Staff profiles
Simon CoxStructural Geologist
Biography
Dr Simon Cox is a Principal Scientist at GNS Science, with professional expertise in geological mapping, structural geology, tectonics and fluid flow. His research has played a transformative role in organising information and advancing geological knowledge of the South Island and Antarctica. Pioneering investigations have led to an improved understanding of plate-tectonic deformation in and around the Alpine Fault and Southern Alps. Research on pounamu directly supports iwi/Māori and is part of a broader package of pure and applied work characterising landscape evolution and hazards from groundwater, earthquakes, landslides, and erosion. The impact of Dr Cox’s work has been recognized by a lifetime achievement award, multiple national awards, grants and international speaking invitations. He continues to help communities develop resilience to effects of natural hazards and climate change.
Qualifications
- MSc, Geology
- PhD
- BSc, Geology
Areas of expertise
- Geology: Tectonics
- Geology: Mineral deposit research
- Geology: Structural Geology
- Geology: Geological mapping using GIS
- Geology: Antarctic Geology
Major Publications
See all publications
- A continent-wide detailed geological map dataset of Antarctica, Scientific Data 10(250): DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02152-9.
- Can artesian groundwater and earthquake-induced aquifer leakage exacerbate the manifestation of liquefaction?, Engineering Geology 281: article 105982. DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105982.
- A probabilistic model of aquifer susceptibility to earthquake-induced groundwater-level changes, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 110(3): p. 1046-1063. DOI: 10.1785/0120180278.
- Seismological and hydrogeological controls on New Zealand-wide groundwater level changes induced by the 2016 MW Kaikoura earthquake, Geofluids 2019: article 9809458. DOI: 10.1155/2019/9809458.
- Spatially and temporally systematic hydrologic changes within large geoengineered landslides, Cromwell Gorge, New Zealand, induced by multiple regional earthquakes, Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth 121(12): p. 8750-8773. DOI: 10.1002/2016JB013418.
- Peak metamorphic temperature and thermal history of the Southern Alps (New Zealand), Tectonophysics 676: p. 229-249. DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.12.024.
- Erosion by an alpine glacier, Science 350(6257): p. 193-195. DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2386.
- Bedload composition, transport and modification in rivers of Westland, New Zealand, with implications for the distribution of alluvial pounamu (jade), New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 58(2): p. 154-175. DOI: 10.1080/00288306.2015.1025799.
- Changes in hot spring temperature and hydrogeology of the Alpine Fault hanging wall, New Zealand, induced by distal South Island earthquakes, Geofluids 15(1/2): p. 216-239. DOI: 10.1111/gfl.12093.
- Potentially active faults in the rapidly eroding landscape adjacent to the Alpine Fault, central Southern Alps, New Zealand, Tectonics 31: TC2011. DOI: 10.1029/2011TC003038.
- Geology of southern Victoria Land Antarctica
- Hydrological effects of the Mw 7.1 Darfield (Canterbury) earthquake, 4 September 2010, New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 55(3): p. 231-247. DOI: 10.1080/00288306.2012.680474.
- Rock avalanches and other landslides in the central Southern Alps of New Zealand : a regional study considering possible climate change impacts, Landslides 8(1): p. 33-48. DOI: 10.1007/s10346-010-0222-z.
- Low-temperature thermochronology and thermokinematic modeling of deformation, exhumation, and development of topography in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand, Tectonics 28: TC5011. DOI: 10.1029/2008TC002367.
- Regional geological framework of South Island, New Zealand, and its significance for understanding the active plate boundary, A continental plate boundary : tectonics at South Island, New Zealand : p. 19-46.
- Geology of the Aoraki area : scale 1:250,000
- Variations in exhumation level and uplift rate along the oblique-slip Alpine Fault, central Southern Alps, New Zealand, Geological Society of America Bulletin 117(5/6): p. 707-723. DOI: 10.1130/B25500.1.
- Clay mineral transformations and weakening mechanisms along the Alpine Fault, New Zealand, The nature and tectonic significance of fault zone weakening : p. 85-101.
- The Main Divide Fault Zone and its role in formation of the Southern Alps, New Zealand., New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 38(4): p. 489-499. DOI: 10.1080/00288306.1995.9514675.