The National Science Foundation awarded a $368,201 Project Grant to the Regents of the University of Minnesota under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to conduct collaborative research towards developing a new framework for interpreting mantle deformation. Over the five-year period from September 2022 to August 2027, key products and services will include integrating observational, experimental, and modeling efforts to characterize the full-spectrum rheological response of Earth's mantle and illuminate underlying microphysical processes controlling viscoelasticity. Specifically, the award will support observational work using seismic and geodetic data to measure frequency-dependent dissipation in the upper mantle of three locations; experimental work investigating the effects of dislocations on transient creep under varying temperature and stress conditions; and modeling work developing new constitutive laws for transient creep and incorporating more sophisticated rheologies into viscoelastic deformation codes. Broader impacts include educating four graduate and six undergraduate students, as well as convening a 120-person synthesis workshop to outline recent advances in understanding transient rheology.
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