Quick Navigation

Northern Illinois University

Geology and Environmental Geosciences

Mark P. Fischer

Mark Fischer

Professor
Graduate Program Director
Structural geology and tectonics
Office: 406 Davis Hall
Phone: 815.753.7939
E-mail: mfischer@niu.edu

Educational Background

B.S., University of Illinois, 1987
M.S., University of Tennessee, 1989
Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 1994

 

 

Research Interests

Rock and ice fracture mechanics, clastic injectites, fluid-rock systems, fault-related folding and glacier mechanics.  Integration of field studies with laboratory, numerical, analytical and physical modeling.

Research Activities >

Selected Publications >

Research Activities

My students and I are currently working on a variety of integrative research projects.  Some of the recent highlights include:

  • geospatial and mechanical analysis of clastic injectites in Badlands National Park
  • paleohydrology of salt structures in the La Popa Basin of northeastern Mexico
  • compartmentalizing behavior of minor faults around salt domes and walls, Paradox Basin, Utah
  • regional hydrogeological structure of the Sierra Madre fold belt near Monterrey, Mexico

Selected Publications

Fischer, M.P., Higuera-Diaz, I.C., Evans, M.E., Perry, E.C. and Lefticariu, L., 2009, Fracture-controlled paleohydrology in a map-scale detachment fold:  insights from the analysis of fluid inclusions in calcite and quartz veins:  Journal of Structural Geology, v. 31, no. 12, p. 1490-1510, doi:  10.1016/j.jsg.2009.09.004.

Keating, D.P. and Fischer, M.P., 2008, An experimental evaluation of the curvature-strain relation in fault-related folds:  American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 92, no. 7, p. 869-884, DOI:10.1306/03060807111.

Wilkerson, M.S., Smaltz, S.M., Bowman, D.R., Fischer, M.P., and Higuera-Diaz, I.C., 2007, 2-D and 3-D Modeling of Detachment Folds with Hinterland Inflation:  A Natural Example from the Monterrey Salient, Northeastern Mexico:  Journal of Structural Geology, v. 29, p. 73-85, doi:  10.1016/j.jsg.2006.07.010.

Fischer, M.P. and Polansky, A., 2006, The influence of flaws on joint spacing and saturation:  results of one-dimensional mechanical modeling:  Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 111, B07403, doi:  10.1029/2005JB004115.

Higuera-Diaz, I.C., Fischer, M. P. and Wilkerson, M.S., 2005, Geometry and kinematics of the Nuncios detachment fold complex:  implications for lithotectonics in northeastern Mexico:  Tectonics, v. 24, no. 4, TC4010, doi:  10.1029/2003TC001615.

Fischer, M.P. and Keating, D.P., 2005, Photogrammetric techniques for analyzing displacement, strain and structural geometry in physical models:  Application to the growth of monoclinal basement uplifts:  Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 117, no. 3/4, p. 369-382, doi:  10.1130/B25484.1.

Lefticariu, L., Perry, E.C., Fischer, M.P., and Banner, J.L., 2005, Evolution of fluid compartmentalization in a detachment fold complex:  Geology, v. 33, no. 1, p. 69-72, doi:  10.1130/G20592.1.