Geologists Use Particles from Galaxy's Far Reaches to UnderstandProcesses at Earth's Surface (Forwarded)

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July 14, 2005

Press Release 05-119

Geologists Use Particles from Galaxy's Far Reaches to Understand
Processes at Earth's Surface

Scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation and the European
Commission of the European Union have announced a new initiative --
called CRONUS, for cosmic-ray produced nuclide systematics -- to measure
cosmic rays from far-distant supernovas to time the history of the
Earth's surface.

Galactic explosions known as supernovas unleash torrents of
fantastically energetic atomic particles. Billions of these cosmic rays
impact Earth every year. The infinitesimal particles blast apart the
atoms of Earth's atmosphere and rocks, changing them into new elements.
Now, NSF has awarded $5.8 million over five years for geologists to
measure the accumulated results of these atomic transmutations in rocks
at Earth's surface.

Fred Phillips of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology will
coordinate the U.S. arm of the project, which includes 13 U.S. universities.

"The CRONUS initiative will benefit all disciplines in the Earth
sciences," said Herman Zimmerman, director of NSF's division of earth
sciences. Whether geomorphology, tectonics, volcanology, hydrology,
geologic hazards, or paleoclimatology, he said, "Each needs an improved
understanding of geochronology at the Earth's surface."

The European Union, through its Marie Curie Actions, has awarded 3.4
million Euro ($4.4 million) over four years for the project, a
research-training network involving research teams in France, Germany,
Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland the United Kingdom. Training of early
stage and experienced researchers in the novel technique is an integral
part of the European CRONUS effort to contribute to the mobility,
exchange and training of high-quality European scientists.

Tibor Dunai, now at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, will coordinate
the European arm. He will relocate to the University of Edinburgh in the
fall of 2005.

"The ability to date changes in landscapes with cosmogenic nuclides has
already revolutionized our understanding of Earth processes," said
Dunai. "CRONUS will allow us to unlock the great potential this novel
technique has, helping us to better understand the environment around us."

Powerful cosmic-ray particles penetrate only a few feet below the
Earth's surface, so deeper rocks are shielded from the buildup of
cosmic-ray transmutations. The number of new atoms produced by cosmic
rays can thus show the amount of time passed since geological events
such as earthquakes, landslides and glaciers. They can also reveal how
fast Earth's surface changes from such forces as erosion by rivers.

"As scientists who use geochronology techniques in the course of their
research," U.S. coordinator Phillips said. "We need to know exactly how
cosmic rays are distributed on our planet's surface, taking into account
variables like longitude, latitude, and elevation, as well as changes
occurring over geologic time scales, such as periodic shifts in Earth's
magnetic field."

Scientists affiliated with CRONUS will work to understand the
fundamentals of cosmic-ray reactions so that they can routinely use them
as methods for reconstructing and analyzing environment changes. When
perfected, the new cosmic-ray methods will shed light on Earth's past
climate cycles, changes in soil erosion, frequency of floods and
landslides, and how weathering of rocks affects global warming and cooling.

Scientists from the United States and Europe will work together sampling
rocks from key sites around the world, exposing elements to nuclear
beams in high-energy accelerators, and counting cosmic-ray impacts with
detectors aboard high-altitude aircraft. These results will all be
synthesized in a broad-ranging effort to understand all aspects of the
cosmic phenomenon.

"This is a way of bringing the projectiles of exploding stars down to
very practical use on earth," said Phillips.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency
that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of
science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.47 billion.
NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000
universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000
competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding
awards. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and
service contracts yearly.

-NSF-

Related Websites

* CRONUS-US
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/cronus/
* CRONUS-EU
http://www.cronus-eu.net

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[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_images....104234&org=NSF ]