Terrane provenance and evolution in the northern appalachian orogen

地球上的大部分大陆都是由古代山脉带的残余物构成的，包括加拿大。这些遗迹通过暴露前山脉的内部建筑，为研究造山过程提供了机会。这一建议的重点是了解大约6.5亿到3.5亿年前，在新不伦瑞克省和新斯科舍省南部的阿巴拉契亚山脉带的组成部分（或“地形”）。我想更准确地弄清楚这些碎片是什么时候聚集在一起的，它们是作为许多独立的块体还是作为一个单一的复合块体，以及它们来自哪里——可能的来源是任何其他大陆，如南美洲、非洲和斯堪的纳维亚半岛。虽然地球上的每个山带在其发展的细节上都是独一无二的，但某些元素是共同的，我在加拿大东部的工作中获得的知识和技术可能会为地质学家在了解其他地区时遇到的问题的解决提供见解。我的工作是基于对野外岩石的详细检查，以了解发生在山区的许多不同种类的岩石的分布（这一过程被称为地质测绘）。我收集有代表性的样本，然后与拥有必要设备和专业知识的同事合作，找出岩石的年龄，确定它们的矿物和化学成分。我利用所有这些不同类型的信息来解释每种岩石形成的不同时期，山带发生了什么。岩石的一些特征，如它们的同位素组成或磁性和密度特征，可以帮助我了解我在地表看到的岩石下面是什么样的岩石，这些信息将帮助我解释各种地体的来源。了解很久以前发生的事件和过程是很重要的，因为它们塑造了我们现在生活的环境，并提供了使我们不仅能够生存而且能够繁荣的自然资源。

Remnants of ancient mountain belts form most of the Earth's continents, including Canada.  These remnants provide an opportunity to investigate mountain-building processes by exposing the internal architecture of the former mountains.  This proposal focuses on understanding the separate distinct components (or "terranes") that came together to form the part of the Appalachian mountain belt in southern New Brunswick and Nova Scotia between about 650 and 350 million years ago.  I want to figure out more exactly when the pieces came together, whether they came as numerous separate blocks or as a single composite block, and from where they came - possible source areas are any of the other continents, such as South America, Africa, and Scandinavia.  Although each mountain belt on the Earth is unique in the details of its development, certain elements are held in common, and knowledge and techniques gained in my work in eastern Canada may provide insight into the resolution of problems that geologists have in understanding other areas.  My work is based on detailed examination of the rocks in the field in order to understand the distribution of the many different kinds of rocks that occur in the mountain belt (a process known as geological mapping).  I collect representative samples and then in collaboration with colleagues who have the necessary equipment and expertise, I find out the ages of the rocks and determine their mineral and chemical compositions.  I use all of these different types of information to make interpretations about what was happening in the mountain belt at the various times when each kind of rock was forming.  Some features of the rocks, such as their isotopic compositions or magnetic and density characteristics, may help me to know what kinds of rocks underlie those that I see at the surface, information that will help me to interpret from where the various terranes were derived.  It is important to understand events and processes that happened even so long ago because they shaped the environment in which we now live, and provided the natural resources that enable us to not only survive but thrive.