Closing the global plate circuit: High resolution reconstructions of African plate motion from 0 to 20 Ma

该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助。最引人注目的地质事件--如地震和火山喷发--发生在覆盖地球表面的马赛克板块的边缘，是板块运动的结果。板块运动也会影响造山、海平面和气候。因此，解开板块运动的历史对于了解地球的大部分历史--S的历史具有相当重要的意义。这项研究的目的是利用最近从中大西洋海脊获得的俄罗斯数据来开发过去2000万年来印度、欧亚、努比亚(西非)、北美和太平洋板块之间的详细运动模型。随着空间和时间分辨率的提高，这些模型将有助于科学界的广泛领域，他们寻求板块运动、大陆构造和气候之间的联系；它们还将为理解北美西部、喜马拉雅和阿尔卑斯山的演化提供一个框架。该项目还将继续美国和俄罗斯科学家之间业已建立的国际合作。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The most dramatic geologic events - such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions - occur along the margins of the mosaic of plates that cover the surface of the Earth, and are a consequence of plate motions. Plate motions also affect mountain building, sea level, and climate. Hence, unraveling the history of plate motions is a matter of considerable importance for understanding much of the Earth?s history. The objective of this research is to use newly-available Russian data from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to develop detailed models of motions between the India, Eurasia, Nubia (West Africa) North America, and Pacific Plates over the last 20 million years. With their improved spatial and temporal resolution, these models will be useful to a broad cross section of the science community who seek linkages between plate motions, continental tectonics, and climate; they will also provide a framework for understanding the evolution of western North America, the Himalaya, and the Alps. The program will also continue an established international collaboration between U.S. and Russian scientists.