Acquisition of A High-Sensitivity Gravity Meter for Studies in Continental Lithosphere Structure/Tectonics

这项拨款支持购置一台相对重力仪（scitrex CG-5），以扩大新墨西哥大学地球与行星科学系的地球物理数据采集能力，用于教学和研究。重力仪将支持岩石圈地球动力学的研究，包括：1)里约热内卢大裂谷的裂谷运动学研究，利用互补的GPS和重力测量来阐明对区域地壳伸展的控制（例如，下地壳脉扩展）；(2)科罗拉多高原地表隆起史研究；3)里约热内卢大裂谷和东科罗拉多高原下地幔结构的数值模拟；4)火石炮位物理控制研究。重力仪将支持加强pi （Roy， Geissman和Wawryzniec）的研究和教学计划，涉及几名研究生和本科生。此外，该仪器将提供给地球和行星科学系的其他用户，并将支持与里约热内卢大裂谷和南落基山脉地区附近机构（例如，新墨西哥矿业和矿产资源局，新墨西哥矿业和技术研究所，德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校等）的教师的合作研究

0549651RoyThis grant supports acquisition of a relative gravimeter (Scintrex CG-5) to expand the geophysical data acquisition capabilities for both teaching and research in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico (UNM). The gravimeter will support studies in lithospheric geodynamics including: 1) investigations of the kinematics of rifting in the Rio Grande rift valley that would employ complementary GPS and gravity measurements to elucidate the controls on regional crustal extension (e.g., lower crustal dike propagation); 2) investigations of the exhumation and surface uplift history of the Colorado Plateau; 3) numerical modeling of the structure of the upper mantle beneath the Rio Grande Rift and eastern Colorado plateau; and 4) research on the physical controls of laccolith emplacement. The gravimeter will support enhancement of the research and teaching programs of the PIs (Roy, Geissman, and Wawryzniec), involving several graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, the instrument will be available to other users in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and will support collaborative research with faculty at nearby institutions in the Rio Grande rift and Southern Rocky Mountains region (e.g., the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the University of Texas at El Paso, etc.).***