9402968 Booker This U.S.-Argentina Program award will support a visit by Dr. John R. Booker, of the University of Washington, to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina to work with Dr. Maria C. Pomposiello, of CIRGEO-CONICET, to finalize a project on Andean tectonics and to assess feasibility of magnetotellurics (MT) surveys in field areas. Recently there have been major advances using MT to image conductivity structure, making it an important tool for solving geological problems where interconnection of water, other fluids, or conductive grain boundary phases such as graphite or metallic sulfides are important. Experiments considered for collaborative research are: detailed imaging of an important geothermal resource in the context of an experiment to investigate the thermal state of the deep crust of the Altiplano, investigating deformation mechanisms associated with the high seismicity and extremely rapid vertical uplift in the region around the city of Mendoza, or the potential for oil and gas reservoirs associated with large scale overthrusting in the pre-Cordillera. These experiments, while of global significance, will also meet clear Argentine priorities. The Andes mountain range has many parallels to the geologic history of the U.S. Using them as a field site allows the time required to study tectonic processes to be accelerated from decades to years or less, because of their extremely high deformation rate. In addition to the merit of this site, a member of the research team has been able to modify the use of MT that will allow its use during field campaigns in remote areas, permitting interpretation of data collected in early stages to guide deployment at additional sites. This new technique is expected to be learned quickly by members of the Argentine group, allowing them to become equal partners with U.S. colleagues in the near future. ***
