The Recent Structural, Morphologic and Dynamic Evolution of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau: A Multi-Disciplinary Study of Processes in Continental Deformation

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9614970 Burchfiel This project involves a four-year multi-disciplinary study of the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau that will integrate space geodetic (GPS) measurements, field geologic and geomorphic studies, topographic and isostatic analyses, and geodynamic modeling. The goal is to improve understanding of the processes responsible for the development of the Tibetan plateau and, more generally, the processes responsible for distributed continental deformation. The study builds on the results of the current principal investigator's work along the eastern margin of the plateau, with a new focus on the morphological development of the plateau. In broadest terms, they seek answers to such fundamental questions as: What is the active strain (velocity) field within eastern Tibet and its foreland? When did it develop? What was the prior distribution of strain and deformation along the eastern plateau? How and when did the current morphology of eastern Tibet develop? How does the distribution of active strain compare to current plateau morphology? ***