Santa Fe Conference on Rock Magnetism

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

This award is for partial support to hold a Conference on Rock Magnetism and its Applications, June 6-9, 2019 in Santa Fe NM, continuing a biennial series of such conferences. St. John?s College will serve as the venue. The award will provide partial coverage of expenses, particularly for students and early career participants. The broad goal of the Santa Fe Conference series is to bring together present and future leaders in the field for in-depth discussion of fundamental aspects of rock and mineral magnetism, and applications in global geophysics, tectonics, extraterrestrial magnetism, and surficial environmental studies; these discussions are intended to be more intensive, interactive and sustained than is possible under the format of large society meetings. Broader impacts of this activity include: (1) transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary communication to foster new approaches to geoscience problems involving iron minerals and their use as paleomagnetic field recorders and as indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions and Earth processes; and (2) the development of young scientists by providing the opportunity to meet and interact with leading international researchers, gain a deeper understanding and broader perspective, and form the basis for future cross-disciplinary collaborations. One explicit aim of the 2019 conference is to explore short-term (decadal to millennial) variations in the geomagnetic field, their records in natural and archeological materials, and their effects on the production of radionuclides such as 10Be and 14C in the Earth?s atmosphere. Plenary speakers include a leading expert in cosmogenic nuclides . Another key objective is to examine the new understanding of stable remanence in nonuniformly magnetized grains that is being achieved through novel approaches to magnetic microscopy and numerical micromagnetic modeling. The meeting includes a full-day workshop on modeling of magnetic microstructures using the MERRILL software, including a keynote presentation, discussion of the state-of-the-art by leading experts, and hands-on exercises that will teach workshop participants how to apply advanced modeling in their own research. 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.