9614166 Weldon This project involves a multidisciplinary investigation of the deep structure and kinematics of deformation of the Tien Shan, the largest and most active intracontinental mountain range in the world. The objective is to understand the dynamic processes responsible for intracontinental mountain building, using the Tien Shan as a laboratory to ask: why and how such deformation occurs where it does within continental regions, how such deformation evolves with time, what bounds does the deep structure place on flow in the mantle, and how do such possible flow and pre-existing geological heterogeneity relate to the observed deformation of the upper crust? The project involves 6 separate disciplines of earth sciences, 8 institutions in the USA and involvement of scientists from 6 nations (China, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and the USA). ***
