GEMT: Collaborative Research: From grain to rock and back again: Elucidating the coordinated evolution of exhumation pathways, rock strength and topography in the Taiwanese orogen

地形影响地壳的应力和造山过程中产生的变形模式。由于近地表岩石的物质性质取决于其埋藏和挖掘历史，在碰撞山带中，地下岩石的埋藏历史、地表岩石的强度和地形之间可能存在反馈。然而，很少有实地资料可以评估地表和深层地球过程之间这种反馈的强度。该项目将通过量化台湾中部山脉岩石物质性质变化的构造起源和地貌含义来解决这一知识差距。此外，这个项目将通过配对的实地考察和学生交换计划，促进美国和台湾科学家之间的国际合作，利用新的和现有的研究合作。为了探索埋葬和挖掘历史、岩石强度和地形之间的关系，该项目将收集和整合成对的结构和地貌观测数据集。现有的和新的侵蚀率测量以及热和变形历史将限制埋葬和挖掘的模式。在小型无人机的协助下，对河流廊道进行实地调查，将有助于在高分辨率（厘米尺度）和大空间范围（公里尺度）上描述岩石性质如何影响河流切口和山坡-河道耦合。重复调查将使河流对个别风暴反应的高分辨率分析成为可能。该项目的数据将作为量化景观对未来极端事件的响应的基线，并有助于解决与山体滑坡、洪水和沉积相关的危害。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Topography influences stress in the Earth’s crust and the pattern of deformation that arises during mountain building. Because the material properties of rocks near the surface of the Earth depend on their burial and exhumation history, in collisional mountain belts feedbacks may exist between the burial history of rocks in the subsurface, their strength at the surface, and topography. However, few field data exist to evaluate the strength of such feedbacks between surface and deep-Earth processes. This project will address this knowledge gap by quantifying the tectonic origin and geomorphic implications of variations in rock material properties across the Taiwan Central Range. In addition, this project will facilitate international collaboration between US and Taiwanese scientists through paired field expeditions and a student exchange program, leveraging new and existing research collaborations.To explore relationships among burial and exhumation history, rock strength, and topography, this project will collect and integrate a paired dataset of structural and geomorphic observations. Existing and new measurements of erosion rates and thermal and deformation history will constrain patterns in burial and exhumation. Field surveys of river corridors assisted by small unmanned aerial vehicles will facilitate characterization of how rock properties influence river incision and hillslope-channel coupling at high resolution (centimeter-scale) and large spatial extent (kilometer-scale). Repeat surveys will enable high-resolution analysis of river response to individual storms. Data from this project will serve as a baseline for quantifying landscape response to future extreme events and help to address hazards associated with landslides, floods, and sedimentation.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.