Support for Analog Modeling of Tectonic Processes Workshop

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This project provides funding for travel support for U.S. researchers and students to attend a workshop on "Analog Modeling of Tectonic Processes" to be held in Amherst, Massachusetts, in early May of 2015. Analog model experiments contribute substantially to the understanding of tectonic processes. In these experiments, weaker materials (sand, clay, etc.) take the place rocks and are deformed at high strain rates under controlled conditions thus producing scale models of the development of earth structures (faults, folds) and large-scale tectonic features (mountain belts, rift systems). The aim of this workshop is to bring together the structural geology analog modeling community to discuss exciting innovations in analog modeling research, authentic science curriculum materials, and future directions for analog modeling. This community includes analog experimentalists, students, instructors who use analog models in their classrooms and researchers who are interested in comparing their observations to analog experiment results. The workshop will promote the analog modeling skills of early career structural geologists, thereby developing the future workforce in tectonics. The conference will promote the participation of students, early career scientists, and researchers from underrepresented groups in the earth sciences.The past 10 years have seen a revolution within analog modeling of crustal deformation spurred by systematic rheological testing of analog materials and use of laser and image processing techniques for data analysis leading to a strengthening of the quantitative aspect of analog modeling. The vanguard of this revolution has been in Europe where laboratories have been implementing new approaches that permit greater control on experimental conditions, more accurate scaling of deformation and improved insights into the evolution of deformation and deformation processes. This multi-day workshop on analog modeling combines discussions on experimental approaches with presentation of scientific findings. The workshop involves: (1) running an experiment at the host lab; (2) discussions of various approaches, techniques and data analysis tools; (3) discussion on needs of the community and future directions for analog modeling research; and (4) exercises devoted to bringing analog experiments into the classroom.