9521922 Freymueller The PIs will measure the rate of convergence of India towards Asia, and determine the style of elastic and inelastic deformation resulting from this continent-continent collision. They will measure both the partitioning of deformation among the various elements of the plate collision zone, and also the detailed pattern of deformation associated with most of the significant elements. The PIs will reoccupy about 80 GPS sites that were surveyed precisely either 4 years (Nepal and southern Tibet) or 3 years (northern India) ago. They will also install a few new sites. This occupation will permit a measure of the relative velocities of the sites, permitting the first measurement of the tectonic motions across the entire plate boundary. These measurements will improve our understanding of the rate of vertical deformation that sustains the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, and indirectly controls global atmospheric circulation. ****
