CAREER: Integrating research and education to evaluate Neoproterozoic-Cambrian tectonism and sedimentary basins in western Laurentia

该项目旨在提高对新元古代罗迪纳超大陆解体的时间和性质的理解，这是一个有争议的话题，对海洋化学和生命的同时代变化具有重要意义。该项目的成果将包括来自北美西部几个地区的综合地层、年代学和地球化学数据集。这些原始数据集又将用于为每个地区生成新的沉降曲线。结合起来，这些产品可以用来区分不同的模式，已提出的新元古代寒武纪裂谷的劳伦大陆的西缘。协同教育计划将侧重于通过分层指导系统，开发包容性的实地课程和实地论坛，改善研究和课程中的户外实地工作。该项目的更广泛影响将侧重于通过与巴尔的摩不受干扰项目合作，增强服务不足人口的能力，并扩大对巴尔的摩市地球科学的参与，该项目是一个当地非营利组织，旨在招募和培养具有高度潜力和对STEM感兴趣的初中和高中学生，以及历史上服务不足的人口。新元古代罗迪尼亚超大陆的分裂时间和性质一直存在争议，古地理重建与劳伦西亚西缘（罗迪尼亚核心的古大陆）保存的地质记录之间存在重大不一致。评估这些不同的解释构造历史劳伦的边缘需要显着改善构造地层的背景和年龄模型新元古代-寒武纪盆地沉降，裂谷相关的构造作用，火山活动在西部劳伦，这需要新的地质年代学的限制和更好的校准这些沉积盆地内的不整合面。该提案的研究目标是通过战略性地关注位于美国西部、墨西哥北方和不列颠哥伦比亚省的特定新元古代-寒武纪沉积盆地的地质历史，区分劳伦西亚西部不同的拟议构造模型。之所以选择这些地区，是因为它们沿着边缘的关键地理位置，以及在这些层序中发现和描述的双峰式火山岩。该项目的目标将通过整合地质测绘、区域地层学、页岩地球化学、U-Pb地质年代学和沉降建模来实现，以解决有关劳伦西亚西部裂谷动力学的一些长期争论，并改善新元古代晚期超大陆断裂的时间和地理模型。拟议的科学研究议程与拟议的教育和指导计划协同，重点是通过以下方式改善户外实地工作的获得：1）分层指导系统，2）包容性实地课程的开发和教学，3）死亡谷实地论坛，以及4）综合研究，指导和更广泛的影响。该项目将支持巩固一个综合研究和实地教育的事业基础，研究构造，沉积盆地的发展，和地球生命的变化在北美西部。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

This project aims to improve understanding of the timing and nature of the breakup of the Neoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodina, a contentious topic that has important implications for coeval changes in ocean chemistry and life. The results of this project will include integrated stratigraphic, geochronological, and geochemical datasets from several regions in western North America. These original datasets will, in turn, be used to generate new subsidence curves for each of these areas. Combined, these products can be used to discriminate between different models that have been proposed for Neoproterozoic–Cambrian rifting on the western margin of the paleocontinent of Laurentia. The synergistic educational plan will focus on improving access to Outdoor Field Work in research and coursework through a tiered mentoring system, development of inclusive field-based courses, and a field forum. The Broader Impacts of this project will focus on empowering underserved populations and broadening participation in the geosciences within Baltimore City through collaboration with the Baltimore Ingenuity Project, a local non-profit which recruits and cultivates middle and high school students with high potential and interest in STEM and from historically underserved populations. The timing and nature of the breakup of the Neoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodinia has remained contentious, with major inconsistencies existing between paleogeographic reconstructions and the geologic records preserved along the western margin of Laurentia, the paleocontinent at the core of Rodinia. Evaluating these divergent interpretations for the tectonic histories of Laurentia’s margins requires significant improvements to the tectonostratigraphic context and age models for Neoproterozoic–Cambrian basin subsidence, rift-related tectonism, and volcanism in western Laurentia, which demand new geochronological constraints and better calibration of unconformities within these sedimentary basins. The research goal of this proposal is to discriminate between different proposed tectonic models for western Laurentia by strategically focusing on the geologic histories of specific Neoproterozoic–Cambrian sedimentary basins located in the western USA, northern Mexico, and British Columbia. These regions are chosen because of their key geographic locations along the margin and because of identified and described bimodal volcanic rocks in these successions. The goals of this project will be achieved by integrating geologic mapping, regional stratigraphy, shale geochemistry, U–Pb geochronology, and subsidence modeling to resolve some of the long-standing debates about rift dynamics in western Laurentia and to improve temporal and geographic models for late Neoproterozoic supercontinent breakup. The proposed scientific research agenda is synergistic with the proposed educational and mentorship plans, which focus on improving access to Outdoor Field Work through: 1) a tiered mentoring system, 2) development and teaching of inclusive field-based courses, 3) a Death Valley Field Forum, and 4) integrated research, mentoring, and Broader Impacts. The project will support cementing a foundation for a career of integrated research and field-based education on studying tectonism, sedimentary basin development, and Earth-life changes in western North America.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.