Hydrologic Controls on the Initial State of the Incoming Plate: Costa Rica

University Of California-San Diego Scripps Inst Of Oceanography, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT: BROWN/0203830 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA/SCRIPPS Award is for a project to conduct a series of flux meter measurements along transects across hydrological boundaries in the down going plate off Costa Rica. This region is characterized by anomalously low heat flow, except over regions of topographic highs that exhibit anomalously high heat flow values. The flux meter measurements will test the hypothesis that the regions of low heat flow are characterized by downward fluid flow, while the high-heat-flow areas are characterized by upward fluid flow. A second portion of the project will be to return the areas on the accretionary prism where 35 flux meters were deployed as part of a previous study, to collect piston cores and heat flow measurements. Analyses of these cores will result in co-located temperature, chemical gradient, and direct fluid flux data sets that will provide a more complete hydrological picture of the incoming plate and the Costa Rica forearc.