Research Coordination Network: In situ Studies of Rock Deformation (ISRD)

地震、火山和陨石坑展示了地球和太阳系其他天体内部活跃的动态过程。光是对这些事件的观察还不足以解释起作用的潜在物理现象。地球材料的实验室实验对于更好地理解地质、地球物理和地球化学观测是必不可少的。这个研究协调网络(RCN)为在地球科学和工程方面具有广泛背景的研究人员提供了手段，以探索通过高能X射线设施可用的新技术。该RCN将促进来自不同科学界的国际合作，并吸引下一代科学家。该项目的更广泛影响包括妇女和代表性不足的群体参与STEM领域。它还将为新的岩石变形实验基础设施奠定基础。这些工作在基础和应用研究中有着广泛的应用，从减灾到能源和空间探索等主题。这个RCN将促进光束线技术与变形实验的结合，并为实验岩石变形研究开辟新的方向。对地球动力学过程的预测和推断需要将实验室校准的流变模型外推到地质时间和空间尺度，这些尺度比实验室大许多个数量级。岩石变形过程的复杂性，以及使用现有技术所固有的不确定性，使得从实验室推导的流变模型外推到更大范围的变形具有挑战性。通过该网络，美国研究人员将1)找出阻碍我们理解地质和地球物理过程的岩石变形方面的知识空白；2)为不同的实验人员提供培训和教育机会，以获得有关光束线技术的必要知识，并使光束线科学家认识到与岩土材料变形研究相关的需求和限制；3)促进扩大实验研究基础设施的讨论；以及4)促进跨学科合作，为研究不同时间尺度的动态过程开发新的实验方法。RCN还将为在国家辐射研究中心内开发新的岩石变形实验基础设施奠定基础。来自这些努力的新数据流将在基础和应用研究中有广泛的应用，主题从减灾到能源，再到空间探索，等等。该项目得到了地球物理、构造、地球棱镜和仪器设备计划的支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Earthquakes, volcanoes, and impact craters demonstrate the dynamic processes active within the Earth and other bodies in the solar system. Observations of these events alone are not enough to the underlying physics at play. Laboratory experiments on Earth materials are essential to better understand geological, geophysical, and geochemical observations. This Research Coordination Network (RCN) provides the means for the researchers with a broad range of backgrounds in Earth science and engineering to explore new technologies that are available through high-energy X-ray facilities. This RCN will foster international collaborations from different scientific communities and engage the next generation of scientists. The broader impacts of the project include the participation of women and under-represented groups in STEM fields. It will also lay the foundation for new experimental infrastructure in rock deformation. These efforts have wide-reaching applications in basic and applied research, from topics like hazard mitigation to energy resources and space exploration.This RCN will facilitate the integration of beamline technologies with deformation experiments and create new directions for experimental rock deformation research. Predictions and inferences of geodynamic processes require extrapolation of lab-calibrated rheological models to geological time and spatial scales that are many orders of magnitude larger than in the laboratory. The complexity of rock deformation processes together with the uncertainties inherent in using existing techniques make extrapolating laboratory-derived rheological models to larger-scale deformation challenging. Through the network, U.S. researchers will 1) identify knowledge gaps in rock deformation that hinder our understanding of geological and geophysical processes; 2) provide training and education opportunities for a diverse group of experimentalists to gain necessary knowledge about beamline technologies, and for beamline scientists to recognize the needs and constraints associated with deformation research on geomaterials; 3) promote the discussion of expanding the infrastructure for experimental research; and 4) foster collaborations across disciplines to develop new experimental methodologies for studying dynamic processes at various time scales. The RCN will also lay the foundation for new experimental infrastructure development for rock deformation within national radiation research centers. New data streams from these efforts will have wide-reaching applications in basic and applied research, on topics ranging from hazard mitigation, to energy resources, to space exploration, and beyond. This project is supported by the Geophysics, Tectonics, GeoPRISMS and Instrumentation and Facilities programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.