Passive Imaging of the Lithosphere Asthensphere Boundary (PiLAB)

GSTDTAP

项目编号	NE/M003507/1
	Passive Imaging of the Lithosphere Asthensphere Boundary (PiLAB)
	[unavailable]
主持机构	University of Southampton
项目开始年	2016
	2016-02-01
项目结束日期	2019-01-31
资助机构	UK-NERC
项目类别	Research Grant
国家	英国
语种	英语
英文摘要	Plate tectonics has been a fundamental tenet of Earth Science for nearly 50 years, but fundamental questions remain, such as where is the base of the plate and what makes a plate, "plate-like?" A better understanding of the transition from the rigid lithospheric plate to the weaker mantle beneath has important implications for the driving forces of plate tectonics, natural hazards, and climate change. There are many proxies used to estimate the depth and nature of the base of tectonic plates, but to date no consensus has been reached. For example, temperature is known to have a strong effect on the mechanical behaviour of rocks, and if this were the sole process governing the definition of the plate, then we would expect to see a thin plate near a mid ocean ridge and a very thick plate beneath old seafloor. However numerous geophysical studies observe what are interpreted as nearly constant thickness plate at all seafloor ages. This has led scientists to propose other mechanisms, such as dehydration of the mantle to strengthen the mantle to form a rigid plate. Similarly, observations of very strong anomalies have led others to suggest that melt might exist to weaken the mantle beneath the plates. However many of these observations come from only one ocean, the Pacific, from indirect, remote observations, at different areas and scales, and with different sensitivities to earth properties. Although results have been promising, comparisons among studies are challenging, hindering a complete understanding of the tectonic plate. We will systematically image the entire length of an oceanic plate, from its birth at the Mid Atlantic Ridge to its oldest formation on the African margin. This is a large-scale focused effort with multiple scales of resolution and sensitivity, from a metre to kilometre scale using seismic and electromagnetic methods. This scale, focus, and interdisciplinary approach will finally determine the processes and properties that make a plate strong and define it. The project will be accomplished through a large, focused international collaboration that involves EU partners (3.5 M euro) and industry (6.4M euro), both already funded.
来源学科分类	Natural Environment Research
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/86043
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	[unavailable].Passive Imaging of the Lithosphere Asthensphere Boundary (PiLAB).2016.