Christopher H. Scholz (born 25 February 1943) is an American geologist and physicist.
[2] Scholz was among the first to combine physics and geological engineering to understand the movement of tectonic plates and earthquakes.
[3] His work also enabled researchers to create regional seismic hazard maps that derives spatial and size distributions of earthquakes from geological observations.
Scholz was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2023 "for pioneering experimental and theoretical studies on faulting and earthquake mechanics.
"[4][5] Scholz is also the author of the popular textbook The Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting.