Seth Stein's sister became a lawyer, and his brother, Gil, became an archaeologist. Their father was Jerome Leon Stein, a professor of economics at Brown University.[2][3]
After graduating in 1975 with a B.S. in Earth and planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Seth Stein matriculated at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There he graduated in geophysics with an M.S. in 1977 and a Ph.D. in 1978.[4] He was inspired by Keiiti Aki at M.I.T. and by Hiroo Kanamori at Caltech. Stein's doctoral dissertation, supervised by Kanamori,[5] is entitled I. Seismological study of the Ninetyeast and Chagos-Laccadive Ridges, Indian Ocean. II. Models for asymmetric and oblique spreading at midocean ridges. III. Attenuation studies using split normal modes.[6] At Caltech, the three graduate students, Robert J. "Bob" Geller, Emile A. Okal, and Stein often worked together and were called by other geophysicists "The Gang of Three".[7][8] As a postdoc from 1978 to 1979 Stein did research in geophysics at Stanford University. At Northwestern University he was an assistant professor from 1979 to 1983, an associate professor from 1983 to 1987, and a full professor from 1987 until his retirement in 2023 as professor emeritus. At Northwestern University, from 2006 to 2023 he held the Deering Professorship of Geological Sciences and chaired from 1989 to 1992 the Department of Geological Sciences.[4] During his academic career at Northwestern, he was the supervisor for 30 doctoral dissertation.[9]
In 1982 in Manhattan he married Carol Ann Geller,[10] whom he first met when he was a graduate student at Caltech. She was one of the first women to receive a degree in geophysics from Caltech.[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.[1][11][12] Seth and Carol Stein have also collaborated extensively in public education and outreach.[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.[15][16]
Stein authored the 2010 book Disaster deferred: how new science is changing our view of earthquake hazards in the Midwest for a general audience. He co-authored the 2003 textbook Introduction to seismology, earthquakes, and earth structure (which became widely used in undergraduate college courses in seismology) and the 2014 book Playing against nature: integrating science and economics to mitigate natural hazards in an uncertain world. He also co-edited 6 other books.[4]
The main theme of Stein's research is seismology with phenomena related to earthquakes.[1] He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific publications.[4] He and his collaborators did research on tectonic plate motions and how such motions cause earthquakes, as well as how to mitigate societal problems caused by earthquakes.[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. This model helped to explain the geophysics of the San Andreas Fault and demonstrated that the Indian Plate and the Australian Plate are distinct. Geophysicists routinely compared the NUVEL model with results from space-based geodesy to identify change in plate motion. The model provided a standard for describing plate motions[1] and established a basis for newer models such as MORVEL.[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.[27][28] Stein investigated the consequences of post-glacial rebound for earthquakes.[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 mantleviscosity.[1]
Stein was a trip leader for the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club.[11] Seth and Carol Stein, the parents of a daughter and a son,[1] endowed a graduate fellowship, administered by the Hertz Foundation, for Earth sciences graduate students and an award, admiinistered by the Geological Society of America, for early career geophysicists.[12] In retirement, he continues to be active in the public education programs of the geophysical community and to work with news media and museums.[4]
Selected publications
Wiens, Douglas A.; Stein, Seth (1983). "Age dependence of oceanic intraplate seismicity and implications for lithospheric evolution". Journal of Geophysical Research. 88: 6455. Bibcode:1983JGR....88.6455W. doi:10.1029/JB088iB08p06455.
Seno, Tetsuzo; Sakurai, Taro; Stein, Seth (1996). "Can the Okhotsk Plate be discriminated from the North American plate?". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 101 (B5): 11305–11315. Bibcode:1996JGR...10111305S. doi:10.1029/96JB00532.
Pringle, Malcolm S.; Sager, William W.; Sliter, William V.; Stein, Seth, eds. (1993). The Mesozoic Pacific: Geology, Tectonics, and Volcanism: A Volume in Memory of Sy Schlanger. Geophysical Monograph Series. Vol. 77. doi:10.1029/GM077. ISBN0-87590-036-4.
Stein, Seth; Wysession, Michael (2003). Introduction to seismology, earthquakes, and earth structure. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell.[31]2009 pbk reprint. John Wiley & Sons. April 2009. ISBN978-0-86542-078-6.
Stein, Seth; Mazzotti, Stéphane, eds. (2007). Continental intraplate earthquakes : science, hazard, and policy issues. Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America. doi:10.1130/SPE425. ISBN978-0813724256. LCCN2007012988.
Stein, Seth (2010). Disaster deferred : how new science is changing our view of earthquake hazards in the Midwest. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN9780231151399. LCCN2010029738.[32]
Stein, Seth; Stein, Jerome (2014). Playing against nature : integrating science and economics to mitigate natural hazards in an uncertain world. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN9781118620823. LCCN2013046062.[33]
^"Robert J. Geller (BS '73, PhD '77)". Caltech | Heritage Project. September 29, 2022; interview conducted on April 14, 2022 by David Zierler, Director of the Caltech Heritage Project{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
Stein, S., Stein, C. A., Kley, J., Keller, R., Merino, M., Wolin, E., Wiens, D., Wysession, M. E., Al-Equabi, G., Shen, W., Frederiksen, A., Darbyshire, F., Jurdy, D., Waite, G., Rose, W. I., Vye, E., Rooney, T., Moucha, R., & Brown, E. Stein, Seth; Stein, Carol; Kley, Jonas; Keller, Randy; Merino, Miguel; Wolin, Emily; Wiens, Douglas; Wysession, Michael; Al-Equabi, Ghassan; Shen, Weisen; Frederiksen, Andrew; Darbyshire, Fiona; Jurdy, Donna; Waite, Greg; Rose, William; Vye, Erika; Rooney, Tyrone; Moucha, Robert; Brown, Eric (4 August 2016). "New insights into North America's Midcontinent Rift". Eos. 97. doi:10.1029/2016EO056659. Abstract "The Midcontinent Rift has characteristics of a large igneous province, causing geologists to rethink some long-standing assumptions about how this giant feature formed."
"Seismological and tectonic research at Northwestern". YouTube. Seth Stein. October 14, 2021. ("An overview of some ongoing research in global earthquake seismology and global tectonics at Northwestern University")
"Hiking Isle Royale National Park". YouTube. Seth Stein. November 25, 2021. ("overview of the park's geology and history, how to get there by boat or seaplane, and some of the hiking and backpacking opportunities ... a great place to see Midcontinent Rift rocks")