Education

Ph.D. Virginia Tech

M.S. and B.S. University of Tennessee 

Research Interests

Though classically trained in the field as a structural geologist, I have a variety of interests that include stable and radioactive isotope geochemistry, metamorphic petrology, and active tectonics/geomorphology. This multidisciplinary approach, in my view, provides the best opportunity to unravel complex geologic problems from the microstructural level to the scale of tectonic systems. My past research has been directed mostly towards tectonic collision zones, however I have led research projects that aim to complete 3-D reconstructions of polydeformed continental margins in order to understand the basement-cover architecture prior to orogenesis. 

Currently, my primary focus is aimed at understanding the kinematic and thermal evolution of collisonal orogenic wedges by using Scotland and East Greenland as field areas to test continually evolving thermal and numerical models. I am also a primary investigator on active tectonic projects in Grand Teton National Park, WY and Linville Gorge, NC and have recently developed an interest in the coupling of tectonic and climatic processes. Finally, I am using the Himalayan orogenic system as a modern analogue of an active collisional system to test and contrast with models that we develop from ancient and exhumed collisional systems.  

Selected Publications

Thigpen, J.R. & Hatcher, R.D., Jr. 2009. Digital geologic map of the southern Appalachian Blue

      Ridge and adjacent Valley and Ridge in southeast Tennessee, southwest North Carolina, and

      northern Georgia. Geological Society of America Maps and Charts Series. 

Thigpen, J.R., Law, R.D., Lloyd, G.E., Brown, S.J. & Cook, B. in press. Deformation

temperatures, vorticity of flow, and strain symmetry in the Loch Eriboll region, NW Scotland: Implications for the kinematic and structural evolution of the northernmost Moine thrust zone. In: Law, R.D., Butler, R.W.H., Holdsworth, R., Krabbendam, M. & Strachan, R. (eds) Continental Tectonics and Mountain Building – The Legacy of Peach and Horne: Geological Society Special Publications, London. 

Law, R.D., Mainprice, D.H., Casey, M., Lloyd, G.E., Knipe, R.J., Cook, B. & Thigpen, J.R.

      in press. Moine thrust zone mylonites at the Stack of Glencoul I – microstructures, strain and

influence of recrystallization on quartz crystal fabric development. In: Law, R.D., Butler, R.W.H., Holdsworth, R., Krabbendam, M. & Strachan, R. (eds)Continental Tectonics and Mountain Building – The Legacy of Peach and Horne: Geological Society Special Publications, London. 

Thigpen, J.R. Law, R.D., Lloyd, G.E., & Brown, S.J. accepted. Deformation temperatures, vorticity

      of flow, and strain in the Moine thrust zone: Reassessing the tectonic evolution of the Scandian

      foreland-hinterland transition zone. Journal of Structural Geology. 

Thigpen, J.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., & Carter, M.W. in review. 3-D Neoproterozoic depositional

      architecture and Paleozoic structural evolution of the western Blue Ridge, southern Appalachians,

      USA. Geosphere.

Thigpen, J.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Kah, L.C., Repetski, J.E. & Fullagar, P.D. in review.

Reevaluating the age and tectonic evolution of the Walden Creek Group, western Blue Ridge, southern Appalachians, USA: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding the kinematics and structure of the western Blue Ridge foothills. Geology. 

Thigpen, J.R., Law, R.D. & Lloyd, G.E. in review. Refining the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic thermal

structure of the Moine thrust zone and Moine and Ben Hope nappes. Journal of the Geological Society, London. 

Strachan, R. & Thigpen, J.R. 2007. Field Excursion Guide for the Peach and Horne Centennial

      Meeting on Continental Tectonics and Mountain Building: Geological Society, London. 

Law, R.D., Thigpen, J.R. & Cook, B. 2007. Mylonites associated with the Moine thrust at the Stack of

Glencoul: Field Excursion C. In: Strachan, R. & Thigpen, J.R. (eds) Field Excursion Guide for the Peach and Horne Centennial Meeting on Continental Tectonics and Mountain Building. Geological Society, London. 

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Merschat, A.J. & Thigpen, J.R. 2005. Blue Ridge Primer. In: Hatcher, R.D., Jr.

      & Merschat, A.J. (eds) Blue Ridge Geology Geotraverse East of the Great Smoky Mountains

National Park, Western North Carolina. North Carolina Geological Survey, Carolina Geological Society Annual Field Trip Guidebook, 1-24. 

Thigpen, J.R., Law, R.D., Lloyd, G.E. & Butler, R.W.H. 2008. Kinematic coupling between

hinterland and foreland deformation in the northern Moine thrust zone, NW Scotland. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

Thigpen, J.R. 2008. Field relationships and geochronological data: Implications for 3-D model results of

Neoproterozoic deposition and the Paleozoic structural evolution of the western Blue Ridge, southern Appalachians. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Southeastern Section Meeting. 

Thigpen, J.R., Law, R.D. & Brown, S.J. 2007. 3-D strain symmetry and vorticity of flow along the

      Moine thrust, NW Scotland: Implications for thrust sheet evolution at mid-crustal levels.

      Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

Thigpen, J.R. & Law, R.D. 2007. Vorticity of flow along the Moine thrust zone from Whiten Head to

      northern Assynt, NW Scotland. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

Thigpen, J.R. & Law, R.D. 2007. Influence of strain symmetry and vorticity of flow on thrust sheet

evolution at mid-crustal levels: An example from the Moine thrust, NW Scotland. In: Butler, R., Holdsworth, R.E., Krabbendam, M. & Law, R. (eds) Peach and Horne Centennial Meeting on Continental Tectonics and Mountain Building, May 12th-May 20th, Ullapool, Scotland.  

Thigpen, J.R. & Law, R.D. 2007. New digital geologic map of the Moine thrust zone from Loch Eriboll

to Knockan Crag. In: Butler, R., Holdsworth, R.E., Krabbendam, M. & Law, R. (eds) Peach and Horne Centennial Meeting on Continental Tectonics and Mountain Building, May 12th-May 20th, Ullapool, Scotland. 

Thigpen, J.R. 2006. 3-D Depositional and structural evolution of the western Blue Ridge: Implications

for pre-orogenic basement and cover geometry controlling major Paleozoic faulting. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 38, 415.  

Thigpen, J.R. & Hatcher, R.D., Jr. 2006. Detailed geologic mapping southwest of GSMNP, western

Blue Ridge: Implications for the stratigraphy and structure of the Ocoee Supergroup. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 38, 66.  

Thigpen, J.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., & Settles, D.J. 2006. Digital geologic map of the southern

Appalachian Blue Ridge and adjacent Valley and Ridge in southeast Tennessee, southwest North Carolina, and northern Georgia. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 38, 78.  

Thigpen, J.R. & Hatcher, R.D., Jr. 2004. New digital geologic map of the western Blue Ridge, SE

Tennessee, SW North Carolina, northern Georgia: a tool for regional analysis of the Ocoee basin. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs,36, 503.  

Thigpen, J.R. & Hatcher, R.D., Jr. 2004. Stratigraphic (age and position) and structural problems in

      the Ocoee basin. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 36, 91.  

Thigpen, J.R. & Hatcher, R.D., Jr. 2003. Structural and stratigraphic analysis of part of a Middle

Ordovician syncline near Mt. Vernon, Tennessee. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 35, 24. 

Law, R.D., Thigpen, J.R., Cook, B. & Searle, M.P. 2008. Kinematic coupling between hinterland and

foreland deformation in convergent orogens. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

*Prince, P.S., Thigpen, J.R., Henika, W.S., Ohlschlager, J.G., McNeil, M. & Law, R.D. 2008.

Characterization of 3-D vorticity and strain symmetry in the southern Appalachian Inner Piedmont: an exhumed orogenic hinterland. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

*Henika, W.S., Thigpen, J.R., Prince, P.S., McNeil, M., Ohlschlager, J.G., Loehn, C.W. & Law,

R.D. 2008. Vorticity, strain symmetry, and monazite geochronology of the Bowens Creek fault zone, northeastern Inner Piedmont, southern Appalachians, Virginia. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

Brown, S.J., Spotila, J.A., Thigpen, J.R. & Tranel, L.M. 2008. Refining the temporal and spatial

evolution of the Teton Range, Wyoming, from integrated apatite (U-Th)/He and structural analyses. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

*Ohlschlager, J.G., McNeil, M., Thigpen, J.R., Prince, P.S., Henika, W.S. & Law, R.D. 2008.

Microstructural and kinematic investigations of the Brevard fault zone near Rosman, NC: Implications for material movement oblique to orogenic strike.Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 

Repetski, J.E., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Southworth, C.S., and Thigpen, J.R. 2006. Conodonts from the

Walden Creek Group, southeastern Tennesee. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 38, 66.  

Stahr, D.W., Thigpen, J.R., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr. 2005. Polydeformed Proterozoic basement in the

Blue Ridge thrust complex of northeast Tennessee-northwest North Carolina; Part II, Insights gained from micro-and mesostructural analysis of a Grenvillian shear zone: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 37, 36.  

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Merschat, A.J., Gatewood, M.P. & Thigpen, J.R. 2004. The Appalachian Inner

Piedmont: An Exhumed Orogenic Channel. In: Searle, M.P., Law, R.D. & Godin, L. (convenors) Programme and abstracts for conference on: Channel Flow, Ductile Extrusion and Exhumation of Lower-mid crust in Continental Collision zones, 6th-7th December 2004, Geological Society, London. 

Whisner, J.B., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Merschat, A.J., Bultman, J.G., Evenick, J.C., Gatewood,

M.P., Stahr, D.W., Thigpen, J.R., Whitmer, E.N. & Wilson, C.G. 2004. 3D reconstruction of Alleghanian structure of the Appalachian foreland fold-thrust belt, NW Georgia to SW Virginia around the Tennessee salient. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 36, 139. 

*Denotes undergraduate-graduate projects advised and/or supervised by JRT 

Courses

110: Earth’s Environmental Systems 

407: Advanced Structure Seminar: Collisional Tectonic Systems 

423: Earth Structure and Dynamics