Collaborative research: Implementation of Tensor Visualization guide (TVguide), an interactive visualization, analysis, and database tool for seismic anisotropy

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This project will develop a web-based tool that allows for easy visualization of seismic wave propagation through the earth. By offering instant access to analysis, visualization, and rock-based data, this tool will foster cross-disciplinary research and lower the threshold for scientists from several communities to engage with seismic wave studies, particularly for students and early career scientists. The web tool will also provide easy classroom use. The project will organize two workshops on seismic anisotropy using the tool, focusing on support for student and early career investigators, as well as development of a teaching module that will be made available through the Carleton College Science Education Resource Center (SERC) repository. The project will fund an undergraduate research assistant and a female scientific team. Seismic anisotropy is of increasing interest to researchers from several Earth science communities because it offers a rare avenue to imaging present-day and past deformation processes at depth. Deformation in the deep crust and mantle leads to the development of mineral fabric which produces seismic anisotropy. This team of researchers hold a database of crustal rock-based elasticity tensors. This project will develop a web-based tool that ties to the database and offers the following capabilities: 1. Interactive calculation and visualization with rotation of seismic parameters for tensors in the database within a deformation reference frame, as well as of any elasticity tensor pasted in by the user; 2. Tensor decomposition into symmetry components and visualization of results, allowing the user to answer questions such as how well the tensor is represented by a simplified symmetry such as hexagonal or orthorhombic, and in the former case by a fast or slow symmetry axis; 3. Averaging of bulk elasticity over several rock compositions or folded geometries. Given that there are several ongoing efforts funded by programs such as EarthCube to bring field structural geology and microstructural analysis into the big data domain (e.g., MacroStrat, Strabo), including results such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) maps of samples, a future effort could tie the web tool to be developed to such projects in order to provide elasticity tensor analysis based on data held in these applications.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.