The Wegener Fault, Nares Strait: Myth or Reality?

韦格纳断层、内雷斯海峡：神话还是现实？

• 批准号: 1432970
• 负责人: Jane Gilotti
• 金额: $ 3.46万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-04-01 至 2017-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1432970&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Wegener; Fault; Nares; Strait; Myth

Plate tectonic arguments, primarily based on motion derived from Earth's magnetic anomalies, require that Greenland has moved about 250 kilometers northeast with respect to North America during the Paleocene (65 to 54 million years ago) on a continental transform that links the opening of the Arctic Ocean with the opening of Baffin Bay. Some scientists view the proposed transform as a myth, and indeed geophysical data show that the so-called Wegener Fault is not located in Nares Strait itself. The PI joins a helicopter-supported expedition led by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) to look for evidence of faulting onshore remote SE Ellesmere Island, Canada adjacent to the strait. The study area is on strike with known left-lateral strike-slip faults of Paleocene age to the north, which could link up to form the Wegener fault. Identifying the Wegener fault settles a long-standing tectonic problem and solidifies our understanding of the critical period of spreading in the Labrador Sea and opening of the Arctic Ocean. The results also provide an important case study of the complexity of geologic relationships along continental transform boundaries, which can be compared to processes at similar boundaries such as the San Andreas Fault. Research results will be shared with the Geological Survey of Canada, and will be disseminated through the geologic literature. In addition to the geologic goals of the project, the project is providing support for research infrastructure at the University of Iowa, as well as public outreach efforts, including those aimed at First Nations people who live near the field area.

板块构造论点主要基于地球磁异常的运动，要求格陵兰在古新世（65至5400万年前）在北美（65至5400万年前）向东北移动约250公里，该大陆转换将北极海洋与巴芬湾开放的开放联系起来。 一些科学家认为所提出的转变是一个神话，实际上地球物理数据表明，所谓的韦格纳断层并不位于纳雷斯海峡本身。 PI加入了由德国联邦地球科学与自然资源研究所（BGR）领导的直升机支持的探险队，以寻找与海峡相邻的陆上偏远SE Ellesmere岛故障的证据。 研究区域正在罢工，北部的古新世时代已知左侧滑滑断层，这可能会链接到形成Wegener断层。确定Wegener断层解决了一个长期的构造问题，并巩固了我们对拉布拉多海和北极海洋开放的关键时期的理解。 结果还提供了一个重要的案例研究，了解沿大陆转化边界的地质关系的复杂性，可以将其与类似边界的过程（例如San Andreas断层）进行比较。研究结果将与加拿大地质调查局共享，并将通过地质文献传播。除了该项目的地质目标外，该项目还为爱荷华大学的研究基础设施提供支持，以及公共宣传工作，包括针对居住在现场地区的原住民人士。