U.S.-Bolivia Cooperative Research: Field-Based Determination of Tectonic Strain & Displacement Across the Altiplano of Bolivia & Implications for Modeling Andean Plateau

9907204 DavisThis美洲计划奖将支持乔治戴维斯博士和纳丁麦夸里（博士候选人），亚利桑那大学，和英格之间的美国-玻利维亚研究项目。Marcelo Claure Zapata，玻利维亚地质调查局。 该项目的目标是计算玻利维亚安第斯高原Altiplano部分大部分地区的构造缩短幅度。 第二个目标是评估高原/东科迪勒拉地区是否正在经历积极的伸展变形。他们提出要解决的基本问题是构造缩短和安第斯山脉中部地壳增厚之间的相互关系。 研究人员计划绘制和分析与计算安第斯高原Altiplano部分的构造缩短相关的场关系，并评估是否存在当代伸展性塌陷。 这将决定该区域内的伸展构造是以正断层的形式还是以拆离断层的形式。 地球动力学建模活动将建立在基于露水场的数据基础上，这将为安第斯高原提供更可靠的控制。 研究结果也将用于地球动力学，以评估重力和流变学的相互作用有关的崩溃和蔓延。 从这项研究中获得的关于世界第二大造山高原的新数据，将是对迄今为止集中在青藏高原的现有概念的重要补充。 与玻利维亚地质调查局的合作有利于美国研究人员进入世界上最大的自然实验室之一，这可能导致新的发现，这将有利于美国和玻利维亚的整个科学界。 ***

9907204DavisThis Americas Program award will support a US-Bolivia research project between Dr. George Davis, and Nadine McQuarrie (Ph.D.candidate), University of Arizona, and Ing. Marcelo Claure Zapata, Bolivian Geological Survey. The goal of the project is to calculate the magnitude of tectonic shortening across much of the breadth of the Altiplano portion of the Andean Plateau in Bolivia. A second objective is to evaluate whether or not the Altiplano/Eastern Cordillera region is undergoing active extensional deformation. The fundamental issue they propose to address is the correlation between tectonic shortening and crustal thickening in the Central Andes. The researchers plan the mapping and analysis of field relationships relevant to calculating tectonic shortening across the Altiplano portion of the Andean Plateau, and to evaluating if there is contemporary extensional collapse. This will determine whether the extensional structures within the region are in the form of normal faults or detachment faults. The geodynamical modeling activities will build on dew field-base data, which will provide more robust control for Andean Plateaus. Results will also be used geodynamically to evaluate the interplay of gravity and rheology as related to collapse and spreading. The new data about the second largest orogenic plateau in the world resulting from this research, will be an important addition to existing concepts which up to now have focussed on the Tibetan plateau. The collaboration with the Bolivian Geological Survey is of benefit to the US researchers in accessing one of the greatest natural laboratories in the world, which could lead to new discoveries that will benefit the scientific community as a whole, both in the US and in Bolivia. ***