Basic Earth Science and Society - Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science - page 16

the active deformation of its solid surface are crucial to military as well as civilian
navigation. The electromagnetic properties of the solid Earth must be studied to
determine their effects on global communications. On a much smaller spatial
scale, electromagnetic sounding methods are employed by the military to detect
unexploded ordnance. Geophysical remote sensing is used to gather intelligence
on subsurface operations that require tunneling and other excavations.
THE AGENDA FOR BASIC RESEARCH
The study of the Earth remains a true science of discovery. From the theory
of evolution to the theory of plate tectonics, breakthroughs in this field have
influenced deeply our thinking about the natural world, and there is every reason
to believe that discoveries of similar significance will be made in the future,
especially about events and processes still obscured in the Earth's past or hidden
at depths within its interior. Many great unsolved problems spring easily to mind:
the origin of life; causes of rapid biological diversifications and extinctions; early
evolution of the solar system and planetary accretion; segregation of the core,
inner core and continents; workings of active fault systems; mechanisms of
climate transitions; and extent of the deep biosphere. At the same time, it is
important to recognize that scientific discoveries are not born in isolation, but
usually arise in a context prepared by the continuing integration of new data into
better models of how the world works. In Earth science, the rate of this synthesis
has been accelerated by major improvements in three types of research
capabilities: (1) techniques for deciphering the geological record of terrestrial
change and extreme events, (2) facilities for observing active processes in the
present-day Earth, and (3) computational technologies for realistic simulations of
dynamic geosystems. Exploiting these capabilities and extending their range
offer a new agenda for basic research.
Reading the Record of Terrestrial Change and Extreme
Events
A distinguishing feature of Earth science is its access to the planet's unique
history “written in stone.” This geological record comprises a wealth of
information about terrestrial and extraterrestrial events and conditions, from the
present back into the farthest reaches of time. It is preserved in the rocks and
fossils of the continents, their margins, and the deep seafloor, as well as in a wide
range of extraterrestrial materials collected in the form of meteorites, cosmic
dust, and samples ferried by spacecraft from other bodies