Zoe Shipton

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Zoe Kai Shipton OBE is a British geologist. She is a professor of Geological Engineering at Strathclyde University. [1]

Contents

In July 2014, Shipton's career in geology was featured on the BBC Radio 4 show The Life Scientific [2]

Early life

Stromboli Volcano Twee mannen aan de railing kijken naar de vulkaan de Stromboli, Bestanddeelnr 191-0290.jpg
Stromboli Volcano

Shipton's affinity for geology began when she was a young child. Her parents gifted her an educational book on volcanoes in response to Shipton having dreams about the hill behind their home turning into one. At the age of 8 she went to the site of Stromboli, an active volcano in Italy, with her father, Nick — a time which Shipton claims was greatly influential in solidifying her interest in geology. Zoe's paternal grandfather was Himalayan mountaineer, Eric Shipton. [3] She initially entered the field due to her interest in Earth's geological history. [2]

Education and career

Shipton is a professor of geological engineering at the University of Strathclyde. Shipton specializes in structural geology, geological engineering, and geological uncertainty. [4]

Shipton received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Leeds in January 1994, and subsequently received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh in January 1999. [5]

Currently a professor at the University of Strathclyde Strath Univ.jpg
Currently a professor at the University of Strathclyde

For her PhD, Shipton studied geological faults and the way that fluid flows through them, to better understand how faults initiate and grow. Her specialization lies in the research of faults; she has travelled to places such as Utah and Taiwan to conduct studies on earthquakes by drilling into the resulting ruptures. Shipton has spoken on the topic of earthquakes caused by fracking, both in the UK and the US, in an effort to better the public's understanding of the process.

Shipton is a member of the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering working group on “Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of the scientific and engineering evidence”. [6] In a report by the Royal Academy of Engineering Shipton stated that, through careful procedures, fracking could be performed safely with little environmental detriment. [2] Recently Shipton has written of finding a more sustainable energy source for heating homes in the UK. [7] In Scotland, Shipton and colleagues from the University of Strathclyde received funding to introduce and create detailed plans to make use of geothermal energy from abandoned and flooded coal mines in Scotland. The use of the trapped heat that Shipton tapped into could be used in home heating and generate jobs and income. [8] Shipton is heavily involved in research quantifying geological uncertainties, further influencing more of her work into studies associated with risk and uncertainty of her associated specialty. Shipton was also the past chair of the Tectonic Studies Group of the Geological Society of London, a group based in London, UK, that researches structure and tectonics. [9]

From 2007 to 2020, Shipton was active as a member or chair in seven different external organizations, including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Scottish Government, the Institute of Civil Engineering, the Tectonic Studies Group of the Geological Society of London, Sense About Science, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [5]

Shipton has organized four special symposia: [5]

Zoe Shipton has a large network of projects and colleagues all over the globe with substantial projects included in countries such as the United States, China, Australia, South Africa, and multiple countries across Europe. [10]

Research and publications

Diagram of Geological Fault Line EB1911 Fault - Fig. 7.jpg
Diagram of Geological Fault Line

Shipton's research focuses on the structural and permeability architecture of faults, with four main areas of focus; how faults act as high permeability conduits, low permeability faults faults that produce hydrocarbon traps and barriers to fluid flow, understanding fault processes as tangible evidence that earthquakes are relative movements across fault zones, and how to constrain uncertainty in geological models. 24 PhD students have worked across these questions and projects for their thesis as well as post-doctoral studies under Shipton. [5]

Shipton has been published in several prominent geoscience journals, including Nature Energy , Tectonophysics, and The Journal of Structural Geology. While these works explore such topics as the connection between geologic faults and earthquake prediction, [11] or the nature and control of fractures in different rock types, [12] she has also written about teaching methods for communicating the value of uncertainty and flexibility in the development of geoscience knowledge. [13] Shipton also discusses subjective bias in geological data gathered about fault lines. In “How do we see fractures?”, Shipton sets out a system of protocols to ensure the accurate collection of this data as it is often used in geological and predictive models. [14] In “Interseasonal Compressed-air Storage Using Saline Aquifers” Shipton proposes the use of porous rock basins to hold large amounts of compressed gasses to store energy in a renewable energy system. [15]

Shipton has Published over 190 peer-reviewed research articles and papers, has been cited over 6200 times, and has an H-index of 35. [16]

Honours

In 2010, Shipton received the William Smith Fund award for excellence in contributions to applied and economic aspects of geoscience by an early-career geoscientist. [17] [18]

In March 2016 Shipton was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy for science and letters. [19]

She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to geoscience and climate change mitigation. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earthquake</span> Sudden movement of the Earths crust

An earthquake – also called a quake, tremor, or temblor – is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy release per unit volume.

Induced seismicity is typically earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on Earth's crust. Most induced seismicity is of a low magnitude. A few sites regularly have larger quakes, such as The Geysers geothermal plant in California which averaged two M4 events and 15 M3 events every year from 2004 to 2009. The Human-Induced Earthquake Database (HiQuake) documents all reported cases of induced seismicity proposed on scientific grounds and is the most complete compilation of its kind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shale gas</span> Natural gas trapped in shale formations

Shale gas is an unconventional natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. Since the 1990s a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has made large volumes of shale gas more economical to produce, and some analysts expect that shale gas will greatly expand worldwide energy supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Stewart (geologist)</span> Scottish geologist and professor

Iain Simpson Stewart is a Scottish geologist who is currently Jordan-UK El Hassan bin Talal Research Chair in Sustainability at the Royal Scientific Society in Jordan. He is a UNESCO Chair in Geoscience and Society and formerly a member of the Scientific Board of UNESCO's International Geoscience Programme. Described as geology's "rock star", Stewart is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC, notably the BAFTA nominated Earth: The Power of the Planet (2007).

United Downs Deep Geothermal Power is the United Kingdom's first geothermal electricity project. It is situated near Redruth in Cornwall, England. It is owned and operated by Geothermal Engineering (GEL), a private UK company. The drilling site is on the United Downs industrial estate, chosen for its geology, existing grid connection, proximity to access roads and limited impact on local communities. Energy is extracted by cycling water through a naturally hot reservoir and using the heated water to drive a turbine to produce electricity and for direct heating. The company plans to begin delivering electricity (2MMe) and heat (<10MWth) in 2024. A lithium resource was discovered in the well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fracking</span> Fracturing bedrock by pressurized liquid

Fracking is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fracking fluid" into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants hold the fractures open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fracking in the United Kingdom</span>

Fracking in the United Kingdom started in the late 1970s with fracturing of the conventional oil and gas fields near the North Sea. It was used in about 200 British onshore oil and gas wells from the early 1980s. The technique attracted attention after licences use were awarded for onshore shale gas exploration in 2008. The topic received considerable public debate on environmental grounds, with a 2019 high court ruling ultimately banning the process. The two remaining high-volume fracturing wells were supposed to be plugged and decommissioned in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental impact of fracking</span>

The environmental impact of fracking is related to land use and water consumption, air emissions, including methane emissions, brine and fracturing fluid leakage, water contamination, noise pollution, and health. Water and air pollution are the biggest risks to human health from fracking. Research has determined that fracking negatively affects human health and drives climate change.

Shale gas in the United Kingdom has attracted increasing attention since 2007, when unconventional onshore shale gas production was proposed. The first shale gas well in England was drilled in 1875. As of 2013 a number of wells had been drilled, and favourable tax treatment had been offered to shale gas producers.

Sharon Mosher is an American geologist. She did her undergraduate work at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After earning an MSc from Brown University, she returned to the University of Illinois to get her PhD in Geology in 1978. Since 2001 she has held the William Stamps Farish Chair at University of Texas, and, since 2009 she has served as the dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at Texas. In 2013 she became the president of the American Geosciences Institute.

David D. Pollard is an American professor in geomechanics and structural geology at Stanford University.

With the development of both conventional and unconventional resources in Canada, induced seismicity caused by anthropological activities has been observed, documented, and studied.

Rebecca Jane Lunn is a Professor and Head of the Centre for Ground Engineering and Energy Geosciences at the University of Strathclyde. I

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Brodsky</span> Geophysicist

Emily E. Brodsky is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She studies the fundamental physical properties of earthquakes, as well as the seismology of volcanoes and landslides. In 2023, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microcracks in rock</span>

Microcracks in rock, also known as microfractures and cracks, are spaces in rock with the longest length of 1000 μm and the other two dimensions of 10 μm. In general, the ratio of width to length of microcracks is between 10−3 to 10−5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranjith Pathegama Gamage</span> Geomechanical engineer and researcher

Ranjith Pathegama Gamage, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, is an Australian academic based at Monash University, where he holds the position of Professor in Geomechanics Engineering. His research has significantly influenced understanding of the Carbon sequestration. He has also developed new sustainable technologies for extracting resources from deep earth and natural gas from coal seams, shale, and tight geological formations.

The Gemmi Fault or Gemmi Pass Fault is a geologic fault in Switzerland. It lies close to the Gemmi Pass at Leukerbad and is a strike-slip fault. This fault is at least 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) long and shows evidence of Holocene movement; several landslides and traces of early Holocene earthquakes found in Swiss lakes may correlate to movements along the Gemmi Fault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Violay</span> French expert in rock mechanics

Marie Violay is a French expert in rock mechanics. She is an assistant professor and the head of the Laboratory of Experimental Rock Mechanics at EPFL. She teaches rock mechanics, geophysics for engineers and geology.

Sherilyn Williams-Stroud has been active in the field of geology for over three decades, where she has been recognized as one of the most important women in the field. In terms of representation in STEM. Throughout her career she has been paving the way for women, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBT community as well as other communities to nullify that underrepresentation. Williams-Stroud attended Oberlin College where she studied geology and graduated from in 1981, and she earned both her master's degree in geology (1984) and her PhD in structural geology (1988) from Johns Hopkins University. Although her work is dedicated to sedimentology, geophysics and geochemistry, she does have particular areas of expertise in fracture modelling, stress and strain analysis, rock fracture mechanics with applications to oil and gas production and exploration, geothermal energy, evaporite, geochemistry and other resources. Williams-Stroud created her own company Confractus, Inc. Williams-Stroud is an active member of several professional organizations as well as a leading activist of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ernest Henry Rutter is a British geologist and geophysicist. He is known for his research on structural geology and the physics of natural rock deformation.

References

  1. ↑ Prof. Zoe Shipton. "Prof. Zoe Shipton | Shale UK 2015". Shaleuk.com. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Zoe Shipton". Bbc.co.uk. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Shipton talks about her mountaineer grandfathers at 3'24"
  4. ↑ "Prof. Zoe Shipton - AcademiaNet".
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Zoe Shipton". University of Strathclyde. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "Prof. Zoe Shipton » Shale UK 2016". Shaleuk.com. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "UK Geoenergy Observatories". www.ukgeos.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "University of Strathclyde wins funding on research on geothermal from flooded coal mines | ThinkGeoEnergy - Geothermal Energy News". 12 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Energy panel members' biographies · Sense about Science".
  10. ↑ "Zoe Shipton".
  11. ↑ Brooks, Christopher; Douglas, John; Shipton, Zoe (1 April 2020). "Improving earthquake ground-motion predictions for the North Sea". Journal of Seismology. 24 (2): 343–362. Bibcode:2020JSeis..24..343B. doi: 10.1007/s10950-020-09910-x . ISSN   1573-157X.
  12. ↑ Shipton, Zoe K.; Cowie, Patience A. (1 March 2003). "A conceptual model for the origin of fault damage zone structures in high-porosity sandstone". Journal of Structural Geology. 25 (3): 333–344. Bibcode:2003JSG....25..333S. doi:10.1016/S0191-8141(02)00037-8. ISSN   0191-8141.
  13. ↑ Bond, Clare Elizabeth; Philo, Chris; Shipton, Zoe Kai (15 March 2011). "When There isn't a Right Answer: Interpretation and reasoning, key skills for twenty‐first century geoscience". International Journal of Science Education. 33 (5): 629–652. Bibcode:2011IJSEd..33..629B. doi:10.1080/09500691003660364. ISSN   0950-0693. S2CID   143925549.
  14. ↑ Andrews, Billy J.; Roberts, Jennifer J.; Shipton, Zoe K.; Bigi, Sabina; Tartarello, M. Chiara; Johnson, Gareth (11 April 2019). "How do we see fractures? Quantifying subjective bias in fracture data collection". Solid Earth. 10 (2): 487–516. Bibcode:2019SolE...10..487A. doi: 10.5194/se-10-487-2019 . hdl: 11573/1281880 . ISSN   1869-9510.
  15. ↑ Mouli-Castillo, Julien; Wilkinson, Mark; Mignard, Dimitri; McDermott, Christopher; Haszeldine, R. Stuart; Shipton, Zoe K. (February 2019). "Inter-seasonal compressed-air energy storage using saline aquifers". Nature Energy. 4 (2): 131–139. Bibcode:2019NatEn...4..131M. doi:10.1038/s41560-018-0311-0. hdl: 20.500.11820/4665b976-f8f4-4b27-ace3-7edca26e580c . ISSN   2058-7546. S2CID   134016657.
  16. ↑ "Zoe Shipton". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  17. ↑ William Smith Fund, Geological Society, accessed 1 February 2023
  18. ↑ "Awarded the William Smith Fund for excellence in contributions to applied and economic aspects of geology in an under 40". University of Strathclyde. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "The Royal Society of Edinburgh | 2016 Elected Fellows". Royalsoced.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N15.
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