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Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Jacob A. Richardson

(RESEARCH AST, PLANETARY STUDIES)

Jacob A. Richardson's Contact Card & Information.
Email: jacob.a.richardson@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.5713
Org Code: 698
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 698
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Brief Bio

Dr. Jacob Richardson is a planetary geologist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Deputy Lunar Science Lead for the Artemis II Mission. In his Artemis II role, he leads the creation of the mission’s flyby science plan and is a lead of the Science Evaluation Room in Mission Control. Dr. Richardson also trains astronauts and NASA's flight operations community as the Lunar Interior lead within the Artemis geology training team. His training scope includes lunar volcanism and tectonism as well as providing training at lunar terrain analogous field sites around the world.


Dr. Richardson's planetary research focuses on physical volcanology and geophysics to study the evolution of volcanic fields around the Solar System. This work includes field geophysics techniques, remote sensing-based mapping of the Earth and other planets, and computer modeling of volcanic processes.

Current Projects

Artemis II Lunar Science Team

Planetary Geology

Dr. Richardson serves as the Deputy Lunar Science Lead in the Artemis II Lunar Science Team. With Artemis II, humans will be making science observations in lunar vicinity for the first time in 53 years. This crew has been trained by the Lunar Science Team on how to best make observations of the Moon, especially of features on its enigmatic far side. The Lunar Science Team has prepared for over a year to plan the crew's science observation plan no matter what portion of the Moon is lit, and there are opportunities for the four crew to see locations on the lunar surface that have never been seen before by humans. The geologic observations of Artemis II are designed to provide lessons for how to make future geologic observations on Artemis missions at the surface of the Moon.

GEODES

Geophysics

GEODES (Geophysical Exploration of the Dynamics and Evolution of the Solar System) is a team within the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, or SSERVI. GEODES scientists investigate the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and the moons of Mars with geophysics methods to enable the exploration of their surfaces. Dr. Richardson serves as the Deputy Principal Investigator of GEODES and leads the Magma-Tectonics Theme, which investigates lunar lava flows and magmatic bodies as well as tectonic features on the Moon and Phobos. Magma-tectonic features can mobilize or trap volatiles and ore materials. Also, the ability for faults to become active on the Moon or other airless bodies is important to understand before humans are sent to explore their surfaces. Learn more at geodes.umd.edu.

  • Watch an interview about one GEODES investigation [YouTube link] by Lauren Canavan (part of the SSERVI RISE student journalism program)

Goddard Instrument Field Team

Planetary Geology

As a participant within the Goddard Instrument Field Team (GIFT), Dr. Richardson performs planetary analog research at field sites on Earth to understand similar processes and features found on other planetary bodies. Dr. Richardson's GIFT research has taken place in Iceland, Hawaii, Alaska, California, Arizona, and New Mexico, where volcanism has modified the surface over geologic time with lava flows and explosive eruptions of ash. Data collected by Richardson and colleagues are geophysical data; analysis of these data add to our understanding of the physical nature of the geologic materials in the subsurface.

Currently, Dr. Richardson studies how to detect persistent ice buried under volcanic ash in preparation for similar investigations on the Moon and Mars. He also investigates how lava flows are emplaced and how lava source vents are constructed during volcanic eruptions similar to eruptions found on Mars, Venus, and the Moon.

Explosive Volcanism in Arabia Terra, Mars

Mars

This project seeks to use newly abundant high-resolution data to search for evidence of explosive volcanism to evaluate claims of calderas in Arabia Terra. A systematic survey of Arabia Terra with orbital images and spectrometry is identifying locations where layers of altered minerals might have initially been deposited during volcanic supereruptions in Mars's ancient past.

  • Recent findings show evidence of volcanic 'super eruptions' [YouTube Link]

Research Interests

Planetary Field Exploration

Solar System: Planetary surfaces

Geological investigations can be performed from orbit or at the surface of a planet. On Earth, field geologists often perform investigations with science instruments that take hours to days in order to understand subsurface processes and find buried features of interest. Astronauts and rovers will soon carry out similar investigations on other planetary surfaces. Dr. Richardson studies how astronauts and robots can best deploy geophysics instruments to look for important resources and geologic units below the surface.

Planetary Volcanism

Solar System: Volcanology

Volcanism is a major geologic process on rocky and icy planets that paves new surfaces with lava flows, modifies the crusts of planets with magma intrusions, and delivers gasses and particles from deep within a planet its atmosphere. Volcanism on Earth and planetary bodies we might one day explore is also a hazard to communities near volcanoes and global air traffic. Dr. Richardson studies volcanic fields and lava flows on Earth and its neighbors to understand the cadence and magnitude of volcanism over geologic time.

Education

2016 - PhD - School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL [Dissertation: Modeling the Construction and Evolution of Distributed Volcanic Fields on Earth and Mars]

2010 - BSc - Department of Geography and Geology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

Awards

2025: Special Act Award, Safety Implementation Leadership, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA GSFC

2025: Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award, NASA Exploration Science Forum, Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute

2024: Agency Honor Group Award, Artemis Geology Training Team, NASA

2022: Special Act Award, Leadership of the Goddard Instrument Field Team, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA GSFC

2019: Peer Award, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA GSFC

2015: Richard A. Davis Ph.D. Fellowship, School of Geosciences, University of South Florida

2014: Betty Pierazzo International Student Travel Award, Planetary Science Institute

2010: Stephen E. Dwornik Planetary Geoscience Award, Geological Society of America

Publications

Refereed

2025. "Integrated Seismic Refraction, Reflection, and Rayleigh Wave Imaging at Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico: Implications for Lunar Subsurface Exploration.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 130 (6): [10.1029/2025je008950] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Active Seismic Exploration of Planetary Subsurfaces via Compressive Sensing.", Earth and Space Science, 12 (3): [10.1029/2024ea003828] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "A Potential Surface Warming Regime for Volcanic Super‐Eruptions Through Stratospheric Water Vapor Increases.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 129 (13): [10.1029/2023jd038667] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Mapping Ice Buried by the 1875 and 1961 Tephra of Askja Volcano, Northern Iceland Using Ground‐Penetrating Radar: Implications for Askja Caldera as a Geophysical Testbed for In Situ Resource Utilization.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129 (4): [10.1029/2023je007834] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Degradation of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun vent-proximal edifice in Iceland.", Bulletin of Volcanology, 86 (4): 37 [10.1007/s00445-024-01709-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The Prospect of Detecting Volcanic Signatures on an ExoEarth Using Direct Imaging.", The Astronomical Journal, 166 (5): 199 [10.3847/1538-3881/acfe12] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Field Mapping and Modeling of Terrestrial Lava Tube Magnetic Anomalies as an Analog for Lunar Lava Tube Exploration and Prospecting.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 127 (6): [10.1029/2021je007140] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Volcanic Climate Warming Through Radiative and Dynamical Feedbacks of SO 2 Emissions.", Geophysical Research Letters, 49 (4): [10.1029/2021gl096612] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Stratigraphic Evidence for Early Martian Explosive Volcanism in Arabia Terra.", Geophysical Research Letters, 48 (15): [10.1029/2021gl094109] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Small Volcanic Vents of the Tharsis Volcanic Province, Mars.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 126 (2): [10.1029/2020je006620] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Deep and rapid thermo-mechanical erosion by a small-volume lava flow.", Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 537 116163 [10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116163] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Resolution of Lava Tubes with Ground Penetrating Radar: The TubeX project.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, [10.1029/2019je006138] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "High-resolution DEM generation from spaceborne and terrestrial remote sensing data for improved volcano hazard assessment — A case study at Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia.", Remote Sensing of Environment, 233 111348 [10.1016/j.rse.2019.111348] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "How to use kernel density estimation as a diagnostic and forecasting tool for distributed volcanic vents.", Statistics in Volcanology, 4 1-25 [10.5038/2163-338x.4.3] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Using dust shed from asteroids as microsamples to link remote measurements with meteorite classes.", Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 54 (9): 2046-2066 [10.1111/maps.13348] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "A new approach to probabilistic lava flow hazard assessments, applied to the Idaho National Laboratory, eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, USA.", Geology, 46 (10): 895-898 [10.1130/g45123.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Modeling the October 2005 lahars at Panabaj (Guatemala).", Bulletin of Volcanology, 80 (1): 4 [10.1007/s00445-017-1169-x] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Benchmarking computational fluid dynamics models of lava flow simulation for hazard assessment, forecasting, and risk management.", Journal of Applied Volcanology, 6 (1): 9 [10.1186/s13617-017-0061-x] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Recurrence rate and magma effusion rate for the latest volcanism on Arsia Mons, Mars.", Earth and Planetary Science Letters, [10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.040] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Lava flow mapping and volume calculations for the 2012–2013 Tolbachik, Kamchatka, fissure eruption using bistatic TanDEM-X InSAR.", Bulletin of Volcanology, 77 (12): 106 [10.1007/s00445-015-0989-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Role of sills in the development of volcanic fields: Insights from lidar mapping surveys of the San Rafael Swell, Utah.", Geology, 43 (11): 1023-1026 [10.1130/g37094.1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Subsurface structure of a maar–diatreme and associated tuff ring from a high-resolution geophysical survey, Rattlesnake Crater, Arizona.", Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 304 253-264 [10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2015.09.006] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "The Syrtis Major volcano, Mars: A multidisciplinary approach to interpreting its magmatic evolution and structural development.", Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 120 1476–1496 [10.1002/2014JE004774] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Multiscale postseismic behavior on a megathrust: The 2012 Nicoya earthquake, Costa Rica.", Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 16 (6): 1848-1864 [10.1002/2015gc005794] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "The volcanic history of Syria Planum, Mars.", Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 252 1-13 [Full Text] [10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2012.11.007] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2021. "The Importance of Field Studies for Closing Key Knowledge Gaps in Planetary Science.", Vol. 53, Issue 4 (Planetary/Astrobiology Decadal Survey Whitepapers), 53 (4): [10.3847/25c2cfeb.0a087f9f] [Other]

2020. "Building Safer and More Inclusive Field Experiences in Support of Planetary Science.", 2023–2032 NAS Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "End-member volcanism in the absence of plate tectonics: Silicic volcanism on the Moon.", 2023–2032 NAS Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, [Report]

2018. "Highly Volcanic Exoplanets, Lava Worlds, and Magma Ocean Worlds: An Emerging Class of Dynamic Exoplanets of Significant Scientific Priority.", ArXiv e-prints, [Journal Article/Letter]

Selected Public Outreach

Volcano Demonstrations

May 2020 - December Present

See how you can make an explosive volcanic eruption at home and also check out a bigger version using a trashcan! These demonstrations are in support of International Observe the Moon Night. [YouTube Link] (begins at 16m 12s)

NASA Expeditions Social Media Takeovers

August 2019 - December Present

  • During field campaigns, the Goddard Instrument Field Team works with NASA Expeditions to present our research in real time to followers on various social media platforms.

3D Models of Planetary Surfaces and Crusts

December 2015 - December Present

Using publicly available data and models of other planets, Dr. Richardson has developed several 3D models of planetary surfaces and crusts, including the landing sites of the Apollo missions. These models can be printed with a 3D printer and downloadable STL format files are found at jacobrichardson.github.io. The Solar System Exploration Division at Goddard Space Flight Center uses these 3D models during public engagement events to show the surfaces and interiors of the Moon and Mars.

Professional Service

Human Exploration Lead, Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, 2024-Present

Contact Us

For general inquiries about the Sciences and Exploration Directorate.

Jocelyn Lynch

Project Support Specialist

301-286-6066 jocelyn.m.lynch@nasa.gov
Ellie Jeffries

Project Support Specialist

301-286-6066 ellie.jeffries@nasa.gov
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