U.S.-Bulgaria Research on Neogene Extension and its Relations to the Regional Tectonic Setting of the Eastern Mediterranean Region

这项由麻省理工学院B.Clark Burchfiel博士和保加利亚科学院地质研究所Christo Nikolov Dabovski博士合作的美国-保加利亚研究项目提出了一个跨学科项目，旨在从区域构造和面向过程的角度记录和理解保加利亚晚新生代的伸展变形。保加利亚是活动伸展构造作用的广阔东地中海地区的一部分。保加利亚地质学家在该区域晚新生代构造方面做了出色的工作，这使得能够快速综合现有数据，并将重点放在保加利亚境内的关键地区，在这些地区，额外的工作将加强数据，以便对当地和区域伸展过程的研究能够产生很好的约束结果。这项研究包括两个部分：(1)从区域和面向过程的角度研究保加利亚的年轻伸展变形，并应用流体动力学概念来理解地壳下部流动的作用。这两个基本目标的重叠之处在于，由伸展变形驱动的下地壳流模型将适用于保加利亚的重力、地形和地貌数据。这两部分研究对于理解地表变形与地壳和地幔深部过程之间的关系具有广泛的适用性：第一部分涉及俯冲及其驱动力与岩石圈上部区域变形的关系，第二部分是理解大陆变形过程和后果的必要步骤。这一地质科学项目通过使美国和东欧的顶尖专家能够将互补的人才结合在一起，并在具有强烈共同兴趣和能力的领域汇集资源，从而实现了促进科学知识的计划目标。

This US-Bulgaria research project between Dr. B. Clark Burchfiel of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dr. Christo Nikolov Dabovski of the Geological Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences proposes an interdisciplinary program designed to document and understand late Cenozoic extensional deformation in Bulgaria from a regional tectonic and process oriented perspective. Bulgaria is part of the broad eastern Mediterranean region of active extensional tectonism. Bulgarian geologists have done excellent work on the late Cenozoic tectonics of the region and this permits a rapid synthesis of existing data and focusing on the key areas within Bulgaria where additional work will enhance the data so that the study of both local and regional extensional processes can yield well constrained results. The research consists of two parts: (1) a study of young extensional deformation in Bulgaria from a regional and process-oriented perspective, and application of fluid dynamic concepts to understanding the role fo lower crustal flow. These two basic goals overlap in that models of lower crustal flow driven by extensional deformation will be applied to gravity, topography and geomorphological data from Bulgaria. Both parts of the research are of broad applicability in understanding the relationship between surface deformation and deeper processes in the crust and mantle: the first part bears on the relationship of subduction and its driving forces to regional deformation in the upper lithosphere, while the second is an essential step toward understanding the processes and consequences of continental deformation. This project in geological sciences fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling leading experts in the United States and Eastern Europe to combine complementary talents and pool resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.