Japan (JSPS) Postdoctoral Program: Plate Tectonics and Convergent Margin Geology in Southwest Japan

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This award will provide supplementary support to enable Dr. Timothy Byrne of Brown University to conduct collaborative research with Dr. Asahiko Taira for one year at the Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Japan. They will investigate the relationship between plate tectonics and the evolution of the continents by comparing plate motions, as inferred from observations in the ocean basins, with the geologic history of an active continental margin. Specific- ally, they will document (using structural analyses on data collected from continental rocks from the appropriate time period) whether or not the geologic history of Japan records the major change in plate motions that is evidenced by the bend in the Emperor-Hawaiian seamount chain. Although the theory of plate tectonics has led to a relatively clear understanding of the evolution of the ocean basins, little is known about the evolution of the continents or how their evolution is related to the motion of lithospheric plates. Dr. Taira's expertise, and the facilities and data available though the Ocean Research Institute will be of significant value to Dr. Byrne as he investigates the relationship between plate tectonics and the evolution of the continents.