Megan R.M. Brown, Ph.D.

Research

Interests

• Hydrogeology
• Microplastics in terrestrial environments
• Accessibility in the geosciences
• Injection-induced seismicity

Current Projects

I am a hydrogeologist interested in the impacts of transport and retention of microplastics particularly  in groundwater, increasing accessibility for people with disabilities in the geosciences, and how fluids interact with and can induce earthquakes. I  usually admit at least one M.S. or Ph.D. student each fall.

Microplastics

Microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 mm) have become almost ubiquitously detectable in the environment. I use laboratory experiments, fieldwork, and numerical modeling to investigate the full impacts of the transport and retention of microplastics (MP) in groundwater. Current projects investigate potential changes in aquifer properties with the transport of MP in groundwater and the impact of agricultural processes on the occurrence of MP in surface and groundwater, and fate and transport of MP and tire wear particles. NIU  utilizes an Agilent 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging System to analyze MP type, size, and shape. This instrument was funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2320748.

Accessibility and Inclusion in the Geosciences

I have a particular interest in increasing inclusion and accessibility in the geosciences. This includes creating accessible fieldwork.  A recent project focused on investigating the motivation and attitudes of individuals who participate in a community of transformation focused on increasing inclusion of geoscientists with disabilities.  I am also interested in the attitudes of geoscience employers towards disabilities and what would make employers increase accessible job opportunities.

Induced Seismicity

Since 2009, injection-induced seismicity has gained attention from scientists and the public alike. While only a small percentage of wastewater disposal wells have induced seismicity associated with them, the induced seismicity can cause a variety of problems including damage to property. I use numerical models to investigate the physical mechanisms that induce seismicity and how these relate to mitigation. I have explored the role of wells at large distances from the induced earthquakes to trigger the seismicity and the potential to use geodesy data that measures the surface deformation near an injection well to calibrate pore pressure models. My ongoing work is focused on the mechanisms that are triggering injection-induced seismicity.

Frequently Taught Courses

• EAE 108 Environmental Geology
• EAE 490/590 Hydrogeology
• EAE 477 Field Methods in Environmental Geosciences

Publications

Oo, C.W., M.E. Lenczewski, K.E. Eang, M.R.M. Brown, and B. Chuanchit (2025), Assessing the Impact of Shipping on Microplastic Concentration of Filtered Samples, Microplastics and Nanoplastics, doi: 10.1186/s43591-025-00147-4

Fuentes, F., M.R.M. Brown, M.M. Mendoza, S. Ge, and A.F. Sheehan (2025), Effects of Pore Pressure Change on Coulomb Stress Change and Initiation of Induced Seismicity in the Raton Basin, Colorado – New Mexico, Seismological Research Letters, doi: 10.1785/0220250148

Chambers, C.R., M.R.M. Brown, S.M. Stokes, S. Ge, E. Menezes, K.F. Tiampo, and A.F. Sheehan (2024), Surface Deformation and Seismicity Linked to Fluid Injection in the Raton Basin, Groundwater, 62, doi: 10.1111/gwat.13393

Schenkel, C., M.R.M. Brown, M.E. Lenczewski, (2024), Impact of Type and Shape of Microplastics on the Transport in Column Experiments, Groundwater, 62, doi: 10.1111/gwat.13375

Stokes, S.M., S. Ge, M.R.M. Brown, E.A. Menezes, A.F. Sheehan, and K.F. Tiampo (2023), Pore Pressure Diffusion and Onset of Induced Seismicity, Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth, 128, e2022JB026012, doi: 10.1029/2022JB026012

Brown, M.R.M. (2022), The Beginning of the Beginning – Foundations of Injection-Induced Seismicity, The Mountain Geologist, 59, 183-200, doi: 10.31582/rmag.mg.59.3.183

Brown, M.R.M., S. Ge, and E. Screaton (2022), A Simple Relation to Constrain Groundwater Models Using Surface Deformation, Groundwater, 60, 410-417, doi: 10.1111/gwat.13148

Yeo, I.W., M.R.M. Brown, S. Ge, and K.K. Lee (2020), Causal mechanism of injection-induced earthquakes through the M_w 5.5 Pohang earthquake case study, Nature Communications, 11, 2614, doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16408-0

Fairfax, E. and M.R.M. Brown (2019), Increasing Inclusion and Accessibility in Undergraduate Geology Labs Through Scenario-Based TA Training, Journal of Geoscience Education, doi: 10.1080/10899995.2019.1602463

Brown, M.R.M. and S. Ge (2018), Distinguishing Fluid Flow Path from Pore Pressure Diffusion for Induced Seismicity, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of American, 108, 3684-3686, doi: 10.1785/0120180149

Brown, M.R.M. and S. Ge (2018), Small Earthquakes Matter in Injection-Induced Seismicity, Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 5445-5453, doi: 10.1029/2018GL077472

Brown, M.R.M., S. Ge, A.F. Sheehan, and J.S. Nakai (2017), Evaluating the Effectiveness of Induced Seismicity Mitigation: Numerical Modeling of Wastewater Injection near Greeley, Colorado, Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth,122, 6569-6582, doi: 10.1002/2017JB014456

Brown, M.R.M. and M. Liu (2016), Injection-induced seismicity in Carbon and Emery Counties, central Utah, Geofluids, 16, 801-812, doi: 10.1111/gfl.12184