NSF News:
Tectonics Program
The Tectonics Program supports a broad range of field,
laboratory, computational, and theoretical investigations aimed at
understanding the evolution and deformation of continental
lithosphere through time. Proposals to elucidate the processes that
act on the lithosphere at various time-scales and length-scales,
either at depth or the surface, are encouraged. Because
understanding such large-scale phenomena commonly requires a variety
of expertise and methods, the program supports integrated research
involving the disciplines of structural geology, petrology,
geochronology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geomorphology, rock
mechanics, paleomagnetics, geodesy, and other geophysical
techniques.
Please note that the Tectonics Program Solicitation
(NSF 06-544) has recently been updated and can be found at the
following URL:
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13673
Continental Dynamics Program
The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) will consider
proposals for multidisciplinary research that focuses on an improved
understanding of the processes governing the origin, structure,
composition, and dynamical evolution of the continents and
continental building blocks. The program is particularly oriented
toward projects whose scope and complexity require a cooperative or
multi-institutional approach and multi-year planning and execution.
The intent of the program is to fund only relatively large projects
that do not fit easily within other Earth Sciences programs and that
have broad support of major sections of the Earth Science community.
The Continental Dynamics Program Solicitation can be
found at:
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6194
EarthScope Program
EarthScope is an Earth science program to explore the
4-dimensional structure of the North American continent. The
EarthScope Program provides a framework for broad, integrated
studies across the Earth sciences, including research on fault
properties and the earthquake process, strain transfer, magmatic and
hydrous fluids in the crust and mantle, plate boundary processes,
large-scale continental deformation, continental structure and
evolution, and composition and structure of the deep-Earth. In
addition, EarthScope offers a centralized forum for Earth science
education at all levels and an excellent opportunity to develop
cyberinfrastructure to integrate, distribute, and analyze diverse
data sets.
The nucleus of the Program is the EarthScope Facility,
consisting of the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), the San Andreas
Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), and the USArray. The EarthScope
Facility is a multi-purpose array of instruments and observatories
that will greatly expand the observational capabilities of the Earth
Sciences and permit us to advance our understanding of the
structure, evolution and dynamics of the North American continent.
The Facility is designed to continually incorporate technological
advances in geophysics, seismology, geodesy, information technology,
drilling technology, and downhole instrumentation.
This Solicitation calls for single or collaborative
proposals to conduct scientific research associated with the
EarthScope Facility and support activities that further the
scientific and educational goals of EarthScope. The solicitation can
be found at:
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501035
