EarthScope Institute: The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

EarthScope Institute: The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary The lithosphere is fundamental to the definition of tectonic plates and continents, and yet its dimensions, origins and evolution are still poorly understood. New observations at the interface between the strong lithosphere and weak asthenosphere hold clues as to the thermal, mechanical and chemical variations that create this boundary. Data from the EarthScope Facility have provided a rich array of such observations at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), some of them conflicting. The variations and discontinuities in seismic velocities, attenuation and anisotropy have led to a proliferation of features and structures that confound the classical view of the lithosphere as a thermal boundary layer. A workshop is being held to bring together seismologists, dynamicists, experimentalists and petrologists to integrate these new observations into a new conceptual understanding of the LAB and to develop new ideas about Earth?s dynamic behavior that give rise to this feature. The primary goals of the workshop are: 1) to provide intellectual leadership and foster critical thinking about the observations that define the LAB and the physical mechanisms behind its origin and evolution; 2) to promote broad, community interest in the LAB and seed collaborations between observational, theoretical, and laboratory based research programs; and 3) to discuss novel approaches or critical data that are needed to make new observations on the LAB and develop models for its origins. This workshop is the initial step in fostering broad, multidisciplinary collaboration on the LAB and will provide the foundation for a virtual online Institute that will be facilitated by the EarthScope National Office.