Workshop on Geophysical Studies of Continental Rift Initiation at Woods Hole Oceanographic institution in Massachusetts, March, 2009

裂谷作用是大陆演化的一个基本过程，大陆裂谷带在世界各地广泛存在，从侏罗纪一直发生到现在。 虽然对世界范围内发育良好的裂谷的研究增加了对大陆裂谷高级阶段的了解，但几乎没有研究集中在启动和控制大陆裂谷最早阶段的过程上。 关于解释大陆裂谷形成的模型存在着关键的争议，关于全球大陆裂谷形成的几个未解决的过程导向问题仍然存在。该奖项为一个重点研讨会提供支持，该研讨会的重点是确定大陆裂谷形成和传播的地球动力学控制方面的主要研究空白和关键研究问题。 研讨会旨在确定研究重点，并探讨不同研究人员之间联合研究合作的可能领域。 研讨会期间将讨论的其他重要问题包括审查进行大规模地球物理调查所需的后勤工作，这对回答这些问题是必要的。研讨会将于2009年3月在马萨诸塞州的伍兹霍尔海洋研究所（WHOI）举行。 研讨会的成果将是一个经过深思熟虑的科学和后勤计划，将指导社区研究人员准备执行上述研究的建议。 研讨会的与会者将包括来自马拉维天主教大学、赞比亚地质调查局、达累斯萨拉姆大学的科学家以及石油/矿物工业的与会者。

Rifting is a fundamental process in the evolution of continents; continental rift zones are widespread around the world and have occurred from the Archaean to the Present. Although investigations of well-developed rifts worldwide have resulted in increased understanding of advanced stages of continental rifting, almost no research has focused on the processes that initiate and control the earliest stages of continental rifting. Key controversies exist regarding models explaining the initiation of continental rifting and several unsolved process-oriented questions about global continental rifting remain.This award provides support for a focused workshop centered on identifying major research gaps and key research questions on the geodynamic controls of continental rift initiation and propagation. The workshop is designed to identify research priorities, and to explore possible areas of joint research collaboration between different investigators. Other important issues to be discussed during the workshop include examination of the logistics necessary to conduct the large scale geophysical investigations that will be necessary to answer these questions.The workshop will take place at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts in March, 2009. Output from the workshop will be a well thought out science and logistics plan that will guide community researchers in preparing proposals to perform the research outlined above. Participants at the workshop will include scientists from Catholic University of Malawi, the Zambian Geological Survey, the University of Dar es Salaam in addition to oil/mineral industry participants.