CAREER: The role of spatial scale in continental tectonics

这个CAREER项目旨在测试大陆材料的表观组成关系如何作为空间尺度的函数而变化。 它的动机是对表面变形的解释的长期争论。 在小尺度上，在几十公里的数量级上，单个断层通常被表示为弹性半空间中的位错;在大尺度上，在数千公里的数量级上，变形体积通常被表示为薄的粘性片。 当然，地球对构造应力的真实的反应在所有尺度上都必须是自洽的，这表明某些相变或复合行为必须发生在这些极端之间的中间长度尺度上。 研究人员将使用表面应变和数值模拟的观察相结合，以搜索和表征过渡响应。 观测将包括GPS、雷达干涉测量、地形分析以及美国西北部和大圣安德烈亚斯系统测试区域的地震和古地震数据合成。 此外，她将开发新的教育材料，旨在为年轻公民，特别是非科学家建立对缩放，算术和基本科学素养的普遍理解。 这些材料中的一些将直接基于拟议的研究，其他的将基于标度和算术在日常生活中的应用。作为人类，我们认为固体地球就是这样：固体，不变，不变，至少在正常情况下是这样。 然而，这种观点取决于人类生命的短暂和我们视野的有限范围。 事实上，在一个比我们通常的感知大得多的时间和空间尺度范围内，固体地球对巨大的构造力有着非常复杂和动态的反应。 如果我们活了几百万年，或者可以一次看到整个星球，我们就会发现一系列的过程，这些过程似乎取决于我们的焦点。 有些在较短的空间和时间尺度上更明显，有些在较长的尺度上更明显。 这项研究探讨了缩放，特别是在太空中，如何影响地球的有效材料特性，特别是它如何对构造力作出反应。 更好地理解尺度依赖性可能有助于我们理解地球的性质如何随深度而变化，大陆的古代历史是否影响了当前的景观，甚至为什么地震和山脉发生在某些地方而不是其他地方。 尺度不仅在构造学中很重要。 它还在我们的日常生活中发挥作用，从预算赤字的规模到能源效率再到粮食安全。 这项实验还包括开发新材料，教导年轻公民如何使用数字和物理概念做出正确的决定，并更好地理解我们这个时代复杂的科学问题。

This CAREER project is designed to test how the apparent constituitive relation of continental materials varies as a function of spatial scale. It is motivated by a longstanding debate over interpretations of surface deformation. At small scales, on the order of tens of kilometers, individual faults are usually represented as dislocations in elastic half spaces; at large scales, on the order of thousands of kilometers, deforming volumes are usually represented as thin viscous sheets. Of course, the real response of the Earth to tectonic stresses over all scales must be self-consistent, suggesting some phase transition or composite behavior must occur at intermediate length scales between these extremes. The investigator will use a combination of observations of surface strain and numerical simulations to search for and characterize transitional responses. The observations will include GPS, radar interferometry, topographic analyses, and syntheses of seismic and paleoseismic data for test regions in the Northwest U.S. and the greater San Andreas system. In addition, she will develop new educational materials directed toward building a general understanding of scaling, numeracy, and basic scientific literacy for young citizens, especially nonscientists. Some of these materials will be based directly on the proposed research, others on applications of scaling and numeracy to everyday life.As humans, we view the solid earth as just that: solid, immutable, and unchanging, at least under normal circumstances. However, this perspective depends on the shortness of human lives and the limited range of our vision. In fact, over a range of time and spatial scales much greater than our usual perception, the solid earth has a very complicated and dynamic response to the vast forces of tectonics. If we lived for millions of years, or could see the whole planet at once, we would detect a range of processes that appear to vary depending on our focus. Some are more evident at shorter spatial and time scales, others at longer ones. This research explores how scaling, especially in space, affects the effective material properties of the Earth, especially how it responds to tectonic forces. A better understanding of scale dependence might help us to understand how the properties of the Earth vary with depth, whether the ancient history of continents affects the current landscape, and even why earthquakes and mountain ranges occur in some places and not others. Scaling is not just important in tectonics. It also plays a role in our everyday lives, from the size of the budget deficit to energy efficiency to food security. This experiment also includes the development of new materials to teach young citizens how to use numbers and physical concepts to make good decisions and better understand the complicated science-based issues of our time.