Understanding Tectonics

Research about Tectonics

Review the highlights from various projects as they report on the work at research sites around the globe.

EarthScope:

• San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) ( This site may be offline. ) is the deep drilling component of EarthScope to address fundamental questions about processes that control faulting and earthquake generation within a major plate-boundary fault. The 3.2 kilometer [2 mile] drillhole through California's famous San Andreas Fault has resulted in the collection of rock samples that are supporting physical and chemical investigations of the active earthquake zone.
• The Mendocino Experiment: The Mendocino Experiment (2007-2009) used a dense array of broadband seismographs to investigate the structure of the Mendocino Triple Junction, the northernmost terminus of the San Andreas Fault.
• Rio Grande Rift Experiment: The Rio Grande Rift experiment consists of a multi-year deployment of 26 campaign GPS instruments in Colorado and New Mexico to measure crustal deformation and stretching in the Rio Grande Rift.

GeoPRISMS:

• MARGINS Research Nuggets: In preparation for the MARGINS program decadal review, the MARGINS Office asked MARGINS PIs to provide one-page "nuggets" that summarize interesting, high-impact research results. The assembled nuggets provide a strong case for scientific achievement in MARGINS, and are invaluable in documenting the broad scope and interdisciplinary nature of the program.

UNAVCO:

• News Briefs about Tectonic Processes: News Briefs are one-page reports which summarize current geodesy research supported by UNAVCO. This subset is research projects dealing with tectonic processes.

USGS:

• Publications Warehouse: Tectonics: This search of the USGS Publications Warehouse returns published articles and reports dealing with various aspects of research in Tectonics.

Teaching about Tectonics

These materials were developed to support educators who are teaching at the undergraduate or K-12 levels. They include resources ranging from teaching activities and visuals to informational materials for students to explore.

EarthScope:

• EarthScope Resources: The EarthScope resources directory provides access to electronic resources for educators, students, scientists, and interpretive professionals that can enhance the development of presentations, websites, and curricula.

GeoPRISMS:

• MARGINS Mini-Lesson Collection: These teaching activities were developed by faculty to make use of the data being generated by the MARGINS project, the predecessor to GeoPRISMS.
• The GeoPRISMS Data Portal hosted by the Marine Geoscience Data System at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory provides convenient access to MARGINS data, and with tools including GeoMapApp offers versatile data visualization and manipulation.

IRIS:

• Plate Tectonics Animations: This subset of the IRIS animations collection contains text, graphics, animations, and videos to help teach about Plate Tectonics.
• Earth and Plate Tectonics Videos: Short-segment video lectures to give rudimentary background information on the Earth and plate tectonics to teach how earthquakes happen and how they are studied.

National Park Service:

• What on Earth is Plate Tectonics?: This site is a collaboration of the National Park Service and the US Geologic Survey to teach the basics of Plate Tectonics.

SERC:

• Site Guide: Plate Tectonics: This site guide page points to pages in the Teach the Earth portal that provide teaching activities, visualizations, courses, and data on Plate Tectonics. These resources have been developed by a number of projects which disseminate their materials through the SERC portal.

UNAVCO:

• Teaching Resources : These resources have been developed by UNAVCO to help educators teach about and using Geodesy. Many of the resources deal with Plate Tectonics.
• Data for Educators (more info) : These materials were developed by UNAVCO scientists collaborating with educators to develop activities based on data from specific GPS data stations.

USGS:

• Educational Resources: Plate Tectonics: This set of educational resources is aimed at teaching undergraduate students about Plate Tectonics.

For a broader spectrum of resources by each of the organizations featured here, click through the following links:

EarthScope | GeoPRISMS/MARGINS | IRIS | Teach the Earth (SERC) | UNAVCO | USGS