Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of South Carolina received a $100,610 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. This collaborative research initiative will generate fundamental knowledge regarding directional variation of seismic velocities in Earth's inner core through an integrated geodynamical modeling approach that couples thermal, mechanical, and seismic constraints. The project will deliver computational models of inner core flow behavior and dynamics, peer-reviewed research findings on the generation and maintenance of seismic anisotropy, and enhanced understanding of how planetary interiors behave with applications to other rocky planets in our solar system and beyond.

The award will produce workforce development products through training of students in computational geodynamics, seismology, and high-performance computing. Research outputs will include validation of the hypothesis that anisotropic thermal conductivity of iron crystals drives heat transport variations and temperature anomalies within the inner core, contributing to the NSF Geosciences program's broader objective of expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of integrated Earth systems through basic research in earth sciences.