CAREER: An Integrated Geophysical Approach to Research and Education to Solve the Tectonic Puzzle of the Northern Atlantic

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

The Northern Atlantic has diverse geologic features including a hotspot under Iceland, volcanic-rich passive continental margins of Norway and Eastern Greenland, and active and abandoned spreading centers in the Atlantic Ocean with the Jan Mayen microcontinent in between. However, the tectonic history of the region has generally been oversimplified. This research will reveal the crustal type (continental or oceanic) of different tectonic blocks, reconstruct their fit prior to the opening of the northern Atlantic Ocean, and provide a tectonic “snapshot” for each geologic time period. The results can help pinpoint the timing and extent of critical geological processes that affect paleoclimate, biodiversity, and initiation of oceanic water circulation. The research will be integrated with education efforts, including mini research projects in advanced geophysical classes at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; a summer camp for high school students; and five education modules that will be disseminated to educators across the nation via the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College. With uncertainties in the extent of the Jan Mayen microcontinent and tectonic domains of the Norwegian margin, as well as the disputed crustal affinity of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge, tectonic reconstruction of the Northern Atlantic region remains poorly constrained. This project will examine crustal architecture and tectonic structures of individual regions via the integration of geophysical methods with geological constraints from scientific drilling. A set of robust and comprehensive geophysical models in three individual regions of the Northern Atlantic – the Norwegian-Greenland conjugate margins, the Jan Mayen microcontinent, and the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge region – will be developed to define subsurface structures that are in agreement with multiple geophysical methods. The identified tectonic features will be traced in-between the modeled lines in all three regions using spatial analysis of potential fields, building a framework for a consequent tectonic restoration, which will provide new fundamental knowledge of the pre-Atlantic continent. Integrated with these efforts, the education goal is to promote geophysics as a career of choice by engaging undergraduate, graduate, and high school students in interactive learning experiences centered around an integrated geophysical approach. These activities will promote a comprehensive multi-physics analysis that integrates publicly available datasets and enables robust and rigorous interpretations. Ultimately, a comprehensive geophysical research program will be established at a public land-grant institution that will yield graduates who are well-equipped to meet the needs of the geophysical workforce and nation. 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.