Building mountain belts - the Appalachian model

地球上的每一个山脉都是独一无二的，但所有山脉的形成过程都可能发生类似的过程。这些过程之一是外来碎片或碎片的吸积。我的研究项目主要集中在阿巴拉契亚山脉带北方的这些碎片，解释它们在地球上的来源，并了解它们是如何，何时以及为什么附着在祖先北美。我的工作模型识别出阿巴拉契亚造山带北方的碎片和欧洲的相关带，它们来自三个独立的微大陆，名为Meguma，Avalonia和Ganderia。我们在理解这些碎片方面取得了很大进展，但问题仍然存在。该提案侧重于两个具体问题地区：（1）布雷东角岛中部的甘德里亚部分和（2）新斯科舍省大陆北方的阿瓦隆尼亚部分。我将使用实地测绘作为基础，以更好地定义岩石单元，其次是矿物，纹理和化学研究，测年，并仔细收集代表性样品的同位素分析，以破译这些地区岩石的年龄和起源。

Each mountain belt on Earth is unique, but similar processes likely took place in the formation of all. One of those processes is the accretion of exotic fragments or terranes. My research program focuses on identifying such fragments in the northern part of the Appalachian mountain belt, interpreting from where on the Earth they were derived, and understanding how, when, and why they were attached to ancestral North America. My working model recognizes fragments in the northern Appalachian orogen and correlative belts in Europe derived from three separate microcontinents named Meguma, Avalonia, and Ganderia. We have made much progress toward understanding these fragments, but problems remain. This proposal focuses on two specific problem areas: (1) the part of Ganderia in central Cape Breton Island and (2) the part of Avalonia in northern mainland Nova Scotia. I will use field mapping as a basis to better define rock units, followed by mineral, textural, and chemical studies, dating, and isotopic analyses of carefully collected representative samples to decipher the ages and origins of the rocks in these areas.