Collaborative Research: Assessing Climatic Controls on Intervals of Stability and Deposition on Alluvial Fans

这项研究将探讨气候和构造在控制景观演化的速率和过程中的作用。 目标是确定地貌对气候强迫变化的反应时间（例如风暴强度、有效湿度、年平均温度、霜冻作用以及植被类型和密度）。 景观的响应表现在沉积物的产生和储存、风化速率、河流流量和泥沙输送能力方面。 具体而言，这项研究将联合收割机尖端技术（包括宇宙成因放射性核素和热发光），以产生在半干旱的迷失河谷东南部的爱达荷州，美国的冲积扇表面的定量年龄。 再加上对扇体表面的地貌和沉积分析，就有可能确定半干旱环境中沉积物供应和输送的条件何时得到满足。 该项目支持两个代表性不足的早期职业科学家的研究计划，并加强学生和教师之间的互动，在博伊西州立大学，犹他州州立大学和加州大学伯克利分校。 拟议的工作有助于开发分析设施，支持博伊西州立大学和USU不断增长的研究生课程，并为博伊西州立大学新的地球科学博士课程提供部分资金和招聘工具。 该项目通过资助四个本科高年级项目来改善本科教育，并将研究目标与博伊西州立大学的野外地质课程相结合。 结合博伊西州，USU，和爱达荷州本科实地考察的研究领域将加强在这些邻近机构的学生和教师之间的同志情谊和互动，并将为学生提供一个科学在行动的例子。

This research will investigate the roles of climate and tectonics in controlling rates and processes of landscape evolution. The goal is to establish the response time of the landscape to changes in climatic forcing, (e.g. storm intensity, effective moisture, mean annual temperature, frost action, and type and density of vegetation). The response of a landscape is manifest in terms of the production and storage of sediment, weathering rates, and stream discharge and sediment transport capacity. Specifically, this study will combine cutting-edge techniques (including cosmogenic radionclides and thermo-luminescence) to generate quantitative ages of alluvial fan surfaces in the semi-arid Lost River Valley of southeastern Idaho, USA. Together with geomorphic and sedimentological analyses of the fan surfaces, it will be possible to determine when the conditions for both sediment supply and transport are met in semi-arid environments. This project supports research programs for two under-represented early career scientists and enhances interactions between students and faculty at Boise State University, Utah State University, and UC Berkeley. The proposed work aids development of analytical facilities, supports growing graduate programs at Boise State and USU, and provides partial funding and a recruiting tool for Boise State's new PhD program in Geosciences. This project improves undergraduate education by funding four undergraduate senior projects, and integrates research goals with Boise State's field geology course. Combined Boise State, USU, and Idaho State undergraduate field trips to the study area will enhance camaraderie and interactions between students and faculty at these neighboring institutions, and will provide students an example of science in action.