Geophysical modelling of vertical motion processes constrained by geodetic and geological observations (UPLIFT)

Vertical motion of the Earth’s lithosphere (uplift) occurs on different spatial and temporal scales. Commonly assumed to be primarily related to plate tectonic mechanisms and isostatic adjustment, it has become clear that mantle related forcing and in particular mantle plumes are a significant contributor to uplift events in many regions of the world, making vertical motions a powerful probe into sublithospheric processes. Significant improvements of observational methods (e.g. satellite missions) and publicly-accessible databases (e.g. digital geological maps) make it now feasible to map vertical motions from geodetic to geologic time scales. This in turn provides invaluable constraints to inform key, yet uncertain, parameters (e.g. rheology) of geodynamic models. Such models also contribute powerful insight into complex landscape evolution processes at interregional to continental scales. Here we report on a new (starting date April 2022) Research Training Group (RTG) 2698, with 10 individual dissertation projects and a Post-doc project, funded by the German Research Foundation. An interdisciplinary approach of Geodynamics, Geodesy and Geology aims to answer questions related to how the interaction of exo- and endogenic forcing shapes a diverse array of earth processes from landscape evolution to the occurrence of earthquakes. The RTG uses a combined interpretation of interdisciplinary observations with different spatial and temporal sensitivity, in conjunction with physical models, to disentangle different uplift mechanisms, including the plume, plate and isostatic mode, based on their specific spatial and temporal patterns. We will give an overview on the key philosophy and main architecture of the RTG. Core components include an integrated geophysical process model, composed of an adjoint geodynamic model that accounts for seismic tomography and mineralogy, coupled with a landscape evolution model, with the lithosphere as a filter function, and targeted observations that include geodetic (geometric and gravimetry) data to reflect contemporary uplift processes combined with high precision, geological, magnetostratigraphic and geomorphologic data to reflect uplift processes and sedimentation rates on geological time scales. The modeling will be complemented by a thorough uncertainty analysis and an enhanced visualization of the key results.