Characterizing surface-mantle interactions in deepwater turbiditic successions, northern and central Apennines, Italy

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In the deep interior of the Earth, dynamic processes related to convection of Earth’s mantle can uplift or subside Earth’s surface by hundreds of meters. These deflections affect sedimentation and erosion patterns, evolution of drainage systems, and water depth in marine systems on geologic timescales. Changes in the Earth’s surface topography in turn influence atmospheric circulation and biological habitats. Disentangling these diverse drivers depends upon a thorough understanding of each one. The investigators will identify the influence of dynamic processes by combining surface geological observations of erosion and sedimentation patterns in the Apennine Mountains in Italy with numerical modeling of the deeper Earth to develop a detailed understanding of how dynamic processes are preserved in the rock record. The broader impacts of this research include: full participation of women in STEM; improved STEM education and educator development; development of a diverse, competitive STEM workforce; and collaboration with science education students and in-service school teachers. The idea that sedimentary basins that develop above retreating versus detaching slabs will have distinguishable tectonic signatures means that quantifying these differences allows for interpretation of plate boundary settings in ancient orogens. In most previous studies, slab detachment is well documented by geophysical observations that do not provide information about the timing, duration, or rate of these events. Slab rollback studies are often focused entirely on the geologic record with little to no quantitative information about the geodynamic parameters that influenced the evolution of the region. This project will focus specifically on characterizing the thermal, erosional, and sedimentary response to the transition from slab rollback to slab detachment in the northern and central Apennine Mountains in Italy. These critical geologic observations of uplift and subsidence will be used to calibrate geodynamic models that quantitatively characterize the interaction between crustal tectonics and mantle dynamics during slab rollback and detachment. The results of this project will improve our ability to detect such episodes in the geologic record and result in a better overall understanding of the evolution of long-lived convergent margins. Additionally, this study will provide better constraints on the timing and duration of basin transitions in the geologic record. The investigators will involve Masters of Arts in Teaching graduate students and in-service science teachers from around Iowa in curriculum development at the college and elementary or secondary levels. In addition, this project will provide career development opportunities for the PI through new collaborations with several international universities.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.