Sigurjón Jónsson, Ph.D.

Faculty

Professor of Earth Science and Engineering Chair

Research Interests

In his research, Professor Jónsson uses satellite geodesy and surface imaging to study areas threatened by major earthquakes or volcanic activity. Geophysical processes taking place at several kilometers below the earth's surface, such as earthquake fault slip or magma accumulation, result in deformation of the surface that can be measured using geodetic methods. Results of such measurements, along with geophysical modeling, provide vital information about what is going on deep below the surface and help assessing the associated hazards.

Selected Publications

  • Liu, S., Z.-K. Shen, R. Bürgmann & S. Jónsson, A thin Crème Brûlée rheological structure for the Eastern California Shear Zone, Geology, 49, 2020.
  • Viltres, R., S. Jónsson, J. Ruch, D. Doubre, R. Reilinger, M. Floyd & G. Ogubazghi, Kinematics and deformation of the southern Red Sea region from GPS observationsGeophys. J. Int. 221, 2143-2154, 2020. 
  • Dutta, R., S. Jónsson, T. Wang & H. Vasyura-Bathke, Bayesian estimation of source parameters and associated Coulomb failure stress changes for the 2005 Fukuoka (Japan) earthquakeGeophys. J. Int., 213, 261-277, 2017.
  • Ruch, J., T. Wang, W. Xu, M. Hensch & S. Jónsson, Oblique rift opening revealed by reoccurring magma injection in central IcelandNature Communications, 7:12352, 2016.
  • Xu, W., J. Ruch & S. Jónsson, Birth of two volcanic islands in the southern Red SeaNature Communications, 6:7104, 2015.

Education

  • ​​​​​​Ph.D. Geophysics, Stanford University, 2002
  • M.S. Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 2002
  • M.S. Geophysics, University of Iceland, 1996
  • B.S. Geophysics, University of Iceland, 1994

KAUST Affiliations

  • Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
  • Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)
  • Physical Science and Engineering Division (PSE)