Shuo Ma sitting crosslegged in a meditative pose on a rocky ledge at the edge of the Grand Canyon, next to a small evergreen tree beneath a vast blue sky.

Shuo Ma

Professor of Geophysics
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
San Diego State University
sma@sdsu.edu

Research

My research focuses on the physics of earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geophysical source processes. I study how fault slip and distributed deformation surrounding a fault together control earthquake rupture, seismic radiation, crustal deformation, and tsunami generation. My work combines continuum mechanics, computational modeling, and earthquake source theory to understand these processes from fundamental physical principles.

Research Themes

Earthquake rupture dynamics · Distributed deformation and tsunami generation · Earthquake source structure and seismic radiation · Crustal deformation · Geophysical source processes · Computational mechanics

Professional Experience

Professor, San Diego State University, 2022–present

Associate Professor, San Diego State University, 2013–2022

Assistant Professor, San Diego State University, 2008–2013

Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University, 2006–2008

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, Geophysics, 2006

M.S., Colorado School of Mines, Engineering Systems, 2001

M.S., Tongji University, Earthquake Engineering, 1999

B.S., Tongji University, Geotechnical Engineering, 1996

Selected Publications

Ma, S. (2026). Beyond the slip paradigm: Distributed inelastic deformation as a missing tsunami source class. Tectonophysics, 941, 231404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2026.231404

Ma, S. (2026). Ocean acoustic waves in real-time tsunami forecasting: Opportunities and limitations. Seismological Research Letters, 97, 1571–1572. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220250451

Du, Y., & Ma, S. (2025). Wedge inelasticity and fully coupled models of dynamic rupture, ocean acoustic waves, and tsunami in the Japan Trench: The 1896 Sanriku earthquake. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 130, e2025JB032410. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB032410

Ma, S., & Du, Y. (2025). Wedge inelasticity and fully coupled models of dynamic rupture, ocean acoustic waves, and tsunami in the Japan Trench: The 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Tectonophysics, 910, 230831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230831

Ma, S. (2023). Wedge plasticity and a minimalist dynamic rupture model for the Mw 9.1 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and tsunami. Tectonophysics, 869, 230146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2023.230146

Ma, S. (2022). Dynamic off-fault failure and tsunamigenesis at strike-slip restraining bends: Fully-coupled models of dynamic rupture, ocean acoustic waves, and tsunami in a shallow bay. Tectonophysics, 838, 229496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2022.229496

Du, Y., Ma, S., Kubota, T., & Saito, T. (2021). Impulsive tsunami and large runup along the Sanriku coast of Japan produced by an inelastic wedge deformation model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126, e2021JB022098. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022098

Wilson, A., & Ma, S. (2021). Wedge plasticity and fully coupled simulations of dynamic rupture and tsunami in the Cascadia subduction zone. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126, e2020JB021627. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021627

Ma, S., & Nie, S. (2019). Dynamic wedge failure and along-arc variations of tsunamigenesis in the Japan Trench margin. Geophysical Research Letters, 46, 8782–8790. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083148

Hirakawa, E., & Ma, S. (2016). Dynamic fault weakening and strengthening by gouge compaction and dilatancy in a fluid-saturated fault zone. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 121, 5988–6008. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JB012509

Ma, S., & Hirakawa, E. T. (2013). Dynamic wedge failure reveals anomalous energy radiation of shallow subduction earthquakes. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 375, 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.05.016

Ma, S. (2012). A self-consistent mechanism for slow dynamic deformation and tsunami generation for earthquakes in the shallow subduction zone. Geophysical Research Letters, 39, L11310. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051854

Ma, S., & Andrews, D. J. (2010). Inelastic off-fault response and three-dimensional dynamics of earthquake rupture on a strike-slip fault. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 115, B04304. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JB006382

Ma, S. (2008). A physical model for widespread near-surface and fault zone damage induced by earthquakes. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 9, Q11009. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GC002231

Ma, S., Custódio, S., Archuleta, R. J., & Liu, P. (2008). Dynamic modeling of the 2004 Mw 6.0 Parkfield, California, earthquake. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 113, B02301. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JB005216

For a complete and updated publication list, see Google Scholar. Full-text publications are also available on ResearchGate.