Marine Sciences conducted a marine seismic-reflection experiment focused on observing geophysical evidence of submarine faulting and mass wasting related to the southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence of 2019-20. The seismic sequence culminated with a magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered beneat
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
annonated image of deep sea equipment mounted on the fantail of a research vessel in preparation for deployment
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deep sea corer equipment preparing for deployment
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man on research vessel fantail recovering deployed instrument from the deep sea
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deep sea research equipment on the fantail of a research vessel
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Large metal sediment coring device on the deck of a ship with a man sitting nearby, preparing a long plastic tube.
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man in hard hat standing behind a blue jumbo piston corer
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View from the sky looking down on the deck of a ship with people moving about the sampling and mapping equipment on deck.
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Filter Total Items: 36

Measurements of Geologic Characteristics and Geophysical Properties of Sediments From the New England Mud Patch

The characterization of physical, geological, and geophysical properties of sediments within the New England Mud Patch (NEMP) was undertaken to provide a physical basis for acoustic inversions associated with the SeaBed Characterization EXperiment 2017 (SBCEX17). Using a suite of 89 sediment cores (piston/trigger, gravity [acoustic], and vibracore), a comprehensive database of laboratory-based sed
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Mature diffuse tectonic block boundary revealed by the 2020 southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence

Distributed faulting typically tends to coalesce into one or a few faults with repeated deformation. The progression of clustered medium-sized (≥Mw4.5) earthquakes during the 2020 seismic sequence in southwestern Puerto Rico (SWPR), modeling shoreline subsidence from InSAR, and sub-seafloor mapping by high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, suggest that the 2020 SWPR seismic sequence was dist

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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Subaqueous mass movements in the context of observations of contemporary slope failure

The consequences of subaqueous landslides have been at the forefront of societal conscience more than ever in the last few years, with devastating and fatal events in the Indonesian Archipelago making global news. The new research presented in this volume demonstrates the breadth of ongoing investigation into subaqueous landslides, and shows that while events like the recent ones can be devastatin
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Mapping, exploration, and characterization of the California continental margin and associated features from the California-Oregon border to Ensenada, Mexico

Priority Geographic Area: Both within and outside US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). California continental margin. This area includes and continues south of the geographic area captured in the Watt et al. white paper. Description of Priority Area: The California continental margin, from the narrow shelf to abyssal depths, contains diverse seafloor features that influence benthic community types, b
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Short and long-term movement of mudflows of the Mississippi River Delta Front and their known and potential impacts on oil and gas infrastructure

Mudflows on the Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) are recognized hazards to oil and gas infrastructure in the shallow (20 – 300 m water depth) Gulf of Mexico. Preconditioning of the seafloor for failure results from high sedimentation rates coupled with slope over-steepening, under-consolidation, and abundant biogenic gas production. Catastrophic failure of production platforms and pipelines du
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Geoacoustic inversion for a New England mud patch sediment using the silt-suspension theory of marine mud

This article provides an application of the silt-suspension theory to a Bayesian-inference inversion for the geo-acoustic parameters in marine mud. The theory, with consequences that have been developed recently, postulates a suspension of water and clay mineral card-houses that supports moderately dilute concentrations of silt particles. The approach is an example of a physically based model inve
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

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

Marginal probability distributions for parameters representing an effective sound-speed structure of a fine-grained sediment are inferred from a data ensemble maximum entropy method that utilizes a sparse spatially distributed set of received pressure time series resulting from multiple explosive sources in a shallow-water ocean environment possessing significant spatial variability of the seabed.
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

In situ measurements of compressional wave speed during gravity coring operations in the New England mud patch

This paper presents measurements of sediment sound-speed profiles measured in situ using the acoustic coring system (ACS). The reported measurements were obtained from seven gravity cores collected in the New England Mud Patch. The ACS uses two sets of transducers mounted below the penetrating tip of a sediment corer to make in situ measurements of geoacoustic properties as the corer penetrates th
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

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

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Ecosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Characterizing the sponge grounds of Grays Canyon, Washington, USA

Deep-sea sponge grounds are relatively understudied ecosystems that may provide key habitats for a large number of fish and invertebrates including commercial species. Glass sponge grounds have been discovered from the tropics to polar regions but there are only a few places with high densities of dictyonine sponges. Dictyonine glass sponges have a fused skeleton, which stays intact when they die
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

A consistent global approach for the morphometric characterization of subaqueous landslides

Landslides are common in aquatic settings worldwide, from lakes and coastal environments to the deep sea. Fast-moving, large-volume landslides can potentially trigger destructive tsunamis. Landslides damage and disrupt global communication links and other critical marine infrastructure. Landslide deposits act as foci for localized, but important, deep-seafloor biological communities. Under burial,
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

The role of deep-water sedimentary processes in shaping a continental margin: The Northwest Atlantic

The tectonic history of a margin dictates its general shape; however, its geomorphology is generally transformed by deep-sea sedimentary processes. The objective of this study is to show the influences of turbidity currents, contour currents and sediment mass failures on the geomorphology of the deep-water northwestern Atlantic margin (NWAM) between Blake Ridge and Hudson Trough, spanning about 32
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Exploring the Unknown in the Deep North Atlantic Ocean

Learning more about international waters, or the "high seas," and other unexplored deepwater areas through exploration is critical to ensuring they...

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2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones Expedition

At 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 14, you are invited to join a live event introducing the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England...

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Fulbright Scholar Joins Marine Geohazards Project at Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Fulbright Scholar joins geohazards project at the USGS in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

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