One of the most profound questions in continental geodynamics is how to relate deformation of the earth at time scales of 10-6 years during a coseismic slip event to mountain building processes at the scale of millions to tens of millions of years. How does the instantaneous deformation integrate over 6 orders of magnitude (or more) of temporal sampling windows to produce the orogens we see today? As many geoscientists these days routinely extrapolate GPS measured rates to mountain building time scales, it is becoming increasingly important to understand well the pitfalls of such practices.
Great mountain belts are made by thrust systems which, to date, have not been studied as intensively as strike-slip dominated systems or extensional regimes such as the Basin and Range. Thanks to extensive previous work as well as a relatively simple plate setting, the Precordillera of western Argentina is one of the best places in the world to study true mountain building processes at a range of temporal scales from decades to millions of years. This award provides funds for a workshop to bring together experts on this region as well as experts in techniques necessary to complete our understanding of deformation partitioning at different temporal sampling windows. The objective of the workshop is to identify clearly the types of studies in this region that will further the understanding of the links between deformations at different time scales. The attendees will include experts on InSar and GPS geodesy, earthquake seismology, paleoseismology and tectonic geomorphology, and structural geology and stratigraphy.
