Project Grant 2138733

This three-year, $393,948 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) will fund research to resolve conflicting tectonic models for the Laramide orogeny and flat-slab subduction in southern California. The grantee, the University Corporation at California State University, Northridge, will support field work and laboratory analyses in the San Gabriel Mountains to better understand the timing and driving forces behind mountain building in the western United States during the Late Cretaceous period. Researchers will collect rock samples for geochronology, geochemistry, and microstructural analysis at the university's laser ablation and microanalysis facilities. Additionally, the project aims to advance broader societal outcomes through summer workshops and a year-round mentoring program for underrepresented students at minority-serving institutions in southern California. These research experiences aim to develop a more diverse STEM workforce by exposing students to cutting-edge analytical techniques. Overall, the funding will generate new scientific insights into the geologic evolution of the western U.S. cordillera through targeted field and laboratory investigations.