GS3600: Plate Tectonics

GS4650/7650: Plate Tectonics

Instruction for GS4650-Term paper

You should choose a topic that is actively researched (e.g. there exists some scientific controversy or unresolved issues). The topics can be any problem related to Plate Tectonics. Once you have identified the topic, you need to do some literature research – to search and read research papers. I expect that you read at least three papers related to your topic, more is better. From reading you will gather major arguments and evidence of the problem for your term paper, which will be a critical review of the chosen topic. Organization of the term paper should include the following components in the general order:

1. Title: Be short and informative.

2. Abstract: State your topic and why it is important yet controversial. Provide an overview of current understanding of the problem and major unresolved issues. Limit to 250 words.

3. Content of the term paper: Start with a section of introduction to tell readers about your topic, why it is important and interesting, and what you are going to present. For the main narrative you will try to tell a story of this topic: how did scientists approach the problem, what are their critical evidence and main conclusions, and what are the unsolved issues. End the term paper with a section of discussion and conclusions where you summarize the main arguments and perhaps suggest new approaches to resolve the remaining issues. Limit this part to 10 pages including figures (imbed figures and captions in the text), using reader-friendly fonts and size (>10 pt).

4. References: Provide complete information of the references cited. Follow the bibliography style of AGU (http://www.agu.org/pubs/AuthorRefSheet.pdf).

Note: Although you will be describing mainly other people’s work, you should digest their work and tell the story using your own words. Always cite proper references, and indicate the sources of any figures you use in the paper.

Submit your draft to Drs. Cormier or Liu by 11/16.

Submit your final version to Dr. Cormier by 12/10.

All submission should be electronic in a WORD file attached to email.

GS4650/7650: Plate Tectonics

Instruction for GS7650 – A NSF-Style Research Proposal

You should choose a topic that is actively researched (e.g. there exists some scientific controversy or unresolved issues). The topics can be any problem related to Plate Tectonics, but it has to be exiting – to you at least. Once you have identified the topic, you need to do literature research. I expect that you read at least five papers related to your topic, more is better. From reading you will gather major arguments and evidence of the problem, and identify the main question you propose to address. Organization of the research proposal should include the following components in the general order:

1. Title: Be short and informative.

2. Project Summary: The summary should not be an abstract of the proposal, but rather a self-contained description of the activity that would result if the proposal were funded. The summary should include a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.

3. Project Description: The Project Description should include objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance, and relation to the present state of knowledge in the field. Differing from a real NSF grant proposal, you will stress more on “why I want to do it and why should NSF fund it” than “how I will do it”. Limit this part to 10 pages including figures (imbed figures and captions in the text), using reader-friendly fonts and size (>10 pt).

4. References: Provide complete information of the references cited. Follow the bibliography style of AGU (http://www.agu.org/pubs/AuthorRefSheet.pdf).

Submit your draft to Drs. Cormier or Liu by 11/16.

Submit your final version to Dr. Cormier by 12/10.

All submission should be electronic in a WORD file attached to email.

What causes the formation of the Eastern California Shear Zone: The San Andreas Fault (SAF) is the plate boundary between the North American and the Pacific plates, yet up to 25% of relative plate motion is now accommodated by the ECSZ. Will the ECSZ eventually replace the SAF as the main plate boundary? What causes the development of the ECSZ?

How did the Andes form? During the past 25 Myr the Nasca-South American plate convergence slowed, yet mountain building in the Andes accelerated. Whereas plate coupling and short-term deformation are strong near the trench, long-term mountain building has been concentrated in the subandeans. What have controlled the temporal-spatial evolution of the Andes?

Earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone: Paleoseismic data indicate large earthquakes similar to those in 1811-1812 probably occurred at least a few times in the past two thousand years with a ~500 year recurrence interval, but GPS measurements near-zero strain rates. What is the seismic hazard in this region? What causes earthquakes in these “intraplate”regions?

Origin of deep earthquakes: Most thermal models predict that subducted slabs, when a couple of hundred kilometers into the mantle, will be sufficiently warmed such that earthquakes won’t happen, yet earthquakes as deep as ~700 km beneath Earth’s surface have been recorded. What causes these deep earthquakes?

The mode of mantle Convection: Some evidence seems to indicate that plate-related mantle circulation is limited to the upper mantle, whereas other evidence show penetration of subducting slabs into the lower mantle. So what is the present mode of mantle convection? Did the style of mantle convection change through geological history?

What controls active tectonics in western US? Gravitational spreading has been the main cause of the Basin and Range extension, whereas shear coupling between the Pacific-North American plates has been used to explain crustal motion near the San Andreas Fault plate boundary zone. Others have suggested basal shear due to mantle flow under North American continent as a major cause of crustal deformation. What are the relative roles of these driving forces for active tectonics in western US? How did these roles evolve during the Cenozoic?

The great Sumatra earthquake/tsunami: The 2004 Sumatra tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people and caused huge property damage. What is the cause of the Sumatra earthquake that triggered the tsunami? How was the rupture related to the later rupture in early 2005?

What caused the uplift of the Colorado Plateau? Today’s Colorado Plateau was near the sea level at the early Eocene. The cause of its raise has been uncertain. Numerous models have been proposed, what do you think?

Origin of plumes/hotspots: Mantle plumes are believed to be the cause of hotspots. The origin of mantle plumes and their apparent fixity with respect to each other are issues of continued debate. Do all plumes come from the core-mantle boundary? Could some of them originate from the upper/lower mantle boundary? Are they really fixed relative to each other? Can we “see” them?

Hints: You should be very specific in your choice to a research topic. Do not choose a very broad and loose subject that cannot be easily described in a paragraph or two. Choose a subject which interests you!

Grading

Presentations (for graduate credits) and papers will be graded on how well the problem is defined, the accuracy and clarity of the presenting the ideas, the logic and evidence used to convince the audience/reader, and the style and efficiency of in your writing and presentation.