Shuo Ma sitting cross-legged 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). Ocean acoustic waves in real-time tsunami forecasting: Opportunities and limitations. Seismological Research Letters. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi: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. doi:10.1029/2007JB005216.

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