Award Abstract # 1238402
Workshop Proposal: Travel Support for US participants to the International Geophysics of Slab Dynamics Conference, Jeju Island, South Korea, August 19-22, 2012

NSF Org: EAR
Division Of Earth Sciences
Recipient: VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: September 19, 2012
Latest Amendment Date: September 19, 2012
Award Number: 1238402
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Luciana Astiz
lastiz@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4705
EAR
 Division Of Earth Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: August 15, 2012
End Date: July 31, 2013 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $15,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $15,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2012 = $15,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Scott King (Principal Investigator)
    sdk@vt.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
300 TURNER ST NW
BLACKSBURG
VA  US  24060-3359
(540)231-5281
Sponsor Congressional District: 09
Primary Place of Performance: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg
VA  US  24061-0001
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
09
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): QDE5UHE5XD16
Parent UEI: X6KEFGLHSJX7
NSF Program(s): Geophysics
Primary Program Source: 01001213DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s): 157400
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

This proposal will provide partial travel support for graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty members from the US to attend the Conference on the Geophysics of Slab Dynamics to be held in the Jeju Island, South Korea, from August 19 to August 22nd, 2012. All participants receiving support are required to present a talk or a poster.

Conference is aimed to provide a holistic examination of subduction processes by discussing megathrust earthquakes and tsunami modeling, subduction dynamics and mantle convection, fluids in subduction systems, rheology and slab dynamics, seismic imaging of subducting slabs and induced mantle flow, and subduction and tectonics. The program includes a field trip aimed to provide a brief introduction of the Jeju Island geology. The Jeju island is a volcanic island recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its spectacular lava tubes.

This proposal will contribute to the development of the emerging scientists of the field by providing them with the opportunity to meet and interact with leading national and international researchers, gaining deeper understanding and broader perspective of the field, and forming the basis for future collaborations.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Morra, G., D. A. Yuen, and S.-M. Lee "Subduction: From mantle flow to great earthquakes, Eos Trans. AGU," EOS Trans. AGU , v.93 , 2012 , p.457 2012EO450007
Morra et al. "Growing Understanding of Subduction Dynamics Indicates Need to Rethink Seismic Hazards" EOS Tran. AGU , v.94 , 2013 , p.125 2013EO130008

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

This proposal funded the travel for five early career researchers to attend the Conference on the Geophysics of Slab Dynamics, Jeju Island, South Korea, August 19-22, 2012.  A group of 30-40 scientists from the US, Japan, Korea and Europe converged to spend three days discussing the latest results from the study of subduting plates ranging from tsunami generation to the ultimate fate of subducted material.  Below is a brief summary of the results.

Scientists who study the subduction of Earth's tectonic plate on the scale of hundreds to thousands of kilometers do not normally interact with the scientists who study deformation near the surface of a subduction zone (e.g., earthquakes, movement on faults, generation of tsunamis).  The main goal of the Conference on the Geophysics of Slab Dynamics was to begin to bridge that gap.  Participants at Jeju reached a consensus on moving toward integrating near?surface processes into subduction zone numerical models, based on the substantial progress in our ability to integrate crustal evolution into computational models of subduction. With advances in computational power and numerical algorithms, heterogeneities below the 1 kilometer scale, which were only a decade ago completely unthinkable, are now possible. 

While statistical analyses are important for testing hypotheses regarding the earthquake events, the limited number of the largest earthquakes makes the statistical approach inapplicable.  What is needed are more detailed, site?specific analysis of the deformation at subduction zones with tsunami observations and numerical modeling providing additional strong constraints on tsunami generation.  Over the past decade, progress in geodynamic numerical modeling has moved us closer to simulating short? and long?term processes, with a resolution of tens of meters near thrust faults. However, it is an open question whether this will help us understand how large earthquakes result from plate convergence.

In order to make progress on these issues there needs to be an ongoing dialogue between researchers in these areas.  A followup meeting is currently in the development stages and  all of the talks are on youtube and can be found by googling "youtube geophysics of slab dynamics".   A special American Geophysical Union monograph soliciting papers related to the conference topic. 

 

 


Last Modified: 09/23/2013
Modified by: Scott D King