Geological, Geophysical and Geodetic Study of the Longmen Shan/Sichuan Basis Area, China: A Test of Cenozoic Tectonic Models for Eurasia

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This project involves a five-year multidisciplinary study of the Neogene, Quaternary and active deformation of the Longmen Shan and Sichuan Basin, located along the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. This study, to be conducted jointly by scientists at MIT and at the Chengdu Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources in China, will consist of: 1) Field mapping of older structures to determine the Cenozoic tectonic evolution along the Longmen Shan and adjacent areas; 2) A neotectonic study of young and active faults in this portion of the plateau margin; 3) An 11-site GPS network to establish a map of active crustal strain within the area; and 4) A geological and geophysical (flexural and gravity) study of the Sichuan basin. The wide variety of techniques with which the Principal Investigators plan to address this problem will complement and enhance one another, and thereby provide the most complete picture of regional deformation possible. The immediate goal of this project is to document the Cenozoic deformation history of the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, but the broadest aim of the project is to develop a better understanding of the nature of intracontinental deformation in Tibet, China and southeast Asia.