Author: GeoPRISMS

Dear GeoPRISMS Friends of Subduction Zone Research:

This email is a community update on exciting new developments in the planning for a future subduction zone research program envisioned to span the U.S. research community: the SZ4D Initiative, or Subduction Zones in Four Dimensions. The outcome of the massive Subduction Zone Observatory Workshop (Boise, October, 2016) was the 2017 report The SZ4D Initiative: Understanding the Processes that Underlie Subduction Zone Hazards in 4D (www.iris.edu/sz/sz4d.pdf), known as the SZ4D Vision Document. It laid out a vision for an ambitious decadal-scale program of research themes and potential infrastructure to advance our predictive understanding of the processes behind subduction-related geohazards, but also acknowledged that the development of a specific and detailed community-driven plan would require time and sustained effort.

NSF responded by funding an SZ4D Steering Committee Research Coordination Network (RCN) for three years to shape a concrete and comprehensive SZ4D implementation plan. NSF also funded two other closely-related SZ4D RCNs: the Modeling Collaboratory for Subduction Zones (MCS) and the Community Network for Volcanic Eruption Response: (CONVERSE). These are truly grass-roots endeavors for the community to build SZ4D. The more than $1 million in funding from NSF for these development and planning activities signals to us their very robust interest in the nascent SZ4D effort. All three of these RCNs had kick-off activities late in 2018.

The SZ4D Steering Committee is beginning active development of Working Groups that will be charged with taking broad community input and turning it into a blueprint for a full SZ4D Program. An open call for members of those Working Groups will be forthcoming soon. The working group themes will be Megathrust Processes, Magmas to Eruptions, and Subduction to Surface Links.

If you would like to be engaged with SZ4D activities, we have two requests of you today:

1. Sign up so we can contact you, and
2. Provide your input to the CORES survey to support subduction zone science.

Sign Up for SZ4D Updates and Info

An SZ4D website is under development. In the meantime, please sign up for the new SZ4D listserv so that you won’t miss future updates and developments! Here is the link to the very simple form: https://goo.gl/forms/6m6TSMEDjVqMW7cK2

Please Provide Input to the NRC CORES Committee on the Future of NSF Earth Sciences

The National Research Council of the National Academies is conducting a “decadal” study Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences (CORES) for NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences. The purpose of the CORES study is to: (1) identify a concise set of high-priority scientific questions for the next decade, (2) assess infrastructure needed to address these questions, and (3) determine opportunities for greater collaboration with other NSF divisions and directorate, federal agencies, and domestic and international partners.

CORES has a Community Input Form (https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4717567/CORES-Community-Input). There you will be asked for you input on a) important scientific topics in your discipline and across all disciplines, b) ideas for needed infrastructure,  c) how best to leverage NSF resources, d)  how to train a workforce for innovation and discovery.

This is an excellent opportunity to voice your support for SZ4D themes and subduction zone science! This CORES study will be absolutely critical in determining the priorities for NSF Earth Science in the years to come. A resounding response from our community is essential. We strongly urge you to answer the brief survey. There is no deadline, but input has been solicited over the past month.

One area of particular interest for SZ4D science is a strong connection between the land and marine approaches to solid earth science, which falls between the EAR and OCE mandates at times. This is a good opportunity to address that that in the context of collaboration across NSF divisions.

The CORES website (http://nas-sites.org/dels/studies/cores/) provides more detailed information on the statement of task for the committee, the membership of the committee, and how to subscribe to receive updates from the committee.

Harold Tobin

(on behalf of the SZ4D RCN Steering Committee)

Call for Participation – PacificArray OBS Recovery Cruise (May-June 2019)

Application Deadline: Feb 11, 2019

Cruise dates: May 6 – June 7, 2019 (flexibility of ±5 days required)

PIs: Jim Gaherty, Zach Eilon, Don Forsyth, Göran Ekström

Science Party: up to 6

We are soliciting apply-to-sail participants for the RV Kilo Moana ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) recovery cruise, part of the international PacificArray initiative to install OBS arrays across the Pacific plate. We will recover 30 broadband OBS deployed in spring 2018 in a region approximately 500 km NE of the Marquesas Islands in the central Pacific, notable for unexplained gravity lineations that hint at small-scale sub-lithospheric convection. More information about this project can be found online: (https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1658491&HistoricalAwards=false).

Science party responsibilities will include rotating 8-hour watches to assist in recovery of the 30 OBS, collect and archive multi-beam bathymetry and side-scan data, as well as crewing on board oceanographic instrumentation. Cruise activities will include reading and discussion of papers pertinent to the science goals of the experiment. The project blog from the deployment cruise provides a perspective on these activities: (https://pacificorca.wordpress.com/)

Selected applicants will contribute to collecting the open-access data that will be provided to the scientific community for use in addressing a wide spectrum of Earth Science research targets, from marine geophysics to global seismology. Applications from students and early-career scientists are particularly encouraged. Applicants do not need to have experience with the type of data collection they will participate in; we hope that wide community participation in these field campaigns will provide opportunities for scientists to gain familiarity with a variety of data-collection techniques. Funds for travel to/from port (Honolulu, HI) will be provided for US-based researchers.

To apply, please assemble an application package (2-page CV and 1-page statement of interest and experience) and submit it electronically to James Gaherty (gaherty@LDEO.columbia.edu) no later than February 11, 2019. Applications from graduate students and post-docs require a letter of support from the graduate advisor or supervisor.

Hello Seismologists!

We intend to build on the success of our previous workshops in providing a friendly environment that fosters in-depth scientific discussion. Topics related to the scope of this workshop include but are not limited to:

• Seismic imaging of tectonic processes
• Tomographic/inverse techniques
• Earthquake source processes
• Rock mechanics
• Seismic anisotropy
• Seismicity and tremor

The format will be a series of 25-minute talks and poster sessions that take place over the course of the two days. Registration will be $50 due by the beginning of the workshop. Thanks to a sponsorship from the Seismological Society of America, this fee will cover three nights of hotel lodging for the nights of Wednesday March 20th, Thursday the 21st, and Friday the 22nd, as well as all meals and refreshments during the workshop. We have limited funds to subsidize transportation to the workshop. Registration preference will be given to those who submit abstracts.

The facebook page for the workshop can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/seismostudentworkshop

If you are interested in attending, please complete and submit the online application form:

https://goo.gl/forms/V8d3Z64AHMyhEqCP2

A title, abstract, and an optional figure must be submitted to be considered for an oral or poster session.

The application deadline is JANUARY 15, 2019. We will inform attendees about their application status by the end of January. Please feel free to forward this to other students you know that might be interested.

We hope to see you in March!

Organizing Committee:

Kira, Genevieve, Rachel, Chris, Theresa, and Michelle

Please direct any enquiries to seismo.workshop@gmail.com

Announcing International Ocean Discovery Program Workshop: Anatomy of a Long-Lived Oceanic Arc: Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc System and Analogs

Location: Izu Peninsula, Japan

Time: October 27 – November 2, 2019

Deadline to Apply: May 1, 2019

Lead Organizers: Cathy Busby (University of California at Davis) and Harue Masuda (Osaka City University)

Workshop Organizers and Moderators: Susan DeBari (Western Washington University), Patricia Fryer (University of Hawai’i), Yasuhiko Ohara (Hydrographic & Oceanographic Department of Japan), Mark Reagan (University of Iowa), John Shervais (Utah State University), and Yoshihiko Tamura (JAMSTEC)

For more information go to: https://usoceandiscovery.org/workshop-ibm-arc-system-analogs/

Questions? Contact Cathy Busby (cjbusby@ucdavis.edu) or Harue Masuda (harue@sci.osaka-cu.ac.jp) with questions about the workshop. Send application materials to Cathy Busby.

When: AGU Fall Meeting 2018 – Monday December 10 at 6:00 PM

Where: Kimpton Hotel Monaco | 700 F St NW, Washington, DC – Paris Ballroom (few minutes walk from convention center)

The event is open to all with interests in the GeoPRISMS Program and GeoPRISMS (or MARGINS) research. Come hear updates about the GeoPRISMS Program, the latest GeoPRISMS research projects & study areas, and ongoing GeoPRISMS research from student presenters.

• A short formal session (starting at 6:30PM) will include a welcome and opening remarks from the GeoPRISMS Chair Demian Saffer and updates from NSF Program Directors Jenn Wade and Debbie Smith.
• Mini-Workshop Conveners Stacia Gordon (University of Nevada-Reno), Alicia Cruz-Uribe (University of Maine) and Laura Wallace (GNS Science, New Zealand, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics) will present reports on both mini-workshops held the Sunday before AGU
• Lindsay Worthington (University of New Mexico) will provide an update on the Amphibious Array Community Seismic Experiment, including announcement of opportunities.

Student entrants for the GeoPRISMS Prize for Outstanding Student Presentations are invited to display their AGU posters (or poster versions of their AGU talks) and discuss their research with event participants. This will be a great opportunity for students to share their results further and to interact with a wide spectrum of GeoPRISMS scientists.

There will be ample time to mingle and refreshments will be available. Among those present will be Demian Saffer (GeoPRISMS Chair), members of the GeoPRISMS Steering and Oversight Committee, and Program Directors for GeoPRISMS from the National Science Foundation.

We hope to see you there!

The GeoPRISMS Office

The Fall 2018 GeoPRISMS newsletter is now available online!

This edition include:

• Welcome | from GeoPRISMS Chair Demian Saffer
• Science Report | Constraining variability in mantle CO2 flux along the East African Rift System
• Science Report | A continent-scale geodetic velocity field for East Africa
• Report from the Field | Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) Summer 2018 campaign

Plus

• Message from NSF
• Funding Opportunities for GeoPRISMS-Related Proposals
• Recent GeoPRISMS Publications
• GeoPRISMS Data Portal Status Report
• GeoPRISMS activities at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting
• Distinguished Lectureship Program 2018-2019

Please note this issue is only available in electronic version. Download your copy here.

/newsletters/

The GeoPRISMS Office

Questions? Email info@geoprisms.nineplanetsllc.com

A solicitation has been posted for a new program from the Division of Earth Sciences “Frontier Research in the Earth Sciences (FRES)”. FRES supersedes the former “Integrated Earth Systems (IES)” program. In addition to substantive changes in the goals of the program and eligible projects, the proposed budget for the new program is larger. The target date for submission of proposals is February 20, 2019.

https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504833

A webinar will be held on Wednesday, December 5 at 2 pm, with a brief overview of the program and the opportunity to ask questions. Please email dgeist@nsf.gov by 5 pm on December 3 to enroll in the webinar.

SYNOPSIS

The FRES program will support research in Earth systems from its core through the critical zone. The project may focus on all or part of the surface, continental lithospheric, and deeper Earth systems over the entire range of temporal and spatial scales. FRES projects will typically have a larger scientific scope and budget than those considered for funding by core programs in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR). FRES projects may be interdisciplinary studies that do not fit well within the core programs or cannot be routinely managed by sharing between core programs. Innovative proposals within a single area with results that will have broad relevance to Earth Science research are also encouraged. Investigations may employ any combination of field, laboratory, and computational studies with observational, theoretical, or experimental approaches. Projects should be focused on topics that meet the guidelines for research funded by the Division of Earth Sciences.

Register now to attend the GeoPRISMS Mini-Workshops at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting

Registration Deadline: November 20, 2018

All mini-workshops are free of charge and open to all. However, attendance and food may be limited so register early for fullest consideration. For more information and registration visit the GeoPRISMS website at: /agu2018-registration/

Questions? Contact the GeoPRISMS Office at info@geoprisms.nineplanetsllc.com

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* ExTerra: Evolution of arc crust

Sunday December 9, 2018 | 8:00am – 12:15pm | Kimpton Hotel Monaco, Athens Room

Conveners: Stacia Gordon (University of Nevada-Reno) and Alicia Cruz-Uribe (University of Maine)

Inspired by the success of convergent margin research funded through GeoPRISMS and discussions generated at ExTerra meetings, this workshop will gather together researchers with expertise in all aspects of the arc system on the Sunday preceding the AGU Fall Meeting in Washington, DC. The goal is to gather a broad group of geoscientists that use a variety of different approaches (field, experimental, petrological, geochemical, geochronological, seismic, numerical modeling) applied to different parts of the arc (the subducting plate, mantle, magma plumbing system, supracrustal rocks). The group will discuss what the major questions are that still surround the evolution of arc crust and what tools and methods will best answer these questions. The meeting will also serve to provide a space where early career researchers can network with more senior personnel, and where scientists from a variety of subdisciplines who work on different arc sections around the world can compare and contrast observations. In addition, this gathering of the  arc crust community will make a plan for future convergent margin research, specifically on arc crust. It is important to establish new goals and questions concerning arc crust before GeoPRISMS has fully ended to keep the momentum that this program established.

The format of the workshop will include a keynote lecture given by Oliver Jagoutz (MIT), followed by breakout groups on different areas of scientific interest within the broader arc system: 1) subduction/mantle influences, 2) plutonic plumbing system/magma storage, 3) volcanic components, and 4) supracrustal (metamorphic) components. One proposed outcome of the workshop will be for multiple groups to develop collaborative proposals to NSF EAR programs for research and field forums/institutes, which could then be leveraged for the submission of a larger proposal.

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* Investigating subduction processes at the Hikurangi margin, New Zealand 

Sunday December 9, 2018 | 1:15pm – 5:30pm | Kimpton Hotel Monaco, Athens Room

Conveners: Laura Wallace (GNS Science, New Zealand, Univ. Texas Institute for Geophysics), Dan Bassett (GNS Science, New Zealand), Heather Savage (Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University), Samer Naif (Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University), Shuo Shuo Han (Univ. Texas Institute for Geophysics), and Patrick Fulton (Texas A&M University)

The Hikurangi margin offers an outstanding opportunity to address many of the key topics of GeoPRISMS Subduction Cycles and Deformation. Major international experiments to investigate subduction processes at the Hikurangi margin have taken place in the last year including two IODP drilling expeditions to investigate shallow slow slip events, and two seismic experiments with the R/V Langseth and R/V Tangaroa to investigate controls on plate coupling and slow slip. The objectives of a Hikurangi margin mini-workshop are to discuss new observations from the New Zealand focus site and their implications for an integrated understanding of subduction processes, as well as planning for upcoming experiments.

The first half of the miniworkshop will introduce the latest results from the recent GeoPRISMS-related research efforts at the Hikurangi margin (including IODP drilling and seismic experiments), and a discussion of the implications of these for GeoPRISMS SCD questions. The second half of the miniworkshop will consist of presentations on upcoming plans for field experiments and research at the Hikurangi focus site, and discussion on coordination of these efforts. We will also discuss any research gaps that might exist. In addition to a small number of overview talks on recent and future experiments, we will offer the opportunity for a limited number of short (~2 minutes) pop-up talks on synergistic activities at the Hikurangi subduction zone.

In addition to researchers focused on the Hikurangi margin, we welcome attendees interested in subduction deformation and megathrust processes in Cascadia and Alaska, to cross-fertilize ideas and research outcomes among all three of the GeoPRISMS primary sites. Student and early-career scientist participation is also encouraged.