Jump to content

Mary Lou Zoback

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Dawnseeker2000 (talk | contribs) at 00:49, 22 September 2022 (Caps not necessary). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mary Lou Zoback
Born (1952-07-05) July 5, 1952 (age 72)
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materStanford University
Scientific career
Fieldsgeology, geophysics
InstitutionsU.S. Geological Survey
Academic advisorsGeorge A. Thompson (geologist)[1]

Mary Lou Zoback (née Chetlain; born July 5, 1952[2]) is an American geophysicist who led the world stress map project of the International Lithosphere Program from 1986 to 1994.[3] Zoback's spent most of her career as a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey and retired in 2006.

Life and career

Zoback is a geophysicist who graduated with a PhD in 1978 from Stanford University. She worked for most of her career as a senior research scientist at the U.S Geological Survey located in Menlo Park, California. Zoback served on the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board from 2012 to 2018.[4]

Zoback's research focused on active tectonics, the relationship between active faulting, quantifying earthquake likelihood, deformation and state of stress in the earth’s crust, and the intertwined relationship between physics, chemistry and geology. She studied the San Andreas fault system and worked as a leader of the world stress map project of the international Lithosphere program. The application of this specific work won her the Public Service award and the Day Medal from the Geological Society of America.

Zoback attended Stanford University, receiving her B.S. in 1974, M.S. in 1975, and Ph.D. in 1978.[5] She did a Post-Doctoral program with the National Research Council from 1978–1979 with the U.S. Geological Survey's Heat Flow Studies group. She was a research scientist in the earthquake studies office at the USGS from 1979 until 2003. From 2006–2011 Zoback was the vice president, earthquake risk applications with Risk Management Solutions in Newark, California.[6][5]

Zoback's area of interest is active tectonics, with emphasis on the relationship of the in-situ tectonic stress field to earthquake deformation. Her studies have focused on the San Andreas fault system. From 1986 to 1992, Zoback led the world stress map project of the International Lithosphere Program. The project involved more than 40 scientists from over 30 different countries with the objective of compiling and interpreting geologic and geophysical data on the present day tectonic stress field.

Zoback is a past member of U. S. Geodynamics Committee (National Research Council) and the NSF review panel for the continental dynamics program. She is a past member of the council and executive board of the Geological Society of America (GSA).[7] She served as GSA president in 2000.

Zoback is married to Stanford University Professor Mark David Zoback. They have 2 children.[8][better source needed]

Stanford Studies

Zoback's studies at Stanford University consisted of observation of the earth's crust, such as relationships between active fault lines, the deformation and stress within the earth’s crust, chances of earthquakes occurring, and identifying natural hazard risk.[9] At Stanford University she was a consulting professor in the Geophysics Department. Her motivation for her research was mainly the thought of reducing the risk natural disasters cause for communities.[10] She mainly focused on how the lithosphere could affect the public, and update old research on the top layer of the earth.[9]    

Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

Zoback was appointed to the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board by President Barack Obama on 25 September 2012.[11] Each board member is appointed to the board by the president after the National Academy of Sciences provides a list of candidates who are selected solely on the basis of established records of distinguished professional service and eminence in a field of science or engineering.[12] As part of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, Zoback specialized in Seismology and Geophysics.[12] Together, the board members worked together to provide scientific and technical oversight of the Department of Energy’s program for managing and disposing of high-level nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel.[13]

San Andreas Fault System

Zoback dedicated a large part of her studies to the San Andreas fault system during the years of 1986 through 1992. The San Andreas fault system is a large and intricate fault network that cuts through the rocks along California's coast. She worked on the connection between earthquakes and large strike-slip faults.[14] Through reanalysis of the 1906 earthquake Zoback was able to study the concept of the earthquake cycle. This is the concept of the elastic rebound hypothesis which is when a slow strain accumulation produced by movements from neighboring crusts, suddenly releases energy which are in turn earthquakes.[15]

Risk Management Solutions

Zoback served from 2006 to 2011 as Vice President for Earthquake Risk Applications with Risk Management Solutions. Her objective was to help to organize and manage earthquake hazard and risk networks, as well as build consensus among experts to develop earthquake source and earthquake risk models for new regions of the world. She also led initiatives on the significance of risk quantification for expanding the societal role of earthquake insurance, disaster management, and risk reduction activities worldwide.[citation needed]

Public Service Award and Day Medal

Zoback was awarded the Geological Society of America Arthur L. Day Medal in 2007 through the nomination of Richard Gordon who was a Keck Professor of Geophysics at Rice University. This award is to recognize those who apply physics and chemistry to solve geologic problems. She was awarded this for her work on stresses and forces that deform tectonic plates, as well as what drives and resists their motion.

She received the Geological Society of America Public Service Award in 2007 for her contributions to Geoscience in public policy decision making, along with her science education at both national and local level.[16]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

  • State of stress in the conterminous United States. Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 85, no. B11, p. 6113–6156. (1980)
  • Zoback, M. L., Anderson, R. E., and Thompson, G. A., Cenozoic evolution of the state of stress and style of Tectonism of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States: Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London A, v. 300, p. 407-434. (1981)
  • Zoback, M. D., and Zoback, M. L., State of stress and intra-plate earthquakes in the central and eastern United States: Science, v. 213, p. 96-104. (1981)
  • New evidence on the state of stress on the San Andreas fault system: Science, v. 238, p. 1105-1111. (1987)
  • Zoback, M. L., and Zoback, M. D., Regional tectonic stress field of the continental U.S.: Geophysical Framework of the Continental U.S., L. Pakiser and W. D. Mooney, eds., Geological Society of America Memoir, 172, p. 523-539. (1989)
  • Global patterns of tectonic stress. Nature, v. 341, p. 291–298. (1989)
  • Zoback, M. L., Stress field constraints on intraplate seismicity in Eastern North America: Journal Geophysical Research, v. 97, p. 11761-11782. (1992)
  • First and second order patterns of stress in the lithosphere: the World Stress Map project. Journal Geophysical Research, v. 97, p. 11703-11728. (1992)
  • Abrupt along-strike change in tectonic style: San Andreas fault zone, San Francisco Peninsula. Journal of Geophysical Research: v. 104, p. 10719-10,742. (1999)
  • Committee on Development of an Addendum to the National Science Education Standards on Scientific Inquiry, Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, National Academy Press, 202 p. (2000)
  • Analysis of the tsunamis generated by the Mw7.8 1906 San Francisco earthquake." Geology, v. 27, p. 15–18. (2000)
  • Grand challenges in earth and environmental sciences: science, stewardship, and service for the 21st century. GSA Today, v., p. 41- 46. (2001)[19]

References

  1. ^ "Geophysics champion George Thompson dies at 97". 24 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Zoback, Mary Lou C". Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  3. ^ "The World Stress Map Project – A Service for Earth System Management". Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Archived from the original on 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  4. ^ "Spring 2018 Board Meeting - March 27, 2018". www.nwtrb.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  5. ^ a b Wayne, Tiffany K. (2011). American Women of Science Since 1900: Essays A-H. Vol.1. ABC-CLIO. pp. 997–998. ISBN 9781598841589.
  6. ^ "Zobeck Resume". U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  7. ^ "BIOGRAPHY-Mary Lou Zoback and Abstract for talk". www.public.asu.edu.
  8. ^ "View Tree for Mary Lou Chetlain". Family tree maker @ genealogy.com. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Mary Lou Zoback". Research Gate.
  10. ^ UsePrivacyCopyrightTrademarksNon-DiscriminationAccessibility, Terms of. "Mary Lou Zoback". Stanford Earth. Retrieved 2020-12-13. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ "Mary Lou Zoback, Ph.D." www.nwtrb.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  12. ^ a b "Members". www.nwtrb.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  13. ^ "Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board | USAGov". www.usa.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  14. ^ Zoback, Mark D.; Zoback, Mary Lou; Mount, Van S.; Suppe, John; Eaton, Jerry P.; Healy, John H.; Oppenheimer, David; Reasenberg, Paul; Jones, Lucile; Raleigh, C. Barry; Wong, Ivan G. (1987-11-20). "New Evidence on the State of Stress of the San Andreas Fault System". Science. 238 (4830): 1105–1111. Bibcode:1987Sci...238.1105Z. doi:10.1126/science.238.4830.1105. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17839366. S2CID 39875115.
  15. ^ Zoback, M. D.; Zoback, M. L.; Mount, V. S.; Suppe, J.; Eaton, J. P.; Healy, J. H.; Oppenheimer, D.; Reasenberg, P.; Jones, L.; Raleigh, C. B.; Wong, I. G. (1987-11-20). "New evidence on the state of stress of the san andreas fault system". Science. 238 (4830): 1105–1111. Bibcode:1987Sci...238.1105Z. doi:10.1126/science.238.4830.1105. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17839366. S2CID 39875115.
  16. ^ "Mary Lou Zoback to receive GSA 2007 Arthur L. Day Medal and Public Service Award". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  17. ^ "Board of Directors - Mary Lou Zoback". Archived from the original on 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  18. ^ "Member Directory - Mary Lou Zoback". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Mary Lou Zoback | IRIS". www.iris.edu.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Lou_Zoback&oldid=1111622930"