Collaborative Research: Constraints on the Evolution of Hotspot-Ridge Interactions: The Northern Galapagos Region

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The Galapagos Archipelago and surrounding seafloor are unique in their construction and the center of much scientific investigation of processes of seafloor crustal construction. This research complements already on-going work in the Galapagos seeking to understand the nature and role of lineaments (Wolf-Darwin Lineament and Genovesa Ridge) on the seafloor and their ties to Galapagos volcanism and Pacific plate tectonics. Goals are to: (1) determine the age of volcanic rocks along the two lineaments using 40Ar/39Ar dating to understand the timing of eruptions in the area and (2) use trace elements compositions and ratios to determine mantle sources and melting regimes. These data, along with a compilation of other data from the literature and from recent cruises by German collaborators will be used to generate a set of seafloor tectonic maps showing the location and composition of volcanism in the Galapagos region over the past 10 million years. These maps will be used to produce a tectonic reconstruction of Galapagos hotspot-ridge interactions. Broader impacts of the work include international collaboration with German scientists and strong integration of research and education in terms of involving undergraduates in research activities which include having them participate in an oceanographic cruise, participate fully in research planning and implementation, and training in state of the art geochemical techniques. The Program notes that the project involves PIs from two undergraduate institutions.