Collaborative Research: RUI: Stratigraphic test of the tectonic assembly of equatorial peri-Gondwanaland: a Himalayan perspective

通过对东喜马拉雅及邻近东南亚地区寒武系岩石单元的研究，评估了各关键区的相似性，以验证超大陆冈瓦大陆最终组装的构造模式。具体地说，综合了动物群相似性、古环境分析、古洋流、沉积物成分变化和碎屑锆石年代学研究，以检验此时冈瓦那外侧微大陆的存在。早古生代‘西布玛苏’(云南西部、缅甸东部、泰国和马来西亚)、印度支那(越南)、缅甸西部和西藏南部两个地体(如拉萨和羌塘地块)的外侧赤道周缘地体的排列和演化是显生宙古地理中最重要的悬而未决的问题之一。这些冈德瓦南周地块的边界、相对位置和沉积时间限制很差，到西澳大利亚的“悬空”边缘的身份仍然模糊。该项目包括三个月的野外季节，两个在喜马拉雅(库曼和尼泊尔西部)，一个在越南北部。计划对泰国和中国南部地区进行简短的实地访问。碎屑锆石分析将在澳大利亚国立大学进行。科罗拉多学院的本科生是这项本科院校研究项目的所有组成部分的合作者。这些学生接触到高水平的协作科学研究，为他们进入研究生院做好准备。这为(加州大学的)本科生和研究生提供了在不同的地理和文化环境中体验科学研究的迫切需要的机会。这项提议的一个关键方面是与四位著名的印度、中国、尼泊尔和越南科学家及其学生进行密切的研究合作。与这些同事一起进行的研究和出版提高了人们对其主办机构和这些地区地质情况的认识。

This study of Cambrian System rock units in the eastern Himalaya and adjacent (present coordinates) southeast Asian areas assesses the similarities of various key regions in order to test tectonic models of the final assembly of the supercontinent Gondwanaland. Specifically, faunal similarity, paleoenvironmental analysis, paleocurrents, changes in sediment composition, and geochronological study of detrital zircons are integrated to test for the existence of an microcontinent outboard of the Gondwana at this time. The arrangement and evolution of the outboard equatorial peri-Gondwanan terranes of 'Sibumasu' (western Yunnan, eastern Burma, Thailand and Malaysia), Indochina (Vietnam), western Burma, and the two southern terranes of Tibet (e.g., Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks) during the early Paleozoic is one of the most significant unresolved problems in Phanerozoic paleogeography. The boundaries, relative positions, and timing of accretion of these peri-Gondwanan blocks are very poorly constrained, and the identity of the 'hanging' margin to western Australia remains obscure. The project includes three month-long field seasons, two in the Himalaya (Kumaon and western Nepal) and one in northern Vietnam. Brief field visits are planned to Thailand and localities in South China. Detrital zircon analysis will be conducted at the Australian National University.Undergraduates at Colorado College are collaborators in all components of this Research at Undergraduate Institutions project. The students are exposed to high-level collaborative scientific study, preparing them for graduate school. This provides a much-needed opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students (from UC) to experience scientific research in diverse geographical and cultural environments. A key aspect of this proposal is the close research collaboration with four prominent Indian, Chinese, Nepali, and Vietnamese scientists and their students. Research and publication with these colleagues raises awareness of their host institutions and of the geology of these regions.