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Rationale for an Oceanic Mantle Dynamics (OMD) Initiative

Elements of the OMD Initiative

Oceanic Mantle
Dynamics Workshop
(18-20 September 2002)
Snowbird, Utah

Elements of the OMD Initiative

In a decade of focused experiments, tremendous progress could be made towards solving the outstanding geodynamical questions of the oceanic upper mantle. At least one example of all of the major types of oceanic tectonic settings recognized today could be investigated, and global seismic coverage could be obtained to improve imaging of deep earth structure. An OMD Initiative should have the following components:

1. One to two major process-oriented seismic experiments per year utilizing OBSIP instruments would provide the central focus for the OMD Initiative
2. Major projects would also involve geochemical, petrological, geodynamic and other geophysical approaches, as appropriate
3. Leapfrogging regional arrays of OBS would complement process-oriented experiments and help improve resolution of global earth structure
4. Rolling array of OBS would be dedicated to offshore experiments associated with USArray
5. Each year during the decade of the OMD Initiative, approximately ten ancillary studies of modeling, experimentation and analysis would be carried out to deepen understanding of physical and chemical processes and to refine modeling of dynamic processes
6. All projects would be funded through competitive peer review
7. One workshop each year would provide an opportunity to discuss results of recent experiments, design new ones, and promote interaction amongst investigators from different disciplines
8. A small management office would provide a focal point for communication, workshop organization, and coordination of the leapfrogging array program

A multidisciplinary approach centered on experiments made possible by the new OBS instrumentation pool, and incorporating constraints from petrology, geochemistry and theoretical modeling of geodynamic processes, could go far toward testing and refining models of mantle flow developed in the three decades since the plate tectonic revolution.