Conference: Participant Support for a GSA Penrose Conference on the North American Cordillera

Board Of Regents, Nshe, Obo University Of Nevada, Reno, Reno NV

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support for travel participation of students, early-career professionals, and participants from underrepresented groups from the U.S. to attend the Geological Society of America-sponsored Penrose Conference: "Developing a new paradigm for the mid-Cretaceous to Eocene North American Cordillera: an obliquely convergent plate margin." The conference brings together~80 geoscientists to discuss the geologic history of how the margin of western North America evolved through time from 110 to 35 million years ago. This part of North America’s history involves significant (up to 4000 km) lateral (strike-slip) motion, such as that which currently occurs on the San Andreas fault. As a result, crustal blocks currently in Alaska may have existed offshore Mexico about 100 million years ago. Conference attendees will evaluate the tectonic evolution of plate margin by combining new and old ideas and the evidence that these ideas are based on. A better understanding of the ancient plate margin is important for understanding continental plate margins that are active today with similar characteristics, and the pre-existing structures that partially control recent plate tectonics. The conference brings together a diverse group of scientists that range in gender, career level, and ethnicity and will provide significant networking opportunities among these individuals, especially early-career scientists, and students. The Penrose conference will stimulate significant interaction of community members from around the world that are investigating different parts of the ca. 110–35 Ma tectonic history of the North America Cordillera and adjacent areas through a combination of field trips within Idaho, keynote presentations, and focused discussion sessions after the presentations. NSF funding will support registration and travel for students, early-career professionals, and participants from underrepresented groups from the U.S. to attend the conference. The funding also facilitates the production broadly accessible videos, livestreaming, and a public field trip organized by the. The Penrose conference will lead to the development of new ideas by a broad geoscience community about the evolution of obliquely convergent margins. A post award summary for publication in a geoscience journal will summarize key discussions, major outcomes, and the plan for future success in unraveling the tectonic history of the North American Cordillera. A professional special paper or memoir will disseminate key research contributions that arise from the conference. Finally, the conference brings together a diverse group of scientists that range in gender, career level, and ethnicity and will provide significant networking opportunities among these individuals, especially for early-career scientists, and students. 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.