The award will enable the U.S. scientists to join a large, multi-institution, multi-disciplinary European project to collect geophysical data in the mid-Atlantic Ocean to study the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) in the deep Earth. European scientists will deploy instruments to collect earthquake and related data. With funds from this proposal, the US scientists will deploy electro-magnetic instruments, and all of the types of data to be gathered will allow imaging the LAB at different length scales. The impact of this research will be far reaching, both in the scientific as well as in the technical domain. The results would help in resolving an important scientific controversy about the lithosphere and shed light on the thermal structure of oceanic mantle. Outreach is planned at Scripps? Birch Aquarium and student support is also included.
Part 2
This project is to allow the U.S. PIs to join a large, multi-institution, multi-disciplinary European initiative to collect geophysical data in the mid-Atlantic to characterize the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) as a function of age. European collaborators will deploy 30 OBS for a year to collect teleseismic, surface wave, and receiver function data. In addition, deep seismic reflection data will be acquired by Schlumberger using state-of-the-art industry equipment on a continuous profile along a stream-line from the mid-Atlantic to 100 My crust. Under funding from this proposal, the PIs plan to deploy 40 Scripps broadband MT instruments at OBS sites. Satish Singh of IPGP has already secured funding for the seismic reflection study, as well as a commitment from Schlumberger. Catherine Rychert and Nicholas Harmon of University of Southampton have secured funding for the passive seismic deployments, as well as ship time. The MT deployments and recoveries will piggy-back the Southampton experiment, but data will be integrated across the three studies. The results would help in resolving an important scientific controversy about the lithosphere and shed light on the thermal structure of oceanic mantle. Outreach is planned at Scripps' Birch Aquarium and student support is also included.
