Professor Gregory Houseman graduated PhD from Cambridge University in 1982. He held research positions at Harvard University (1982-1984) and Australian National University (1984-1987). He taught at Monash University (1988-2000), and from 2001 was Professor of Geophysics (and since 2019, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics) at the University of Leeds (UK). In January 2024 he joined China University of Geosciences, Beijing. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (2001), Member of Academia Europaea (2015), Fellow of the UK Royal Society (2021) and was awarded the Augustus Love medal by the European Geosciences Union (2015). He is currently Executive Editor of the Journal Tectonophysics. His research interests have focused on dynamical models of lithospheric deformation in tectonically active areas (including China, Romania and Türkiye) constrained by geodetic data, earthquake histories, and images obtained using regional seismic tomography.
TopoAsia and Active Tectonic Processes in the Asian Lithosphere
TopoAsia is an international research collaboration established to focus on the geological processes that formed the Asian continent and continue to shape its evolution. Asia is not only the largest continent on Earth, it is the most populous, and arguably the most active continent in terms of geological processes. One indicator of the tectonic activity is that, of the 22 most damaging earthquakes to yet occur in the 21st century, 18 occurred in Asia. Asia is also home to around 400 volcanoes that are considered active. The risk to society from earthquake and volcanic eruption has called for an international effort to establish monitoring capability and quick response. Moreover, basic research into the geological processes that result in earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions is essential in order to more effectively mitigate the impact on society of these sudden-onset events. TopoAsia can provide an international research network which addresses this need. Earthquakes are a direct response to the continuing deformation of the lithosphere that is driven by the relative motion of the tectonic plates and internal buoyancy forces related to topographic variation. Geodetic measurement of that continuing deformation using satellite radar interferometry (InSAR) and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), coupled with improved modelling techniques, has provided important advances in understanding of why and where earthquakes occur, but there is still much to be learned about the dynamical process that occurs in the lead-up to an earthquake. Volcanic activity in Asia is often (though not always) related to subduction systems on the Pacific and Indian Ocean margins of the continent, and again, TopoAsia can provide the framework for an international collaborative research effort that is needed to better understand the processes that control the movement of magma through the lithosphere that results in eruption.