Using volcanic rocks to be dredged during an already-funded NSF-ODP program to survey the Louisville Seamount Chain (LSC), the researcher will conduct Nd, Pb, and Sr analyses of 25 samples. By combining the results with major element data being obtained by the already-funded program, this study will constrain the mantle source for the rocks, assess hypotheses that link the evolution of the LSC to the Ontong Java Plateau, and contribute to the pending IODP drilling proposal for this area. Broader impacts of the study include enhancing international collaboration, training of a graduate student, and serving solid Earth objectives of the IODP science plan.
