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

本研究将探讨气候和构造在控制景观演化速率和过程中的作用。目标是确定景观对气候强迫变化（例如风暴强度、有效湿度、年平均温度、霜冻作用、植被类型和密度）的响应时间。景观的响应表现在泥沙的产生和储存、风化速率、河流流量和输沙能力等方面。具体而言，本研究将结合尖端技术（包括宇宙生成放射性核素和热发光）来生成美国爱达荷州东南部半干旱的失落河谷冲积扇表面的定量年龄。结合对扇形表面的地貌和沉积学分析，将有可能确定在半干旱环境中何时满足沉积物供应和运输的条件。该项目支持两位未被充分代表的早期职业科学家的研究项目，并加强博伊西州立大学、犹他州立大学和加州大学伯克利分校学生和教师之间的互动。拟议中的工作有助于分析设施的发展，支持博伊西州立大学和USU不断增长的研究生项目，并为博伊西州立大学新的地球科学博士项目提供部分资金和招聘工具。该项目通过资助四个本科高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学课程相结合。博伊西州立大学，USU和爱达荷州立大学的本科实地考察将加强这些邻近机构的学生和教师之间的友情和互动，并将为学生提供科学行动的例子。

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.