GLORIA/SEABEAM Geophysical Investigation of the Juan Fernandez Microplate at the Pacific-Antarctic-Nazca Triple Junction

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The Juan Fernandez microplate occupies the Pacific, Nazca, Antarctic triple junction, an open--ocean, divergent structure un complicated by hotspots, a seismic ridges or adjacent continents. This setting, coupled with a high magnetic inclination, make this microplate ideal for studying the tectonic evolution of microplates and their relationship with triple junctions. This study will obtain complete ensonification of microplate using the GLORIA side-scan system and will collect Seabeam, magnetics, and gravity data. One of the principal investigators (Schouten) has proposed that microplate motion can be modeled as a circular and rigid body rotating about a "plate specific" pole located on the microplate. This model was developed and tested for the Easter and Galapagos microplates; thus , the work proposed here becomes a test of the "ball-bearing" model, and a test of relative motion solutions previously proposed.