CAREER: Deciphering the Tectonic History of the Transantarctic Mountains and the Wilkes Subglacial Basin

职业：破译横贯南极山脉和威尔克斯冰下盆地的构造历史

• 批准号: 1148982
• 负责人: Samantha Hansen
• 金额: $ 71.46万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-15 至 2019-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1148982&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Deciphering; Tectonic; History; Transantarctic

Intellectual Merit: To understand Antarctica's geodynamic development, origin of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs) and the Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WSB) must be determined. Current constraints on the crustal thickness and seismic velocity structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB are limited, leading to uncertainties over competing geologic models that have been suggested to explain their formation. The PI proposes to broaden the investigation of this region with a new seismic deployment, the Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network (TAMNNET), a 15-station array across the northern TAMs and the WSB that will fill a major gap in seismic coverage. Data from TAMNNET will be combined with that from other previous and ongoing seismic initiatives and will be analyzed using proven modeling techniques to generate a detailed image of the seismic structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB. These data will be used to test three fundamental hypotheses: the TAMs are underlain by thickened crust, the WSB is characterized by thin crust and thick sedimentary layers, and slow seismic velocities are prevalent along strike beneath the TAMs. Results from the proposed study will provide new information about the nature and formation of the Antarctic continent and will help to advance our understanding of important global processes, such as mountain building and basin formation. The proposed research also has important implications for other fields of Antarctic science. Constraints on the origin of the TAMs uplift are critical for climate and ice sheet models, and new information acquired about variations in the thermal and lithospheric structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB will be used to estimate critical ice sheet boundary conditions. Broader impacts: This project incorporates three educational strategies to promote the integration of teaching and research. Graduate students will be trained in Antarctic tectonics and seismic processing through hands-on fieldwork and data analysis techniques. Through NSF's PolarTREC program, the PI will work with K-12 educators. The PI will develop a three-week summer field program for recent high school graduates and early-career undergraduate students from Minority-Serving Institutions in Alabama. Teaching materials and participant experiences will be shared with individuals outside the program via a course website. Following the summer program, participants who were particularly engaged will be offered internship opportunities to analyze TAMNNET data. In successive years, the students could assist with fieldwork and could be recruited into the graduate program under the PI's supervision. Ultimately, this program would not only serve to educate undergraduates but would also generate a pipeline of underrepresented students into the geosciences.

知识分子的优点：必须确定南极洲的地球动力学发展，必须确定跨抗山脉（TAM）和威尔克斯亚冰川盆地（WSB）的起源。当前对TAM和WSB下地壳厚度和地震速度结构的限制受到限制，导致对竞争地质模型的不确定性，这些模型被建议解释其形成。 PI提议通过新的地震部署，即跨北部山脉（TAMNNET），北塔姆斯北部的15个站阵列和WSB来扩大对该地区的调查。来自TAMNNET的数据将与其他以前和正在进行的地震计划的数据结合在一起，并将使用经过验证的建模技术分析，以生成TAMS和WSB下面的地震结构的详细图像。这些数据将用于检验三个基本假设：TAM被厚厚的外壳覆盖，WSB的特征是地壳薄，沉积层厚实，而慢慢的地震速度沿着TAM下方的撞击。拟议研究的结果将提供有关南极大陆的性质和形成的新信息，并将有助于促进我们对重要的全球过程（例如山区建筑和盆地形成）的理解。拟议的研究还对南极科学的其他领域具有重要意义。对TAM升高的起源的约束对于气候和冰盖模型至关重要，并且获得了有关TAM下方热和岩石圈结构的变化获得的新信息，WSB将用于估计关键的冰盖边界条件。更广泛的影响：该项目结合了三种教育策略，以促进教学和研究的融合。研究生将通过动手实地调查和数据分析技术对南极构造和地震处理进行培训。通过NSF的PolarTrec计划，PI将与K-12教育者合作。 PI将针对来自阿拉巴马州少数派服务机构的高中毕业生和早期职业本科生制定为期三周的夏季野外计划。教材和参与者的经验将通过课程网站与计划外的个人共享。在夏季计划之后，将提供特别参与的参与者的实习机会来分析TAMNNET数据。连续几年，学生可以协助实地调查，并可以在PI的监督下招募到研究生课程中。最终，该计划不仅将有助于教育本科生，而且还将为地球科学提供代表性不足的学生的管道。