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Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) EarthScope opportunity (NSF 12-550) was a discretionary funding solicitation, issued as a Cooperative Agreement, aimed at supporting major Earth science research and education efforts that use the EarthScope Facility and its data to better understand North America. At its core, EarthScope is designed to explore the four-dimensional structure of the North American continent, meaning it focuses on three-dimensional geology and geophysics while also tracking how these systems change through time. The program is intentionally broad and integrative, bringing together multiple subfields across the Earth sciences to address questions that cannot be answered with isolated studies or small data sets.

Scientifically, the opportunity targets research that advances understanding of how the continent is built, how it deforms, and how deep Earth processes connect to surface hazards and evolution. Specific themes highlighted in the solicitation include the physical properties of faults and the mechanics of earthquakes, how strain is transferred across regions, the role of magmatic and water-rich (hydrous) fluids in the crust and mantle, plate boundary dynamics, continent-scale deformation, and the long-term structure and evolution of the continent. It also emphasizes investigations into the composition and structure of the deep Earth, reflecting an interest in linking observations from the surface down through the crust and mantle to explain tectonic behavior, seismicity, and geologic history.

A defining feature of this program is the EarthScope Facility itself, described as a multi-purpose network of instruments and observatories that significantly expands observational capabilities in Earth science. The facility includes (1) the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), which provides geodetic measurements such as GPS and strain data that help quantify how the Earths crust is moving and deforming; (2) the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), which was developed to study fault-zone processes directly within the San Andreas Fault system; and (3) USArray, a large-scale seismic observing system that enables imaging of subsurface structures and tracking of seismic wave behavior across broad regions. Together, these components provide rich, standardized data streams that allow researchers to study tectonics, earthquakes, mantle structure, and continental evolution in a coordinated way across North America.

Beyond research, the solicitation also explicitly supports education and outreach activities, positioning EarthScope as a centralized forum for Earth science education at all levels. It encourages proposals that translate EarthScope science and data into learning opportunities for K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and informal education audiences. Another major emphasis is cyberinfrastructure: EarthScope is presented as an ideal environment to develop tools and systems that integrate, distribute, and analyze diverse data sets. In practice, this could include data management and discovery tools, analysis workflows, and platforms that help users combine seismic, geodetic, geologic, and related observations into coherent scientific products.

In terms of who could apply and what could be proposed, the opportunity allowed single-investigator or collaborative proposals, and eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications in the full text). Proposed work needed to be conducted within North America and needed to make substantive use of the capabilities and/or data provided through the EarthScope Facility, with the expectation that projects would directly advance the scientific and educational goals of EarthScope. Cost sharing was not required, lowering barriers for participation and allowing applicants to focus budgets on project needs rather than matching funds.

Administratively, the solicitation was posted on April 9, 2012, with an original full proposal deadline of July 16, 2012, and the notice indicated annual deadlines thereafter. NSF anticipated approximately 25 awards with an estimated total funding level of $6,000,000 under CFDA 47.050 (Geosciences). The listing notes that this particular opportunity (NSF 12-550) was later archived in NSF systems (PIMS) with an archive date of December 30, 2013. For access and submission support, the contact information referenced NSF grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, indicating that applicants were expected to use standard federal electronic submission channels and could request help if they encountered technical issues accessing the announcement or linking to it.

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