CNIC: Understanding Continental Collision in the Betic Cordillera, Spain

Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA

Investigators

Abstract

Through this planning visit, Prof. David Anastasio of Lehigh University and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania will initiate cooperative research with Spanish partners to examine tectonically driven landscape evolution at the active African-Eurasian convergent plate boundary, an area of slow tectonic activity. The counterpart, Prof. Juan Soto, with the Department of Geodynamics at the University of Granada has established expertise in geologic and geophysical knowledge of the Betic Cordillera of southern Spain, where a workshop and exploratory fieldwork will take place. The U.S. team's strengths in structural geology, paleomagnetism, process geomorphology, geodesy and analytical techniques complement the Spanish partners' deep knowledge of the Beltic-Rif field geology and data. Together, their goal is to refine plans for a study of the key processes that underlie seismic hazards and coastal uplift characteristic of the Betic Cordillera, where regional crustal strains are poorly qualified but offer an example of synonvergent extension and continental growth associated with continental collision and subduction slab rollback. Results from this collaboration will improve our fundamental understanding of continental collision and tectonic processes as well as the geologic hazards associated with living on an active plate margin. This research activity fulfills the program objective of advancing basic knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Europe to share research resources and plan beneficial projects in areas of strong mutual interest and competence. Broader impacts include early career international research experience for participating U.S. graduate students, development of a new international collaboration, and a better understanding of seismic hazards in a densely populated region. If successful, the project will contribute to our understanding of the linkage between surface process with subduction zone processes.