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

劳盆地是在邻近的汤加海沟和弧系后面的弧后海底扩张的一个地点，是研究弧后扩张的一个特别好的实地实验室，其模型受到地震和地球化学数据的很好约束。本研究将结合地球动力学和地球化学建模方法来描述劳盆地扩张中心（类似于大西洋中脊等海洋中扩张中心）下地幔的三维流动。本研究的目的是了解扩张速度和邻近俯冲板块和火山弧的接近程度等各种因素如何影响扩张体系下的地幔过程。更广泛的影响包括开发新的分析工具，为当地学校的少数民族学生提供教育推广项目，让本科生参与研究项目，以及支持一名早期职业女性科学家。

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.