Integrative 3-D Modeling of Upper Mantle Flow and Melting Beneath the Lau Basin

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Lau Basin is a site of backarc seafloor spreading behind the adjacent Tonga Trench and Arc system, and is a particularly good field laboratory for studies of backarc spreading where models are well constrained by seismic and geochemical data. This study will use a combination of geodynamical and geochemical modeling methods to characterize 3-D flow in the mantle beneath the spreading centers (which are analogous to mid-ocean spreading centers such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) in the Lau Basin. The aim of this research is to understand how various factors such as spreading rate and proximity to the adjacent subducting slab and volcanic arc affect mantle processes beneath the spreading system. Broader impacts include the development of new analytical tools, educational outreach programs for minority students at local schools, involving undergraduate students in the research program and support for an early career female scientist.