US-Ethiopian Cooperative Research: Studies of Snowball Earth Sequences in N. Ethiopia

Stern 0423639该奖项资助德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校（UTD）的地质学家和埃塞俄比亚Mekelle大学的地质学家之间的研究合作，将野外测绘、遥感和地理信息系统相结合，以评估埃塞俄比亚北方新元古代（约7亿年前）沉积岩的历史和经济背景。 以色列科学家也参与了这一项目，由美国-以色列单独拨款资助。感兴趣的地质单元与全球气候变化的一个独特事件相吻合，最近被推广为“雪球地球假说”，在此期间，地球的气候在广泛的冰盖时期和气候比今天温暖得多的时期之间迅速变化。 该项目将通过增加来自阿拉伯努比亚地盾（地球最大的新元古代地壳）的新地质信息，促进对雪球地球假说的理解。 拟议的互动将有助于加强地质系的教师和学生。埃塞俄比亚发展最快的大学Mekelle大学的应用地质学系和一家附属的国有矿业公司（Ezana公司）。 UTD科学家与MU教师和学生以及Ezana人员在埃塞俄比亚的互动，通过MU和Ezana人员对UTD的短期培训访问得到加强，将帮助这些科学家制定和实施将新技术（GIS，遥感）纳入其计划的计划。UTD和MU之间建立的联系预计将扩大到涉及其他部门的联系。

Stern0423639 This award funds a research collaboration among geologists at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and geologists at Ethiopia's Mekelle University to integrate field mapping, remote sensing, and geographic information systems in order to assess the historical and economic context of poorly studied Neoproterozoic (~700 million years ago) sedimentary rocks in northern Ethiopia. Israeli scientists are also involved in this project, funded by a separate US-Israel grant. The geologic units of interest coincide with a unique episode of global climate change, recently popularized as the "Snowball Earth Hypothesis", during which Earth's climate shifted rapidly between times of extensive ice cover and times when climate was much warmer than today. This project will contribute to understanding of the Snowball Earth Hypothesis by adding new geologic information from the Arabian Nubian Shield, Earth's largest tract of Neoproterozoic crust. The proposed interaction will help strengthen geology faculty and students in the Dept. of Applied Geology at Mekelle University, Ethiopia's fastest growing university, and an affiliated government-owned mining corporation (Ezana Company). Interaction of UTD scientists with MU faculty and students and Ezana personnel in Ethiopia, reinforced by short training visits to UTD by MU and Ezana personnel will help these scientists develop and implement a plan for incorporating new technologies (GIS, remote sensing) into their programs. Ties developed between UTD and MU are expected to expand to links involving other departments.