Tectonism within the axial valley walls of an intermediate spreading center: south Cleft Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge

利用一种新技术，研究人员将重新分析现有的海底大地测量数据，这些数据来自部署在中间速率Juan de Fuca扩散中心裂缝段轴向谷的6个应答器阵列。通过将船上的水听器作为gps定位点之一，并考虑其运动和声速分层，研究人员先前已经证明了提高海洋大地测量网络速度估计的能力。将该方法应用于裂段数据将约束横跨扩展脊的变形模式，包括解决该区域是否是不对称扩展的轨迹，区分地壳运输假设，以及确定板块运动的起始位置。更广泛的影响包括精细分析对推进海洋大地测量学研究的贡献，对研究生的培训，以及对地壳形成带变形过程的理解的增强。

Using a new technique, researchers will re-analyze existing seafloor geodetic data from a 6-transponder array deployed across the axial valley at the Cleft Segment of the intermediate rate Juan de Fuca spreading center. By adding the ship's hydrophone as one of the GPS-located points and accounting for its motion and sound speed stratification, the researchers have previously demonstrated the capacity to improve velocity estimates from marine geodetic networks. The application of this method to the Cleft Segment data will constrain the pattern of deformation across the spreading ridge, including resolving whether this area is the locus of asymmetric spreading, distinguishing among crustal transport hypotheses, and determining where plate motion initiates. Broader impacts include the contributions of the refined analyses to advancing marine geodetic studies, training of a graduate student, and enhancement of our understanding of deformational processes in the zone of crustal formation.