This project is developing a realistic digital animation of the subduction process in plate tectonics that will be broadly used by education, research, and science communities. Subduction processes involve the sinking of 50-100 mile thick slabs of oceanic lithosphere at oceanic trenches and the return of this material to the deep mantle. Subduction is the single most important of all of the processes going on beneath the surface of the solid Earth. Subduction zones affect thousands of miles of coastline and extend hundreds of miles deep into the Earth. Subduction makes the tectonic plates move at the same time that it impacts society. Benefits of subduction zones include formation of economic deposits of oil, gas, and minerals. Dangers of subduction include earthquakes, tsunamis, and explosive volcanic eruptions. In spite of the importance of subduction, existing animations of subduction zone processes fail to capture the advances in our understanding resulting from recent NSF-supported geoscience research. It is in the national interest that these advances be clearly and simply explained to students, the public, and other scientists. Because subduction is a dynamic system, it requires animation to show how the various components and processes interact. Existing animations of subduction zone processes are dated and do not reflect our current understanding of this important process. They are quite simply inaccurate. The lack of realistic animations of how subduction and associated processes operate creates a huge gap between NSF-funded science, science education, and public understanding of this fundamental Earth process.
This project involves a leading scholar of subduction zone processes, a Geosciences graduate student, and two undergraduates enrolled in the UT Dallas School of Arts and Humanities Arts and Technology program (UTD-ATEC) to create a realistic animation of subduction that reflects our current understanding of this complex process resulting from geoscience research sponsored by NSF-EAR and by targeted geoscience initiatives MARGINS and GeoPRISMS . UTD-ATEC is the only comprehensive degree-granting program in the State of Texas designed to explore and foster the convergence of computer science and engineering with the creative arts and the humanities. The subduction zone animation effort is pairing students trained in modern digital technologies with scholars who know the science in creating a realistic animation of very large and important process. The undergraduate students are employed to work 10 hours per week with the PI and a graduate student to produce the animation. Feedback from geoscience researchers and educators is being sought at national meetings. When completed, the animation will be posted on YouTube and will also be distributed by at least one textbook publisher as part of their supplementary on-line offerings for a wide range of undergraduate textbooks (e.g., Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Oceanography, Natural Hazards, Physical Geography, etc.)
