REU Site: Collaborative Research: Architecture of Earthquakes in the Deep Crust: International Arctic Expedition Science for Students

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Concord University and Montana State University will organize a new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site that will involve a total of eight students each year in an international geologic field experience in Greenland. Students will spend five weeks at a field site on the west coast of Greenland while mapping geologic structures in the newly established Aasivissuit - Nipisat UNESCO World Heritage site. This unique location will allow the students to learn important field mapping and sampling skills, contribute to an improved understanding of this important location and make connections with the local communities. Travel expenses to the program and logistic support for fieldwork in Greenland will be provided. Students will receive stipends to support their work while in the field and while completing final analysis, reporting and preparation of publications at their home institutions. This project addresses a cutting-edge question in earthquake dynamics from a geologic perspective. By mapping and sampling a pseudotachylyte system exposed for more than 34 km along strike, REU students will test a new hypothesis for the origin of multi-fault earthquake rupture and generate a geologic data set that will provide a unique compliment to geophysical and geodynamic investigations for multi-fault rupture processes. Students will participate in an intensive field research experience in a remote international setting. The REU will be hosted by a primarily undergraduate institution and recruitment will focus on students who are historically disadvantaged or from groups underrepresented in the geosciences. The field research will take place within the Aasivissuit - Nipisat UNESCO World Heritage site in western Greenland; thus, the project will incorporate lessons about the indigenous heritage of the region and students will share science findings with local educators and community members in Greenland. This project is supported by the Division of Earth Sciences and the Office of Polar Programs in the Geoscience Directorate.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.