RUI: Time-Averaging and Taphonomy of Molluscan Assemblages in a Rift Basin: Tectonic and Paleoecologic Implications

9316419 Mehldahl作为一个年轻的、活跃的裂谷洋盆地，加利福尼亚州海湾是一个将现代海洋沉积环境和动物群的研究与新近纪岩石记录研究相结合的绝佳机会，以更好地了解裂谷盆地的演化及其积累的化石记录。PI将为海洋裂谷盆地的古环境分析提供岩相、生物相和岩屑相模型，并具体应用于加利福尼亚州海湾的构造演化。他还将研究控制化石组合中时间平均和挖掘的因素。与墨西哥同事建立了合作关系。

9316419 Mehldahl As a young, actively rifting ocean basin, the Gulf of California represents an excellent opportunity to combine studies of modern marine sedimentary environments and faunas with studies of the Neogene rock record to understand better the evolution of rift basins and the fossil record that they accumulate. PI will provide models of lithofacies, biofacies and taphofacies for paleoenvironmental analysis of marine rift basins, with specific application to tectonic evolution of the Gulf of California. He will also investigate factors that control time-averaging and taphonomy in fossil assemblages. Collaboration is established with Mexican colleagues.