The PI proposes two main areas of research and study under the FAW award. The first is the study of what drives plates in plate tectonics. Models of the forces that drive plates can be tested against actual stress measurements and provide the necessary discrimination for model verification. The second area of study is the origin, nature and utility of hotspots and their relation to mantle convection. The work will involve an integrated geophysical/geochemical investigation of phase models and resultant conditions required by mantle processes.
