U.S.-Pacific Islands Planning Visit: Tectonic Study of Cretaceous Rocks in the New Caledonia Area

[0629261]尼克尔森该奖项支持计划访问，使印第安纳州曼西市波尔州立大学的克尔斯滕·尼克尔森博士在纽约州伊萨卡会见法国地质调查局在新喀里多尼亚努美阿的皮埃尔·毛里佐特博士和新西兰奥克兰大学的菲利帕·布莱克博士。这次访问将有助于制定一项合作计划，对新喀里多尼亚地区的白垩纪岩石进行构造研究。这项研究将涉及骆驼山岩层和努美阿盆地。这两个单元都是晚白垩世海相沉积物和火山岩的原位包体，范围从玄武岩到流纹岩。初步的地球化学分析已经确定了熔岩中的大陆弧特征，并得到了沉积岩石学的支持，表明两个单元中都有大陆碎屑矿物组合。这些结果表明，在新西兰和新喀里多尼亚都有一个发育良好的晚白垩世大陆弧系统，可能通过澳大利亚延伸到南极半岛，这对冈瓦纳大陆分裂期间的构造模拟具有重要意义。研究人员将结合岩石学、地球化学和年代分析陆地火成岩组合和沉积序列，以及该地区的变质和构造历史。最初阶段是对新喀里多尼亚的实地地区进行初步确认，会见所有合作者，评估实验室设施，并正式确定研究的工作时间表。这一发现将对新西兰和新喀里多尼亚的地质历史产生重大影响。预计该项目将为美国博士后和学生提供独特的培训和教育机会，以获得全球研究经验。预计来自每个国家的科学家和学生之间的这些合作将导致长期合作，这将使所有机构受益。

0629261NicholsonThis award supports a planning visit to enable Dr. Kirsten Nicholson of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in Ithaca, New York to meet with Dr. Pierre Maurizot of the French Geological Survey in Noumea, New Caledonia and Dr. Philippa Black of the University of Auckland in New Zealand. The visit will help develop a collaborative plan for a tectonic study of cretaceous rocks in the New Caledonia Area. The study will involve the Mt Camel terrane and the Noumea Basin. Both units are in-situ (autochthonous) packages of late Cretaceous marine sediments and volcanic rocks ranging from basaltic to rhyolitic. Preliminary geochemical analyses have identified continental arc signatures in the lavas, as supported by sedimentary petrography indicating continental detrital mineral assemblages in both units. These results suggest that there was a well-developed late Cretaceous continental arc system active in both New Zealand and New Caledonia, possibly extending through Australia into the Antarctic Peninsula, with major implications for tectonic modeling during the break-up of Gondwanaland. The researchers will combine petrographic, geochemical and chronological analyses of on-land igneous associations and sedimentary sequences with the metamorphic and tectonic history of the region. The initial phase is to undertake preliminary recognizance of the field area in New Caledonia, meet all the collaborators, assess laboratory facilities and formalize a working schedule for the research. The findings will have a significant impact on the geological history of New Zealand and New Caledonia. It is also anticipated that this project will provide unique training and educational opportunities for U.S. postdocs and students to obtain a global research experience. It is anticipated that these collaborations between the scientists and students from each country will lead to long-term collaborations that will benefit all the institutions.