The Juan Fernandez microplate was surveyed in 1991, obtaining GLORIA sidescan, Hydrosweep bathymetric, magnetic, gravity, and 3.5 kHz data. The principal investigator will conduct an extended analysis of these data and will map in detail the structures of the Juan Fernandez microplate, determining the best-fitting model or models for its tectonic evolution, and will study the forces that derive microplate evolution. Questions to be addressed include: (1) What is the present-day detailed structural and tectonic nature of the Juan Fernandez microplate and its boundaries? (2) What is the origin and detailed evolution of this microplate? (3) How is the lithosphere deformed along the Juan Fernandez-Antarctic plate boundary? (4) How does the Juan Fernandez microplate compare to other microplates and what general model best applies to their origin and tectonic evolution.
