Sunday December 14, 2014, 1:30 – 5pm
Thank you for your participation in the Mini-Workshop for the South Island, New Zealand Primary Site coordination at the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting! Pictures of all GeoPRISMS activities at AGU are available here.
Download the participant list
Conveners: Mike Gurnis, Sean Gulick, Ellen Syracuse, Tim Stern, Phaedra Upton
The South Island of New Zealand offers a wealth of prospects for subduction zone research. The Puysegur Trench region — a juvenile subduction zone “caught in the act” of initiation — provides unique opportunities to investigate the geodynamics of the process. In Fiordland tectonic motions have led to deep exhumation of the only pristine Cretaceous arc section in the circum-Pacific and offers a prime locale to investigate the root zones of an ancient arc at outcrop scale. Excellent opportunities exist in both regions to address fault slip and its spatial variability. Addressing questions on subduction initiation, exhumed terranes, and subduction thrust slip behavior in one region is an exciting opportunity, and will require large geophysical field deployments, targeted geological fieldwork, sampling, geochemical analysis, multi- scale geodynamic models, and integration of diverse data types. Solving the questions may require ocean drilling and sampling through IODP. The South Island mini-workshop will focus on: 1. Brief reviews and discussion of latest work on GeoPRISMS science questions within Puysegur and Fiordland; 2. Presentation of specific plans on a wide range of studies (including geological sampling, passive and active geophysical experiments, and IODP drilling); 3. Review and discuss the capabilities of facilities from the US, NZ and other countries and how they could be used to address plans; and 4. Make plans for science collaboration. Researchers in any geoscience field are invited to participate in the workshop, including those who have not worked in the region previously.
Introduction
1:50 Recap of science priorities defined for Puysegur and Fiordland in the GeoPRISMS implementation plan | Sean Gulick
2:10-3:00 Ongoing and already proposed projects | Chair: Tim Stern
9. Investigating Exhumed Lower Arc Crust in Fiordland | Joshua Schwartz (GNS Science)
3:00-3:15 Short break
3:15-4:15 Discussion and breakout
Discussion will focus on studies that are needed to fill existing science/dataset gaps in the implementation plan. Discussion will also include leveraging existing datasets, and on linking in with other planned/proposed studies. Coordinating logistics, such as taking advantage of ships that will be in the area, should also be discussed. Participants are welcome to come with a few slides if appropriate—please let us know in advance if you plan to bring slides, so we can be sure to fit this in.
4:15-5:00 Develop a short listing that prioritizes the science gaps that need to be filled.
The mini-workshop will be held in the Union Square Room, located on the 36th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel
South Island, New Zealand primary site coordination mini-workshop (1:30pm-5 pm, December 14, 2014)
On Sunday December 14, 2014, from 1:30 to 5 pm, a diverse group of researchers met in the Grand Hyatt San Francisco before the AGU Fall Meeting to discuss coordination of work within the South Island, New Zealand GeoPRISMS primary site. The South Island of New Zealand offers extraordinary opportunities to address subduction cycles and dynamics science questions. Members of the community are gearing up for work in New Zealand and so the time was ripe to foster collaboration between US scientists and others internationally.
