This project provides support for Dr. Ling to travel to Pakistan and to conduct preliminary investigation with scientists from the Geological Survey of Pakistan in Karachi and Quetta. The field work seeks to recover siliceous microfossils, which would be the first such recovery from that region. The ophiolites in Pakistan represent a part of the major geosuture, and the results would provide a basis for direct comparison with those from India and Indonesia where similar analyses are currently underway with collaboration of international scientists. These combined data will contribute toward temporal and spatial interpretation of tectonic history of the entire Southern and Southwest Asia. Scope: The collaboration between the U.S. scientist and the Pakistani geologists provides for a more effective research and a better use of resources. Dr. Ling's participation will help the Pakistani scientists improve their own investigations. This project meets the objectives of the Science in Developing Countries Program.
