RCN: Planning for a Modeling Collaboratory for Subduction Zone Science

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Subduction zones are fundamental expressions of the evolution of our planet. Subduction zones also host cascading natural hazards, from volcanoes, to earthquakes, to landslides and tsunamis, often in regions with high population density. Any dynamic understanding of our planet therefore has to include a comprehensive theoretical framework for subduction zone dynamics, and such a framework should have utility for monitoring and for physics-based forecasting to meet our fundamental responsibility to society. Several recent community efforts have focused on subduction zone science, including volcanic and megathrust processes within that geologic setting. This Research Coordination Network (RCN) will provide a mechanism for collaboration and interaction of scientists to organize modeling efforts to understand subduction zones. In particular, this RCN will serve to identify knowledge gaps and serve to evaluate the tools and strategies needed by the scientific community to leverage the rich data sets from international subduction zone observatories and tp create a new generation of multiphysics and multiscale models. This RCN will strengthen international collaboration, including researchers from Chile, Costa Rica, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The RCN will contribute to the training of a diverse workforce, and outreach efforts will publicize the relevance of subduction zone science to the larger public. The RCN will engage a diverse community of researchers, including early career researchers and those from under-represented groups. This is a Research Coordination Network focuses on a modeling collaboratory for subduction zone science and explores developing physical models for short- to long-term deformation associated with megathrust and arc volcano systems. Physical understanding of earthquake cycles and volcanoes within a plate boundary remains incomplete, even though numerical models have seen tremendous improvements. This implies that more observations,laboratory data and better understanding of the underlying physical processes need to be integrated in better ways to explore interactions between different parts of the subduction system that affect the temporal evolution of tectonics and hazards. The scientific community is poised to unify existing data collection efforts, design new observational and infrastructural initiatives, and harness diverse international efforts with new integrative approaches. This RCN has several goals: 1) helping to identify knowledge gaps; 2) developing multiscale, multiphysics modeling frameworks; 3)providing a pathway for integrative model development and validation; and, 4) providing tools for transforming geological, rock mechanics, geophysical and geodetic data into formats that can be effectively assimilated into models and used for model validation. This effort would facilitate the development and enhancement of models, ranging from conceptual to numerical simulators, aimed at subduction zone megathrust cycles and associated tectonic processes including magma transport and volcanic eruptions. The work will progress through a series of workshops and community interactions to ensure a broad representation of the researchers and scientific fields involved in subduction science. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.