Support for Analog Modeling of Tectonic Processes Workshop

该项目为美国研究人员和学生提供旅行资助，以参加 2015 年 5 月初在马萨诸塞州阿默斯特举行的“构造过程模拟建模”研讨会。模拟模型实验对理解构造过程做出了重大贡献。在这些实验中，较弱的材料（沙子、粘土等）取代岩石，并在受控条件下以高应变率变形，从而产生地球结构（断层、褶皱）和大尺度构造特征（山带、裂谷系统）发育的比例模型。本次研讨会的目的是将构造地质学模拟建模社区聚集在一起，讨论模拟建模研究、真实的科学课程材料以及模拟建模的未来方向方面令人兴奋的创新。该社区包括模拟实验者、学生、在课堂上使用模拟模型的教师以及有兴趣将观察结果与模拟实验结果进行比较的研究人员。该研讨会将提高早期职业构造地质学家的模拟建模技能，从而培养未来的构造学劳动力。该会议将促进学生、早期职业科学家和来自地球科学领域代表性不足群体的研究人员的参与。在过去的十年里，由于模拟材料的系统流变测试以及使用激光和图像处理技术进行数据分析，地壳变形模拟建模领域发生了一场革命，从而加强了模拟建模的定量方面。这场革命的先锋位于欧洲，那里的实验室一直在实施新方法，这些方法可以更好地控制实验条件、更准确地缩放变形以及更好地了解变形和变形过程的演变。这个为期多天的模拟建模研讨会将实验方法的讨论与科学发现的展示结合起来。研讨会包括：（1）在主办实验室进行实验； （2）各种方法、技术和数据分析工具的讨论； （3）讨论社区的需求和模拟建模研究的未来方向； (4) 致力于将模拟实验带入课堂的练习。

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.