Collaborative Research: Building an International Partnership for GeoPRISMS Research in the Aleutian-Primary Site through US Participation in Cruises of the German R/V Sonne

一个构造板块俯冲到另一个构造板块之下是一个基本的地质过程，它有许多重要的潜在人类影响，包括地震和火山爆发。俯冲作用在塑造地球表面方面也起着关键作用，在大陆的形成中尤其重要。 该项目将使来自南卡罗来纳州大学和威斯康星州大学的一组美国科学家参加德国研究船索内号的两次研究航行。 研究船索内号的考察将于2016年6月至7月从阿拉斯加-阿留申俯冲系统和邻近的白令海地区的海底收集岩石样本。该地区有许多地震和火山爆发，但对其早期地质历史和演化知之甚少。 在这些科学考察期间收集的样本将用于了解阿留申岛弧和邻近白令海地区在过去5000万年的演变。研究生和本科生将参加游轮，并获得重要的航海经验。 该项目侧重于三个科学主题：（1）阿留申岛弧的形成和早期发展，（2）阿留申岛弧西部活火山活动的发生和组成，（3）弧的输入-北太平洋岩石圈的年龄和组成。疏浚和随后的地球化学和地质年代学研究将针对阿留申前弧的海底峡谷和其他暴露的基底结构。 从这些功能的样本将提供阿留申弧形成的时间和运动学的限制。 疏浚还将针对阿留申海底西部的火山锥和下行的北太平洋板块上的断裂带。 从这些特征中提取的样本将用于表征阿留申岛弧俯冲洋壳的输入及其与沿走向地球化学区域模式的关系。这些样品还将用于提高对阿留申群岛西部海底高钙碱性火山岩的认识，以及从地球化学来源成分的角度来看，这些火山岩对所有阿留申群岛-阿拉斯加火山活动和全球弧火山活动的重要性。

Subduction of one tectonic plate beneath another is a fundamental geologic process, which has many important potential human impacts, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Subduction also plays a key role in shaping Earth's surface, and has been particularly important in the formation of continents. This project will allow a group of U.S. scientists from the University of South Carolina and the University of Wisconsin to participate in two research cruises of the German Research Vessel Sonne. The expedition of the Research Vessel Sonne will collect rock samples from the seafloor in the Alaska-Aleutian subduction system and adjacent Bering Sea region in June-July 2016. This area has many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but little is known about its early geologic history and evolution. Samples collected during these scientific cruises will be used to understand the evolution of the Aleutian Island arc and adjacent Bering Sea region over the past 50 million years. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate on the cruises and gain important sea-going experience. All post-cruise data will be made available to the public.This project focuses on three scientific themes: (1) inception and early development of the Aleutian Island arc, (2) occurrence and composition of active volcanism in the western Aleutian arc, and (3) arc inputs - the age and composition of North Pacific Oceanic lithosphere. Dredging and subsequent geochemical and geochronologic studies will target submarine canyons and other exposed basement structures in the Aleutian forearc. Samples from these features will provide constraints on the timing and kinematics of Aleutian arc formation. Dredging will also target volcanic cones of the western Aleutian seafloor and fracture zones on the down-going north Pacific Plate. Samples from these features will be used to characterize inputs from subducted oceanic crust in the Aleutian arc and their relationship to regional patterns in along-strike geochemistry. These samples will also be used to provide improved understanding of the highly calc-alkaline western Aleutian seafloor volcanic rocks and their significance from the standpoint of geochemical source components for all Aleutian-Alaska volcanism, and for the source of arc volcanism globally.