8 Cowboys abroad in Malawi study how continental rifting is initiated By Sam Dawson (MS Student) From left to right: Courtney Hull, Tiara Johnson, Sam Dawson, Dr. Estella Atekwana, Bryan Clappe, Dr. Daniel Laó Dávila on the 2.5 km high Nyika Plateau. Malawi has rightfully been termed “the warm heart of Africa.” Our research group, consisting of Dr. Estella Atekwana, Dr. Daniel Laó Dávila, Bryan Clappe, Courtney Hull, Tiara Johnson, and myself, got to experience this firsthand this past summer. The six of us spent four weeks trekking around farms, rocks, and national parks, collecting data on the Malawi Rift and experiencing life in another country. We went on an NSF-funded trip to Malawi (international Research Experience for Students (IRES)) to study how a magma-poor continental rift develops in a terrain dominated by stronglyfoliated basement rocks. One of our tasks was to use electrical resistivity to image faults from a sequence of earthquakes that occurred in 2009. This was a series of magnitude 5.4 - 5.9 earthquakes that damaged the local city of Karonga and its surrounding area. The picture below shows the IRES team sitting on the footwall of one of the fault splays in the rupture zone. IRES research team sitting on the footwall block of the surface rupture (0.6 – 1 m) of the 2009 Mw 5.9 Karonga earthquake. Our first day out in the field, it was immediately apparent that the local communities were very interested in our research. A Karonga radio host interviewed us about the work we were doing and most of the villagers had vivid memories of the earthquakes. No fewer than 20 kids would be keeping an inquisitive eye on us at any one time, eager to test their English and inspect our equipment. One of our drivers, Kennedy (pictured in the orange vest to the left), taught us phrases in Chichewa to interact with them in their first language. Apparently American accents are pretty thick, but that didn’t stop us from trying. This trip wasn’t all work and no play, however. Malawi is home to numerous parks that feature a wide array of wildlife. Throughout the Lilongwe Wildlife Center and Nyika and Liwonde National Parks, we saw hippos, elephants, alligators, different types of deer, and even watched a serval cat hunt for field mice. We followed the dazzle of zebra pictured on the right until they obliged us for a photo, and we woke up to even more zebra grazing outside our window the next day. From left to right: Bryan Clappe Tiara Johnson, Sam Dawson and Dr. Estella Atekwana taking a gravity reading. Note curious kids in background. The city of Karonga provided entertainment for us as well. The Karonga cultural museum documented the entire history of Malawi since inhabitants first settled down here. We took trips to the beach to watch people fish from canoes and see the sun set behind the mountains. Lake Malawi is host to over 200 different types of fish, and two of the most popular (kampango and chambo) often ended up on our dinner plates. The famous Mzuzu coffee fueled us out in the field, and the hot sauce was delicious enough to bring back for others to try. In an increasingly interconnected world, field experiences like this one provide students a way to set themselves apart. Collecting thesis data in unknown terrain far from access to most modern technologies can be a daunting task, but this experience gave us confidence that we can successfully execute a research plan no matter the conditions. Malawi is a beautiful country to conduct field work in, and I’m excited for the next batch of geologists to experience the welcoming people and world-class geology it has to offer. From left to right: Courtney Hull and Bryan Clappe taking strike and dip measurements at an outcrop.
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