Collaborative Research: How Is Rifting Exhuming the Youngest High-pressure and Ultrahigh-pressure (HP/UHP) Rocks on Earth

The project is a follow-on to the discovery that there are very young UHP rocks exposed on islands near the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea (PNG). A major objective is to use detailed study of this area to better understand how UHP rocks get to the surface from great depth. Because the rocks are in a tectonically active region, it can be argued that there is a good chance of improving models for UHP exhumation because this example is still in its tectonic context. There is evidence that the process is ongoing. Related to this objective is the study of the overall tectonic evolution of this area, which is needed in order to help understand how the UHP rocks got where they are and from whence they came. Within this framework, this project involves a range of studies that can contribute to piecing together the UHP exhumation history and the tectonic evolution. One large study involves passive seismic data acquisition to image the crust and mantle beneath the area where partially exhumed HP/UHP rocks may occur at depth; a large fraction of the studies involve petrology, geology, mineral physics and geochemistry. In addition, GPS work and geodynamic modeling are included.