Mark Simons
John W. and Herberta M. Miles Professor of Geophysics; Director, Brinson Exploration Hub
Research Overview
Processes that deform the solid earth including those associated with the seismic cycle, migration of magma and water in the subsurface, tides, and glacial rebound; Tectonics and the relationship between short and long time scale processes; Glaciology, particularly basal mechanics and ice rheology; Ocean world tectonics and geodynamics, particularly Enceladus; Tools and applications using space geodesy, particularly GNSS, Interferometric SAR and gravity measurements.
Goal:
To understand processes that deform the lithosphere and outer ice layers of the terrestrial planets and ocean worlds at different spatial and temporal scales.
Examples of current research:
- Large earthquakes - Understanding the relationship between different phases of the seismic cycle(pre-, co-, and post-seismic) to each other and to longer-term geologic evolution.
- Glaciology – Using satellite and airborne observations of surface movement to improve ourknowledge of what controls glacier flow in major ice cap and ice sheets systems.
- Ocean worlds – Exploring models of the present-day dynamics of Enceladus – a small icy moon ofSaturn – and the relationship between crustal tectonics, geyser activity, and flux of heat andmaterial between the core, ocean and outer ice crust.
- Improving observational tools for measuring present-day deformation of the solid surfaces of Earthand Enceladus.
Why it matters
Understanding the intrinsic mechanical nature of the Earth and other celestial bodies is fundamental toour understanding of how these bodies have evolved over time. On Earth, this can lead to improvedunderstanding of anthropogenic and natural hazards and how to mitigate their impacts. On OceanWorlds, such as Enceladus, this endeavor can lead to a better understanding of whether or not habitableconditions exist in the interior and if these conditions have been sustained for geologically relevant timescales.
Publications
- Köhne, Tobias;Mallick, Rishav et al. (2025) Probabilistic estimation of rheological properties in subduction zones using sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slipEarth, Planets and Space
- Berne, Alexander;Simons, Mark et al. (2024) Jet activity on Enceladus linked to tidally driven strike-slip motion along tiger stripesNature Geoscience
- Lovery, B.;Chlieh, M. et al. (2024) Heterogeneous Locking and Earthquake Potential on the South Peru Megathrust From Dense GNSS NetworkJournal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
- Park, R. S.;Mastrodemos, N. et al. (2024) The Global Shape, Gravity Field, and Libration of EnceladusJournal of Geophysical Research: Planets
- Cockell, Charles S.;Simons, Mark et al. (2023) Sustained and comparative habitability beyond EarthNature Astronomy
- Berne, Alexander;Simons, Mark et al. (2023) Using Tidally‐Driven Elastic Strains to Infer Regional Variations in Crustal Thickness at EnceladusGeophysical Research Letters
- Berne, Alexander;Simons, Mark et al. (2023) Inferring the Mean Thickness of the Outer Ice Shell of Enceladus From Diurnal Crustal DeformationJournal of Geophysical Research. Planets
- Ragon, Théa;Simons, Mark (2023) A Secondary Zone of Uplift Measured After Megathrust Earthquakes: Caused by Early Downdip Afterslip?Geophysical Research Letters
- Zhong, Minyan;Simons, Mark et al. (2023) Inferring Tide‐Induced Ephemeral Grounding in an Ice‐Shelf‐Stream System: Rutford Ice Stream, West AntarcticaJournal of Geophysical Research. Earth Surface
- Köhne, Tobias;Riel, Bryan et al. (2023) Decomposition and Inference of Sources through Spatiotemporal Analysis of Network Signals: The DISSTANS Python packageComputers and Geosciences