Collaborative Research: EarthScope Facility Operation and Maintenance (FY2008-FY2013) (PBO/SAFOD)

Unavco, Inc., Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

The integrated observing systems that comprise the EarthScope Facility can be used to address fundamental questions at all scales?from the active nucleation zone of earthquakes, to individual faults and volcanoes, to the deformation along the plate boundary, to the structure of the continent and planet. EarthScope data will be openly available to maximize participation from the national and international scientific community and to provide ongoing educational outreach to students and the public. The intellectual merit of the EarthScope Facility is derived from its link to the support of fundamental research throughout the earth sciences. Through an ambitious data collection scheme and broad geographic coverage, the EarthScope Facility will provide the observational resources to encourage cross-disciplinary investigations and stimulate the next generation of research scientists. The design and implementation plan for EarthScope was developed through extensive, decade-long engagement with the scientific and educational communities. Through numerous workshops and working groups, the research community, along with federal and state partners, defined the data and tools required for geoscience to take the next step in exploring the fundamental processes that shape the structure and evolution of our continents. As the MREFC- supported construction stage for the EarthScope Facility nears completion, exciting results are already emerging from the analysis of new EarthScope data, confirming the enhanced resolution provided by this powerful new suite of observational tools. The broader impacts of EarthScope will be achieved through an integrated education and outreach program and applications in hazard assessment, land use, and resource management. While EarthScope is a national program, it is being operated and maintained at local levels through interactions with hundreds of universities, schools, and organizations across the nation. As EarthScope collects data and makes it available, students and the public will be introduced to key unanswered scientific questions and the role that their region or discipline plays in understanding the evolution of the North American continent and the active processes driving deformation and volcanic activity. Improved understanding of the natural environment is the first step toward improved land use, environmentally sound development, and resiliency to natural hazards. With over 3,000 geographical locations, the broad distribution of EarthScope facilities will engage traditionally under-represented groups, particularly students in rural areas that have under-resourced schools and Native Americans on tribal lands (where some of the EarthScope stations will be installed). EarthScope will provide a unique opportunity for students and the public to observe geological processes in real time and to measure geological change within the time frame of an academic school year. EarthScope is providing the public with practical examples of how science advances, as they see new data being collected and watch new theories being formulated and tested.