Presidential Young Investigator Award

这项研究旨在了解大陆地壳的组成、起源和演化。一般采用的方法是研究陆源沉积岩的地球化学和同位素组成。近年来的研究结果表明，陆源沉积物的地球化学具有良好的系统行为，受多种因素的控制。包括沉积过程，如风化和成岩作用，以及通常与板块构造关联有关的物源考虑。然而，在细节上，对这些控制因素的定量理解，在一个允许预测建模的水平上，仍然难以捉摸。这项研究的潜力是巨大的。平均沉积物组成与平均上部地壳组成之间的关系为地壳整体组成提供了重要的约束条件，并允许随着时间的推移对这些组成进行检查。地壳通常被认为起源于地幔，是许多元素的主要地球化学储集层，因此，这种研究与地幔和整体地球演化的研究直接相关。在更实际的层面上，陆源沉积岩中微量元素和同位素组成的研究提供了大量额外的信息，需要量化沉积和构造之间的关系，而不是传统的沉积岩石学方法所提供的。

This research is aimed at understanding the composition, origin and evolution of the continental crust. The general approach used is the study of the geochemical and isotopic composition of terrigenous sedimentary rocks. Results over the past several years have shown that well behaved systematic behavior exists in the geochemistry of terrigenous sediments that is controlled by a number of factors. Included are sedimentary processes, such as weathering and diagenesis, and provenance considerations, commonly related to plate tectonic associations. In detail however, quantitative understanding of these controlling factors, at a level that allows predictive modelling, remains elusive. The potential of this research is great. The relationship between average sediment composition and average upper crustal composition provides important constraints on overall crustal composition and permits examination of such compositions through time. The crust, generally considered to have been derived from the mantle is a major geochemical reservoir for many elements and, accordingly, such study has direct relevance for studies of mantle and bulk earth evolution. On a more practical level, the study of trace element and isotopic composition in terrigenous sedimentary rocks provides a great deal of additional information, required to quantify relationships between sedimentation and tectonics, than is provided by traditional approaches of sedimentary petrography.