The project will address the processes of rupturing of continental lithosphere through seismic reflection and refraction survey of the Salton Trough. This is an ideal location to study the effect of magmatism and sedimentation on continental extension and the portioning of the strain vertically in the lithosphere. The objectives of the study are to investigate the nature of the transitional crust at rifted continental margins; the role of magmatism in final stages of breakup; the effect of synrift sedimentation on magmatism and extension mechanism; the portioning and displacement in highly oblique continental rifting; and 3D structure for earthquake hazard evaluation. The broader impacts include addressing important goals of the MARGINS RCL initiative and contribute towards the goals of Earthscope as well as GeoSwath initatives. It uses Earthscope instrumention. It will foster strong collaboration between MARGINS, Earthscope and USGS, and involve undergraduate and graduate students in the field experiment. It will also incorporate the experiment into a graduate level course, and involve students in the interpretation of the data once it is collected.
