How do Continental Plateaus Grow? Mantle to Surface Dynamics of the Anatolian and Andean Plateaus

我的研究小组将研究大陆高原的形成——在这些地区，山脉膨胀到很大的宽度，山顶相对平坦。我们重点研究了两个关键地点：(1)土耳其中部安纳托利亚高原；(2)中部安第斯高原的南部，即阿根廷西北部的普纳高原。我们对从最深处到地表形成高原的过程很感兴趣，包括：大洋板块的分离和撕裂形成；下沉：构造板块的下部因分层或滴水而丧失；弱下地壳流动；有组织地或无组织地使外壳变短；以及气候和侵蚀对物质再分配的影响。我的团队使用实地和GIS（计算机）测绘和测年相结合的方法来测量高原的变形、沉降和隆起，以限制对高原生长的各种影响。具体来说，在阿根廷，一名博士生将绘制南普纳高原的内部地图，三名硕士生将绘制高原边缘的主要盆地地图，五名本科生将测量高原上及其周围的山脉特征，以约束变形的历史。在土耳其，一名博士生将绘制并测量安纳托利亚中部断裂带和其他活动断层的移动速度，两名硕士生将通过测量一条主要河流进入高原的切口来抑制隆起。

My research group will investigate the formation of continental plateaus – regions where mountain ranges swell to great widths, with relatively flat tops. We focus on two key locations: (1) the Central Anatolian Plateau in Turkey; and (2) the southern part of the Central Andean Plateau, the Puna Plateau, in northwest Argentina. We are interested in the processes that shape the plateau from the deepest levels to the surface, including: detachment and formation of tears in the subducting oceanic plate; loss of the lower part of the tectonic plate to delamination or dripping; flow of the weak lower crust; shortening of the crust in an organized or disorganized manner; and the influence of climate and erosion on the redistribution of mass. My team uses a combination of field and GIS (computer) based mapping and dating to measure deformation, subsidence and uplift of the plateau in order to constrain the various influences on plateau growth. Specifically, in Argentina, a PhD student will map the interior of the southern Puna Plateau, three Master’s students will map key basins around the margins of the plateau, and five undergraduates will measure features of mountain ranges on and around the plateau to constrain the history of deformation. In Turkey, a PhD student will map and measure movement rates along the Central Anatolian fault zone and other active faults, and two Master’s students will constrain uplift by measuring the incision of a major river into the plateau.