QRC members lead and participate in a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects from the study of past earth climates and glaciations to shifts in the geographic distributions and evolution of vegetation and faunal communities, to the evolution and dispersals of the genus Homo and the increasing scales of human modification of earth environments through the Holocene. QRC provides a venue for meeting and collaborating with scholars across Quaternary disciplines. We are also fortunate to be able to provide seed funding and small grants for member research projects. We are especially happy to support grad student and junior scholar research activities, much of which leads to larger, external funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation.
Investigating Strike-Slip Faulting in the Hyper Arid Core of the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile
Abstract: The Salar Grande Fault (SGF) is a dextral-oblique fault system within the northern segment of the Atacama Fault Zone (AFZ), in Northern Chile. The study area is immersed in hyper-arid desert conditions (< 2 mm/year rainfall), with excellent surface preservation markers indicating strike-slip fault motion. The region sits within one of the most active subduction zones in the world, where future magnitude 9 earthquakes from the megathrust and tsunami waves up to 30 m are expected to impact the coastal towns. Reconstructing the landscape evolution of the SGF is essential to understand the role of crustal faults in subduction zone settings and the interaction between deeper tectonics and surface processes.
This QRC fund supports two methods to provide Quaternary and Cenozoic evolution data to the study area.
Optical Luminiscence Dating (OSL) techniques working with the USGS Luminescence Laboratory Facilities: We took several samples from fluvial deposits, alluvial fans and fault scarps, to date humid periods and potential paleoseismic activity in the study area. These ages contribute to build a better paleoclimatic record of the study area.
Pilot study of thermochronology in apatites with the CU-Trail Facilities: we took 8 samples from a transect up to the top of the mountains of the study area. Our goal is to reveal the exhumation history of the mountain range and the role of the SGF in the uplift of the region.
This is an essential part of my research and Ph.D. dissertation at UW and these project are both collaborations between the ESS Department and other institutions like CU Boulder and the USGS. We hope to present these results in conferences and publish at least one peer-reviewed publication from the data.
Abstract: The Salar Grande Fault (SGF) is a dextral-oblique fault system within the northern segment of the Atacama Fault Zone (AFZ), in Northern Chile. The study area is immersed in hyper-arid desert conditions (< 2 mm/year rainfall), with excellent surface preservation markers indicating strike-slip fault motion. The region sits within one of the most active subduction zones in the world, where future magnitude 9 earthquakes from the megathrust and tsunami waves up to 30 m are expected to impact the coastal towns. Reconstructing the landscape evolution of the SGF is essential to understand the role of crustal faults in subduction zone settings and the interaction between deeper tectonics and surface processes.