Documenting, assessing and quantifying the role of progressively formed structure in rheological change of deep orogenic crust

It is well known that when tectonic plates containing continents collide, mountains are formed. What is surprising is that when the mountains are formed the lower part of the thickened continental crust (at more than 30 km depth) may flow like a very slow moving fluid. However this flow may not be progress steadily, because the strength of the flowing crust may change. Such changes in strength potentially cause effects that may extend to the surface topography. This project is aimed at investigating by field studies, lab analyses and computer modeling how the strength of the lower crust changes during flow. Understanding the details of this lower crustal flow is important for understanding the long-term (millions of years) behavior of large mountain belts such as the Himalaya that have an important role in maintenance of the Earth's climatic environment.