E. Dale Jackson

Everett Dale Jackson (November 29, 1925 – July 28, 1978) was an American geologist. A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his doctorate in 1960, he was involved with the geological training of astronauts, the planning and preparation of lunar exploration missions, and the dissemination of their discoveries. As co-chief scientist of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) leg 55 that drilled the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain in 1977, he found the Hawaiian hotspot theory of its formation to be valid.

Early life Everett Dale Jackson was born in Fresno, California, on November 29, 1925. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1943 and served in the Pacific Theater of World War II for three years. In 1947, Jackson entered the University of California, Los Angeles. Initially uncertain as to what he would major in, he found geology, discovered that he enjoyed it, and graduated magna cum laude in 1950. After graduation, he married Josephine Arburua. They had a son and twin daughters, all of whom later pursued careers in science.

Jackson joined the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and was assigned to the mapping of the Stillwater igneous complex in Montana. He was tasked with determining whether stratigraphy in the layered rocks of the complex could be used to guide exploration for chromite. In this work he developed concepts such as the stratigraphic cycles that are used in igneous petrology. His observations led to new discoveries in the geology of Greece.

Jackson was a visiting professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1967 and Princeton University in 1976. He edited the Journal of Petrology from 1969 to 1973, and remained a member of its advisory board until his death. He was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Mineralogical Society of America and the Geological Society of America.