Workshop on Field Logistics for GeoPRISMS Research in the Aleutian Arc

12:40 1:00 | GeoPRISMS Science Plan: focus on the Aleutians – Julia Morgan
1:00 – 1:10 |   Sites for seismometer deployment: passive source – Geoff Abers
1:10 – 1:20 |  Sites for sampling lavas for geochemistry – Gene Yogodzinski
1:20 – 1:30 | Sites for sampling magmatic volatiles – Terry Plank
1:30 – 1:40 | Sites for sampling plutons for geochemistry – Peter Kelemen
1:40 – 1:50 | Sites for seismometer deployment: active source – Steve Holbrook
1:50 – 2:00 | Sites for measuring ongoing deformation – Jeff Freymueller

2-2:10 BREAK

2:10-2:20 | Sites for sampling for geochronology – Brian Jicha
2:20-2:30 | Sites for investigating tectonic history – Dave Scholl
2:30-2:40 | German-Russian-American collaborative cruises – Kaj Hoernle
2:40-2:50 | Alaska Volcano Observatory, operations & synergy – John Power
2:50-2:00 | EarthScope/Plate Boundary Observatory logistics – Max Enders
3:00- 3:10 | Experience with Aleutian logistics & options for the future – Jeff Freymueller

3:10-3:30 BREAK

3:30-4:30 | Community input & discussion: Where do you want to go?

4:30-4:50 BREAK

4:50-5:10 | Updated, straw person plan for shared logistics – John Power

5:10-5:50 | Discussion

5:50-6 | Wrap up, plans for continuing input – Julia Morgan

Workshop participants will address coordination of resources for fieldwork in the Aleutian arc. We will assess available resources and community interest in proposed, shared field support for NSF GeoPRISMS supported research in the Aleutian arc.

As one important part of the mix, NSF is considering chartering a ship and an associated helicopter, which would leave Anchorage for the western Aleutians, in a 40 to 60 day round trip, in the summers of 2015 and/or 2016.

Investigators would board and disembark as needed, in ports such as Sand Point, Cold Bay, Dutch Harbor, Adak Island, and perhaps other ports, and would use the ship and helicopter to access field sites along the Aleutians.

We will also consider the role of the NSF Amphibious Array of ocean bottom seismometers, the IRIS deployment of seismometers in the Transportable Array in Alaska, the Alaska Volcano Observatory in their ongoing volcano monitoring efforts, NOAA Ocean Exploration, and other interested organizations whose resources and goals offer potential synergy with GeoPRISMS research in the Aleutian arc.

The motivation for this workshop is to reduce the logistical cost per project in the Aleutians while maximizing the number of field projects that can be supported. In particular, we hope that sharing resources will provide access to investigators who otherwise might not participate in Aleutian research, in order to ensure the maximum scientific return on this unprecedented opportunity to study a uniquely important part of the global subduction system.

1. Assessing community interest in one or more shared logistical platforms
2. Assessing logistical requirements
3. Exploring partnerships with other organizations and groups
4. Discussing funding options with NSF personnel

The choice of venue was made to reduce travel costs for participants already planning to attend the Fall AGU Meeting 2013. There will be no registration fee. GeoPRISMS will cover the cost of meeting facilities and refreshments for the workshop, but not travel. There will be a limited number of participants. Ideally, the maximum number will be attained, but not exceeded.

Workshop on Field Logistics for GeoPRISMS in the Aleutian Arc

AGU Fall Meeting 2013, San Francisco, USA

Conveners: Peter Kelemen¹, Geoff Abers¹, Jeff Freymueller², Paul Haeussler³, Steve Holbrook⁴, Brian Jicha⁵, John Power³, Gene Yogodzinski⁶

¹LDEO; ²University of Alaska, Fairbanks; ³USGS; ⁴University of Wyoming; ⁵University of Wisconsin; ⁶University of South Carolina

A Mini-Workshop, with support from GeoPRISMS, was organized to explore options for shared logistical support for NSF funded research in the Aleutian volcanic arc, which is part of the GeoPRISMS Alaska Focus Area. The goal is to reduce the logistical costs per project in order to enable a larger group of investigators to benefit from the opportunity that the GeoPRISMS focus is intended to foster. The workshop was held in the Fillmore ABC meeting rooms, in the Grand Hyatt San Francisco Hotel on Sunday, December 8, 2013 from 12:40 to 6:00 PM.

Despite inclement weather across North America, which prevented some registrants from attending, there were more than 90 participants from more than 60 universities and research organizations, mostly in the US.

 icon-chevron-right Sharing Resources for Aleutian Arc Research | Eos, Vol. 95, No.11, 18 March 2014