SZNet 2025 Chile Field Trip
An interdisciplinary and international field trip opportunity
January 17-27, 2025 | Chile
a comprehensive field guide will be published soon.
OBJECTIVES
To foster collaboration among scientists of different nationalities and career stages and offer an opportunity for participants to receive a comprehensive introduction to Chilean geology
Description
DATES: January 17-27, 2025
WHAT: A 10-day interdisciplinary international field trip crossing Chile from east to west at approximately 35 degrees South (~150 km south of Santiago), beginning in the (volcanic) cordillera and making stops in Chile's central valley and coastal regions exploring stratigraphic exposures and landforms.
FUNDING: Participant can apply for full or partial support for travel, food, lodging and field supplies. These funds are available through SZNet which is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation AccelNet program under award 2301732.
THEME: Exploring the Chilean arc from cordillera to coast. Understanding the intersection of magmatism, tectonism, and mass mobilization in central Chile.
GOALS: Provide an opportunity for international scientists spanning diverse career stages to engage and collaborate with Chilean earth scientists across a variety of geoscience disciplines. All participants will receive a comprehensive introduction to Chilean geology while traversing a transect of the Chilean subduction zone from source to sink. This trip offers an opportunity to explore the intersection of magmatism, tectonism, and mass mobilization in central Chile. The primary objectives are to share knowledge and learn from trip leaders as well as from other participants. We expect that interactions in the field will lead to long-term collaborations that endure beyond the relatively short field trip.
WHO SHOULD APPLY: Open to both US and non-US scientists at any career stage interested in cross-disciplinary approaches to researching subduction systems. We encourage scientific backgrounds with interdisciplinary interests in volcanology, structural geology, geomorphology, and seismo-tectonics. All participants will be given opportunities to share their work and interests. Scientific conversations will be conducted primarily in English, however most field trip leaders will speak both English and Spanish.
LODGING AND FOOD: Participants will be staying in hostel and hotel style housing, in double occupancy rooms. Meals will be provided, including a cold lunch for field days. All meal and accommodation bookings are made by SZNet.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applications will open from October 1st through October 31st, 2024 and will be accessible through the SZ4D website. The application portal will prompt applicants to discuss their scientific interests, their interest in the field trip area, and their career goals and require applicants to upload a response to an essay prompt. The form will also require applicants to upload a CV (in a .pdf format).
Applicants can review the application questions here.
Schedule
Please see below a tentative schedule for all field trip activities. Please note that this schedule is not final and is subject to change.
January 17: Fly into Santiago
January 18: Drive down from Santiago to Laguna del Maule
January 19: Full day visit to Laguna del Maule
January 20: Drive to Planchón-Peteroa and visit spots of frontal cordillera
January 21: Full day visit to Planchón-Peteroa
January 22: Visit stops in Navidad, Topocalma, Litueche, and Pichilemu
January 23: Visit stops in Navidad, Topocalma, Litueche, and Pichilemu
January 24: Visit the coast between Pichilemu and Iloca
January 25: Visit the Mataquito River
January 26: Drive back to Santiago before flights the next day
Jan 27: Fly out of Santiago
Organizing Committee
Organizing members are listed in alphabetical order
Geoff Abers - Cornell University
Felipe Aron - Universidad de Chile
Luis Franco - OVDAS
Jose Antonio Naranjo - SERNAGEOMIN
Andrés Tassara - Universidad de Concepción
Important Documents for Participants
Please see below for important documents for participants:
Participants are listed in alphabetical order
Morgan Adamson
Mariano Agusto
Mariano Agusto is a geologist specializing in volcanology and geochemistry of volcanic and hydrothermal fluids. He is a researcher and professor assistant at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), with over 15 years of experience studying active volcanic systems in Latin America and Antarctica. He currently leads interdisciplinary projects on volcanic-hydrothermal gas monitoring research and coordinates the Active Volcano Studies Group (GESVA) at the Andean Studies Institute (IDEAN-CONICET). He has published numerous scientific articles and collaborates with international institutions on research related to volcanism and associated hazards.
Giorgio Arriga
Giorgio is a postdoctoral researcher at Roma Tre University, Italy. As a structural geologist, he focuses on long-term tectonic reconstructions in seismically and dynamically active regions, aiming to reconcile the seismotectonic framework of a region with its geodynamic evolution. His research encompasses regional tectonics, structural geology, stratigraphy, and geochronology. The main aspects of his work include space-time reconstructions of active fault systems, investigating the role of structural inheritance and tectonic inversions in polyphase tectonic settings, analyzing syn-kinematic structures to temporally constrain tectonic activity.
Tomas Capaldi
Tomas is an Assistant Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. He researches Andean mountain building through the lens of the sedimentary record. His goal is to understand the interactions between arc magmatism and retroarc deformation and how those processes shape topography, climate, and basin evolution in the Andes.
Alexandra Daniels
Alexandra Daniels is a first year PhD student at Boise State University, Idaho. Her research investigates lahar and pyroclastic flow hazard at Mt Hood volcano, Oregon, combining numerical modeling outputs with field observations to understand these flow dynamics and the hazards they pose to communities around Mt Hood. In her spare time, Alex loves getting outdoors, going hiking, skiing and camping.
Jonathan Delph
Jonathan Delph is an assistant professor at Purdue University. He is interested in using passive source seismic techniques to image the structure of the crust and upper mantle of the Earth with the goal of better understanding how tectonic events are manifested in the seismic character of the lithosphere. In particular, he is interested in the role of fluids in subduction zone processes and the structure of lithospheric-scale magmatic systems.
Mauricio Espinoza
Mauricio Espinoza is a geologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Concepción, Chile. His research focuses on the tectonic evolution of the Chilean Andes, investigating how mountains and basins develop over millions of years. He has a particular interest in the role of tectonic inheritance in mountain building. By integrating structural geology, geochronology, thermochronology, and geophysics, he aims to reconstruct the geological past over millions of years, shedding light on the forces that have shaped the Andean Cordillera and its sedimentary record.
Sofía Belén Iannelli
Dr. Sofía Iannelli is a researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and an assistant professor at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Her research focuses on Plio-Holocene volcanism in the Southern Central Andes, between 34° and 36°S. The main aim of her work is to understand the magmatic evolution of Plio-Holocene volcanoes and their relationship with variations in tectonic parameters within the Chilean-Argentinean subduction zone. Her studies are based on whole-rock geochemistry, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes, along with U-Pb and Ar-Ar dating. Her research seeks to use geochemical tracers to understand changes in subduction parameters, as these directly influence volcanic development.
Pamela Paz Jara
Dra. Pamela Paz Jara is a geologist and academic at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile, currently serving as Vice-President of the Sociedad Geológica de Chile. Her research focuses on regional and structural geology, particularly in the Andean Principal Cordillera. She integrates analogue modeling to investigate crustal deformation processes at various scales, aiming to identify key variables in the tectonic evolution of the Andes. Recently, her work has expanded to include surface process modeling, risk assessment, and sustainability. She is also deeply engaged in Earth Science communication and education, collaborating with institutions and individuals to enhance geology teaching through innovative methodologies.
Jeremías Likerman
Jeremiás Likerman is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Buenos Aires and CONICET in Argentina. He earned both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in geology from the University of Buenos Aires and completed his postdoctoral studies at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain), where he specialized in the numerical modeling of geodynamic processes. His current research focuses on developing numerical subduction models to understand the dynamics of flat-slab subduction, with particular emphasis on the Pampean flat slab. Additionally, he investigates the geothermal potential of active volcanoes for electricity generation.
Grant Long
Grant Long is a PhD candidate at Stanford University in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department. His current research interests and projects include south-central Chilean tectonic geomorphological processes related to the subduction of the Nazca plate with an emphasis on the use of sediment mixture models. Grant grew up on the east coast in Maine spending as much time as possible outdoors, coming home with pockets full of rocks. Other than geology his interests include skiing, hiking, climbing, anything outdoors, and painting.
Chelsea Mackaman-Lofland
Chelsea Mackaman-Lofland is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research focuses on structural geology and tectonics; current projects combine fieldwork, balanced cross section construction, geo-/thermochronology & other datasets, and numerical modeling to understand how crustal, surface, and tectonic processes deform and shape Earth's continents. When she's not pursuing research and teaching, you can still find her outside (climbing, hiking) or exploring some of the food, art, and live music around town.
Sarah Jaye Oliva
Sarah Jaye Oliva is an assistant professor at Universidad de Chile in Santiago, where she primarily uses tools of seismology to interpret stresses and hazard potential in tectonic and volcanic settings. Her research spans diverse settings—extensional rifts, transform margins, hotspot volcanism, and now, subduction zones. While much of her work happens behind a screen, she ventures out into the field as often as possible—for data, inspiration, and a breath of fresh air. Beyond research, she enjoys teaching, science communication, and learning languages.
Maria Pia Rodriguez
María Pía Rodríguez is an assistant professor at Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile. Her research focuses on landscape evolution of active mountain ranges and related sedimentary basins. To achieve this goal, she combines diverse techniques including morphometric analysis, low-temperature thermochronology, cosmogenic isotope geochronology and heavy mineral provenance analysis.
Diana Roman
Diana Roman is a geophysicist in the Earth and Planets Laboratory at the Carnegie Institution for Science, where she currently hold the H.O. Wood Chair of Seismology. Her research straddles the boundary between volcanology and seismology, and focuses on understanding source processes of volcanic earthquakes, volcano-fault interaction, the structure and dynamics of magma transport and storage systems, and the nature of geophysical precursors to eruptions. Her primary research tool is the analysis of volcano-seismic data and its integration with corresponding geodetic, degassing, and petrologic observations, which involves routine collaboration with volcano observatories worldwide.
Ignacio Sepulveda
Ignacio Sepulveda is Professor in Coastal Engineering at the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University. He is also Editor at Geophysical Journal International and member of the SZ4D. Professor Sepulveda's expertise is Coastal Hazards. In the SDSU Coastal Engineering Lab, he combines geophysics and stochastic methods to characterize hazards impacting coastal communities. His expertise includes the development of new methods for probabilistic hazard assessments and tsunami models. His research also addresses the use of citizen data, the development of new remote sensing techniques for coastal observation and the impact of climate change.
Ian Wynn
Ian is a third-year PhD student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His research focuses on using receiver function analysis to constrain the subsurface geometries of magmatic systems in the Aleutian Island Arc, with broader interests in seismic imaging techniques at volcanic arcs. In 2024, Ian was awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. He has served as a Graduate Degree Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, where he works to communicate the importance of subduction zone science to broader communities of the Asia-Pacific region.