Collaborative Research: Active Kinematics of Lithospheric Extension Along the East African Rift

这个为期一年的合作提案旨在为整个东非地区的构造速度创建一个社区解决方案。 这一地区是大陆裂谷作用的最好例子，非洲在那里伸展并分裂成两部分，东非裂谷和更远的索马里和努比亚。 对大陆分裂的速度和模式的观测可以作为其他地球科学研究大陆裂谷的框架，包括火山学、岩石学、地球化学和固体地球-气候相互作用。 它们还为大陆的物质性质和板块如何形成、移动和变化的基本物理学提供了一般结果的可能性。 除了科学之外，东非地表变形的绘图模式为地震和火山灾害评估以及地热能和水资源的开发提供了信息。 该项目的最后一个贡献是促进美国和东非学术机构之间的数据共享和社区模型建设。我们提出的具体倡议包括：1）正式将所有现有的先前研究的联合收割机全球定位系统结果与该区域任何其他现有的全球定位系统数据沿着，以获得完全自洽的大陆尺度解决方案，并确定未来的需求和数据采集战略，2）维持过去6年开发的现有大地测量资产，以延长全球定位系统时间序列，减少速率不确定性，3.延长或建立协议（谅解备忘录）（埃塞俄比亚、厄立特里亚、肯尼亚、坦桑尼亚、莫桑比克、赞比亚和马拉维）为未来的联合倡议，4）在图尔卡纳凹陷的九个活动GPS站点上测量第一个历元，以及5）制定数据共享和数据产品开发框架，为更广泛的非洲裂谷科学界服务。

This 1-year, collaborative proposal is aimed at creating a community solution for tectonic velocities throughout the East African region. This region hosts the foremost example of continental rifting, where Africa stretches and splits into a two pieces, Somalia and Nubia in the East African Rift and beyond. Observations of the speed and pattern of continental break-up serve as a framework for other geosciences research on continental rifting, including in volcanology, petrology, geochemistry, and solid earth-climate interactions. They also offer the possibility of general results for the material properties of continents and the basic physics of how plates are formed, move, and change. Beyond the science, mapping patterns of surface deformation in East Africa informs earthquake and volcano hazard assessments and development of geothermal energy and water resources. A final contribution of this project is to foster data sharing and community model building among academic institutions throughout the U.S. and East Africa. Specific initiatives we propose include: 1) formally combine GPS results from all available prior studies, along with any other available GPS data in the region for a fully self-consistent, continent-scale solution and to identify future needs and data acquisition strategies, 2) maintain existing geodetic assets developed over the past 6 years to extend GPS time series to reduce rate uncertainties, 3) extend or establish agreements (Memoranda of Understanding) with host-country partners (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and Malawi) for future joint initiatives, 4) measure a first epoch on nine campaign GPS sites in the Turkana Depression, and 5) develop a framework for data sharing and data product development to serve the broader African Rift scientific community.