Seth Avram Stein (born July 12, 1953, in Middletown, Connecticut) is an American geophysicist who has done research in plate tectonics, seismology, and space geodesy.
Stein's doctoral dissertation, supervised by Kanamori,[5] is entitled I. Seismological study of the Ninetyeast and Chagos-Laccadive Ridges, Indian Ocean.
[5] She became a professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the couple collaborated extensively in research on geophysics.
[13] They, with 2 co-workers, developed an interpretive guide for a National Park Service journal[14] and, with Abigail M. Foerstner, produced a YouTube video briefly explaining how the Midcontinent Rift controls the geology of the Lake Superior region.
He was for the academic year 1993–1994 a visiting senior scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and from 1998 to 2000 the Scientific Director of the university NAVSTAR Consortium.
[4] He completed a national tour as the 2006 IRIS/SSA (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology/Seismological Society of America) Distinguished Lecturer, speaking on Giant earthquakes: why, where, when, and what we can do.
[4] Stein authored the 2010 book Disaster deferred: how new science is changing our view of earthquake hazards in the Midwest for a general audience.
[5] Early in his career at Northwestern University, he and another faculty member led a team of graduate students that developed NUVEL-1, a model providing new insights into plate motions.
[23] Stein made important contributions to models of plate boundary changes involving microplates, He also did research on thermal evolution of the ocean floor and applications of geophysical data to understanding variations in orogeny of the Andes.
[1] In 1999 Stein with 5 co-authors published in the journal Science a paper indicating that the dangers of a major earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone were significantly overestimated.
[24] The research of Seth Stein, Emile Okal, and other geophysics on the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake showed how its devastating, giant tsunami was generated and estimated similar dangers from other subduction zones;[25][26][1] they also suggested how GPS data could be used to create a highly effective, real-time system for tsunami warnings and earthquake source determinations.
[29] He and his collaborators used GPS data to make a comprehensive review of post-glacial rebound in North America and to provide a basis for improved models of mantle viscosity.