World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
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Earth Science
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
106
Citations
45017
World Ranking
98
National Ranking
48

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Earth Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Earth Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2011 - Member of the National Academy of Engineering For advances in the application of geomechanics to oil and gas production, geothermal stimulation, and carbon dioxide sequestration.
  • 1998 - Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • 1989 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • Fellow of the Geological Society of America
  • Fellow of the Geological Society of America

Overview

Mark D. Zoback is affiliated with Stanford University in the United States and specializes in engineering and earth and planetary sciences, with a focus on geophysics and mechanical engineering subfields.

The scientist's research covers topics including:

  • Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis
  • Seismic Imaging and Inversion Techniques
  • CO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions
  • Earthquake and Tectonic Studies
  • Drilling and Well Engineering
  • Rock Mechanics and Modeling
  • Reservoir Engineering and Simulation Methods

Frequent coauthors include Anthony R. Kovscek, Sarah D. Saltzer, Sally M. Benson, Ankush Singh, and Catherine Callas.

Several venues regularly publish this scientist's work, with multiple publications in:

  • International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
  • SSRN Electronic Journal
  • Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
  • Nature Communications
  • Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth

Recent papers include:

  • "Multiscale variations of the crustal stress field throughout North America," 2020, Nature Communications
  • "Close Observation of Hydraulic Fracturing at EGS Collab Experiment 1: Fracture Trajectory, Microseismic Interpretations, and the Role of Natural Fractures," 2021, Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth
  • "Criteria and workflow for selecting depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs for carbon storage," 2022, Applied Energy
  • "Meeting the challenges of large-scale carbon storage and hydrogen production," 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "State of stress in areas of active unconventional oil and gas development in North America," 2022, AAPG Bulletin

Mark D. Zoback has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union since 1998 and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1989. The scientist is also a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and was elected a Member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2011 for advances in the application of geomechanics to oil and gas production, geothermal stimulation, and carbon dioxide sequestration.

Best Publications

  • Fluid flow along potentially active faults in crystalline rock

    Colleen A. Barton;Mark D. Zoback;Daniel Moos

  • Determination of stress orientation and magnitude in deep wells

    M.D. Zoback;C.A. Barton;M. Brudy;D.A. Castillo

  • New evidence on the state of stress of the San Andreas fault system

    Mark D. Zoback;Mary Lou Zoback;Van S. Mount;John Suppe

  • State of stress in the conterminous United States

    Mary Lou Zoback;Mark D. Zoback

  • Well bore breakouts and in situ stress

    Mark D. Zoback;Daniel Moos;Larry Mastin;Roger N. Anderson

  • Empirical relations between rock strength and physical properties in sedimentary rocks

    Chandong Chang;Mark D. Zoback;Abbas Khaksar

  • How faulting keeps the crust strong

    John Townend;Mark D. Zoback

  • Reservoir Geomechanics: Index

    Unknown

  • Earthquake triggering and large-scale geologic storage of carbon dioxide

    Mark D. Zoback;Steven M. Gorelick

  • Global patterns of tectonic stress

    Mary Lou Zoback;Mark D. Zoback;J. Adams;M. Assumpção

  • Mechanical properties of shale-gas reservoir rocks — Part 1: Static and dynamic elastic properties and anisotropy

    Hiroki Sone;Mark D. Zoback

  • Adsorption of methane and carbon dioxide on gas shale and pure mineral samples

    Robert Heller;Mark Zoback

  • The World Stress Map database release 2016 : Crustal stress pattern across scales

    Oliver Heidbach;Mojtaba Rajabi;Xiaofeng Cui;Karl Fuchs

  • Empirical relationships among seismic velocity, effective pressure, porosity, and clay content in sandstone

    D. Eberhart-Phillips;D. H. Han;M. D. Zoback

  • Estimation of the complete stress tensor to 8 km depth in the KTB scientific drill holes: Implications for crustal strength

    M. Brudy;M. D. Zoback;K. Fuchs;F. Rummel

  • A statistical evaluation of intact rock failure criteria constrained by polyaxial test data for five different rocks

    L.B Colmenares;M.D Zoback

  • Experimental investigation of matrix permeability of gas shales

    Rob Heller;John Vermylen;Mark Zoback

  • Injection-induced earthquakes and crustal stress at 9 km depth at the KTB deep drilling site, Germany

    Mark D. Zoback;Hans-Peter Harjes

  • The effect of microcrack dilatancy on the permeability of westerly granite

    Mark D. Zoback;James D. Byerlee

  • Utilization of observations of well bore failure to constrain the orientation and magnitude of crustal stresses: Application to continental, Deep Sea Drilling Project, and Ocean Drilling Program boreholes

    Daniel Moos;Mark D. Zoback

  • Oklahoma’s recent earthquakes and saltwater disposal

    F. Rall Walsh;Mark D. Zoback

Frequent Co-Authors

Stephen H. Hickman
Stephen H. Hickman United States Geological Survey
Mary Lou Zoback
Mary Lou Zoback Stanford University
Roger N. Anderson
Roger N. Anderson Columbia University
William L. Ellsworth
William L. Ellsworth Stanford University
Karl Fuchs
Karl Fuchs Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
John Townend
John Townend Victoria University of Wellington
Robert D. Hatcher
Robert D. Hatcher University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Bezalel C. Haimson
Bezalel C. Haimson University of Wisconsin–Madison
Timothy J. Kneafsey
Timothy J. Kneafsey Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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