Collaborative Research: Lithospheric Structure and Evolution of the Rocky Mountains: Phase 2

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0208157WilliamsThis award provides continued funding for the CD-ROM (Continental Dynamics of the Rocky Mountains) collaborative investigation which is designed to understand the tectonic evolution of the lithosphere of the southern Rocky Mountains. A transect from Wyoming to New Mexico is providing an opportunity to evaluate the hypothesis that lithospheric architecture of the Southwest reflects a resolvable mixture of structures that formed during early Proterozoic assembly of the continent and modifications that took place during younger intracratonic tectonism that were themselves influenced by the Proterozoic compositional structure. Phase 1 (1997-2001) was successful in substantially verifying this hypothesis. The PIs imaged the Cheyenne Belt and Jemez lineament; both are interpreted to be Paleoproterozoic paleosubduction zones that also show long-lived and strong influence on younger intracratonic tectonism. Both are also associated with lateral changes in deep chemical lithosphere, such that the mantle provinces can be linked to crustal provinces, demonstrating the antiquity of the mantle transitions. With this "bridge funding" award, the Principal Investigators will conduct an annual workshop, complete the analysis of data sets generated in Phase 1, increase productivity in terms of published papers, and prepare for Phase 2 of the CD-ROM project.***