The effects and timing of the evolution of siliceous sponge and radiolarians on the mode of silica burial and oceanic silica cycling in the early Cambrian are still controversial. Bedded cherts of the lower Cambrian Yurtus Formation deposited in a subtidal shelf environment. They display diagnostic sedimentary features, including intraclastic chert grains, edgewise chert breccias, weakly‐compacted

We establish a high‐resolution magnetic isochron pattern in the East Subbasin (ESB) of the South China Sea (SCS) based on recently collected magnetic data, which provides an updated age of seafloor spreading in the ESB and reveals a new type of ridge reorientation. Seafloor spreading in the ESB initiated at Chron 11n.1r (29.7 Ma) and ceased shortly after Chron 5Br (15.6 Ma). Successive ridge jumps

The Archean‐Proterozoic transition heralded a number of fundamental changes on Earth, including the oxygenation of the atmosphere, a marked emergence of continents above sea‐level, and an increase in δ18O of felsic magmas. The potential drivers for the latter are changes in the composition of supracrustal material or increased crustal reworking. Although the onset of subduction‐induced continental

The conventional mechanism for dolomitization in evaporitic basins is by drawdown‐related reflux of brines, but it seems that ascending brines were responsible in the case of basal Zechstein (Wuchiapingian) strata. Dolomite of basinal sections of the Zechstein Limestone in SW Poland show mostly fabric‐destructive dolomitization and wide δ18OV‐PDB and δ13CV‐PDB ranges (‐3.78 to 6.47‰ and ‐1.64 to +5

The Oligocene represents a transitional phase from a “hot‐house” to a “cold‐house” climate. Central Asia has undergone substantial environmental changes and tectonic events; however, we know little about how these tectonic events shaped the climate and biodiversity in Central Asia. Here, we present a detailed study on the early Oligocene palaeobotanical record in Kazakhstan using various qualitative

The Xigaze fore‐arc basin in southern Tibet records important information related to subduction of the Neo‐Tethys and subsequent collision between India and Asia. We present field observations, together with new apatite fission track and zircon (U‐Th)/He (ZHe) thermochronology data, from a ~25 km SW‐NE transect in the central Xigaze fore‐arc basin around Sangsang to elucidate the burial and exhumation

The Capitanian (late middle Permian) and end‐Permian mass extinctions were particularly severe from a palaeoecological perspective. Previous studies of their expressions on land underscored their impacts on plants and vertebrates, but the effects on the continental invertebrate infauna remain poorly understood. A multiproxy analysis from the Iberian Basin (Central Spain) reveals a dramatic decrease

Knowledge of the Guiana Shield evolution during the Gondwana break‐up is key to a better understanding of craton dynamics and margin response to transtensional opening. To improve this knowledge, we investigated the dynamics and thermal evolution of French Guiana, using several low‐temperature thermochronology methods applied to basement rocks, including apatite and zircon (U‐Th)/He and apatite fission

A widespread provenance shift recorded by passive margin strata of western Laurentia, from predominant Stenian (1.2–1.0 Ga) detrital zircon age components to their absence, occurred during the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian Sauk transgression and is commonly used as a ca. 540 Ma chronostratigraphic marker throughout the west/south‐western United States. However, in Neoproterozoic–Cambrian strata of this region

Olivine‐hosted melt inclusions (MIs) from tephra of the recent 2013–2018 activity at Mt. Etna were investigated for assessing the chemical evolution of magmas and quantifying their pre‐eruptive volatile budget. Microanalyses revealed two types of MIs present in all investigated eruptions; the inclusions, particularly the less evolved ones, appear to have experienced water loss coupled with SiO2 depletion

The Taiwan–Ryukyu arc–trench junction area is a seismic active region and has high potential to generate large earthquakes. However, the detailed deep structures are not fully revealed because of data resolution problems. The Taiwan Integrated Geodynamic Research (TAIGER) project collected two wide‐angle and multichannel seismic profiles across the Taiwan mountain belt (T5) and the western end of the

As a proxy for the lithospheric strength at the time of loading, the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere (Te) can aid in understanding the structure and evolution of the lithosphere. Here, we obtain spatial variations in Te of Amerasia Basin and surrounding regions using the fan‐shaped Morlet wavelet method. Our results show that variations in Te generally agree well with tectonic provinces

Here, we present the detrital zircon age spectra for five (n = 36, 68, 66, 41, 29) red quartzite gastroliths collected from the top of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in the eastern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA. The detrital zircon age spectra reveal geon 17 maximum depositional ages, and age peaks that are Yavapai (geon 17), Penokean (geon 18) and Archean (>geon 25). The colour, texture, composition

The South Chile ridge (SCR) intersects the Patagonian trench around 46°09′S, forming the triple junction among the Antarctic, Nazca, and South America plates. Subduction of the SCR since ~18 Ma produced the opening of a slab window beneath Patagonia and a noticeable magmatic gap in the cordillera, profuse volcanism and topographic uplift in the retroarc. To study seismicity distribution and present‐day

An updated GPS velocity field and set of focal mechanism solutions have allowed us to quantify the detailed tectonic deformation of Northeast Tibet. By employing block kinematic modelling, we show how the relative motion of modelled blocks is accommodated by deformation on major fault structures across the region, from the Eastern Kunlun Range to the Qilian Shan, with the slip rate decrease from the

The arcuate tectonic structure is a prominent feature of the northeast Tibetan plateau, the dynamics of which is still not well constrained. In this study, 3‐D high‐resolution numerical models are systematically conducted to investigate the arcuate tectonics and dynamics. The models highly emphasize the significance of lateral heterogeneities, indicating that the pre‐existing strong blocks within the

Recently, a number of research findings have come to light about the age of plate tectonics, and energies are needed to operate it. The aim of present study is to investigate whether the energy of plate tectonics process was different during the Phanerozoic (Pz) and in earlier eons, and if there is such a discrepancy, whether it can be justified by changes in the processes that able to move the plates

The appraisal of geothermal sites along Gulf of Suez, is important to develop the renewable energy resources in Egypt. An integrated approach based on remote sensing, Geographic Information System and geophysical methods were used to predict the ubication of promising geothermal sites. Multi‐source datasets were selected, analysed and integrated to develop a Geothermal Potential Model. Information‐Value

We describe a singular structure in Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Eaux‐Chaudes massif of the western Pyrenees, consisting of a kilometre‐scale fold nappe with a sheared overturned limb. High ductile strain attests a deformation style rarely reported for the alpine Pyrenees, and peak temperature in Upper Cretaceous carbonates is estimated by Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material palaeothermometry

The Salt Range in Pakistan exposes Precambrian to Pleistocene strata outcropping along the Salt Range Thrust (SRT). To better understand the in‐situ Cambrian and Pliocene tectonic evolution of the Pakistan Subhimalaya, we have conducted low‐temperature thermochronological analysis using apatite (U‐Th‐Sm)/He and fission track dating. We combine cooling ages from different samples located along the thrust

Evaluation of the regional geotectonic impact of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP) in the present‐day northern Atlantic region has been hindered by poor correlation between the Svalbard–Barents Shelf region and eastern North Greenland. New sedimentological and biostratigraphic data from Peary Land and Kronprins Christian Land (Kilen), North Greenland reveal that the Lower Cretaceous palaeogeographic

We present the first results of OSL‐dated fluvial sands extracted from a riverside cave in the tropical Andes. The excellent agreement between the ages of the various samples allowed the calculation of a late Quaternary valley incision rate forced by ongoing uplift of an active Subandean fault‐propagation fold in NE Peru. A structural cross‐section was constructed to understand the relationship between

We have reinterpreted the causative fault parameters of the 2005 Zarand earthquake in the light of a new imagery study using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). By conducting a joint inversion of two InSAR datasets, we can characterize the rupture as it relates to complex local structures. At first, the mainshock ruptured a nearly pure reverse fault, dipping ~65° NNW in the basement below

S‐type granitic gneiss is a major rock type in exposed Phanerozoic basement areas. However, it is hardly used to decipher the metamorphic evolution of such areas formed by the collision of tectonic plates. It is demonstrated by thermodynamic modelling of the metamorphism of common to evolved S‐type granite that mineralogical key patterns can elucidate the baric nature of granitic gneiss. Low‐ to medium‐grade

Exceedingly strong aeolian dust activity has occurred in inland Asia. Comparisons of the late Cenozoic sedimentation rates between aeolian and fluvial‐lacustrine sequences around the northern Tibetan Plateau suggest that aeolian process has played an important role in the erosion, weathering and deposition of sediment. However, recognizing dust as an important source in fluvial‐lacustrine sequences

Post‐collisional ultrapotassic magmatism received special attention because it is an important indicator for mantle geodynamics in a collisional orogen. So far, no mantle‐derived magmatism has been identified within the Himalayan belt, hindering our understanding of the architecture and thermal state of the deep‐seated lithosphere in this area during the orogenesis. Here, we report the first discovery

We used various fault models to calculate the stress change on Ridgecrest epicentral locations and surrounding fault systems. In general, the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence was triggered by past historical earthquakes. The computed stress changes in both foreshock and mainshock epicentral locations have exceeded the stress trigger threshold, which suggests that past historical earthquakes play

There is as yet no consensus as to the dominant source of sediment transported to the oceans: the steep tectonically active highlands, or the gently sloping lowlands? In this study, new Pb isotopic analyses of detrital K‐feldspar have been combined with published data to constrain sand supply in the Yangtze River, one of the largest fluvial sediment transport systems on Earth. Tributaries draining

2.9 Ga is an uncommon magmatic age in Archean evolution worldwide, especially in West Gondwana. We identified so far unknown 2.97–2.92 Ga high‐K calc‐alkaline magmatism in the Borborema Province, northeast Brazil. It appears to indicate that the transition to high‐K magmas occurred before c. 2.7 Ga in Earth's history. The 2.9 Ga protoliths were reworked and progressively changed composition to 2.65 Ga

The Rhodope Metamorphic Complex (RMC) in Bulgaria has been established as a Mesozoic ultra‐high‐pressure metamorphic province by findings of microdiamond in gneisses. Additionally, Variscan ultra‐high‐pressure metamorphism has been proposed for the Ograzhden/Vertiskos Unit in the Upper Allochthon of the RMC, based on findings of coesite, graphite pseudomorphs after diamond and indirect age constraints

New Cu isotope data obtained on chalcopyrite from the Black Mountain and the Broken Hill deposits in the medium‐ to high‐grade metamorphic Aggeneys‐Gamsberg ore district (South Africa) require a revision of our understanding of the genesis of metamorphic Broken Hill‐type massive sulphide deposits. Chalcopyrite from both deposits revealed unusually wide ranges in δ65Cu (−2.41 to 2.84‰ NIST 976 standard)

Thrusting and the associated folding are crucial geological processes accommodating the crustal shortening in a foreland setting. This work focuses on the late Quaternary thrusting of the Banfanggou fault (BF) in the southern Chaiwopu Basin, northern Chinese Tian Shan foreland. The outcrops at the Urumqi River in the western part of the southern margin of the basin show that the BF, dipping south with

Lower crusts of oceanic plateaus have been rarely studied and their nature remains unclear, due to low probability in preservation. Here we demonstrate that cumulates of the Pengco Complex in central Tibet represent the lower crust of an oceanic plateau generated at ~188 Ma. Mineral crystallization order and geochemistry support their formation via low‐P fractionation from anhydrous basaltic melts

The lower crustal domain of the Ivrea‐Verbano Zone (NW Italy) hosts five ~300‐m‐wide pipe‐like ultramafic intrusions that are metasomatized and exhibit Ni‐Cu‐PGE sulphide mineralization. To better constrain the role of metasomatism in the ore genesis, we studied the best‐preserved pipe at Valmaggia which was emplaced 249 Myrs ago. Phlogopite 40Ar/39Ar analyses show that the pipe was infiltrated by

Cooling related to moving rocks over an ~8.5 km vertically thick ramp in the Main Himalayan thrust (MHT) produced 0.8–2 Ma zircon (U–Th)/He (ZHe) and apatite fission track (AFT) ages from the Main Central thrust to 40 km south in central Nepal. The ramp size is controlled by thicker Proterozoic stratigraphy. ZHe ages in NW India and eastern Bhutan over a similar 40 km wide swath are 1.4–12 Ma. In addition

Discontinuous ophiolites within the Indus–Tsangpo suture zone (ITSZ) in southern Tibet represent remnants of Neo‐Tethyan oceanic lithosphere, which are considered to have formed during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous. We report field observations, petrological and geochronological data for some mafic intrusions in a tectonic mélange in the southern ophiolitic belt of the western ITSZ. Zircon

Deformation and gas emissions at active volcanoes provide insights into volcanic plumbing systems. Large discrepancies are observed between the volumes calculated from deformation data and the volumes of erupted magmas and are ascribed to the amount of excess fluids in magma reservoirs, which hinders our capacity to predict the magnitude of an imminent eruption. Here, a series of experiments demonstrates

The growth of central Tibet remains elusory, albeit important in evaluating different topographic growth models accounting for the Tibetan Plateau development. Thermochronological records in the northern Qiangtang terrane (QT) provide valuable information for investigating the cooling and exhumation history in central Tibet. New apatite fission track data, assisted by inverse thermal modelling, reveal

We present the first fission‐track results from the Grenvillian Oaxacan Complex, southern Mexico. Time–temperature modelling of the data indicates that two significant Mesozoic cooling episodes are recorded in the Oaxacan Complex and these are interpreted as resulting from exhumation. The older cooling event took place from the Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic and is possible linked to the break‐up

The 2004 Mw9.2 Sumatra and 2012 Mw8.6 Wharton Basin (WB) earthquakes provide the unprecedented opportunity to investigate stress transfer from a megathrust earthquake to the subducting plate. Comprehensive analyses of this study revealed that the 2004 earthquake excited widespread seismicity in the WB, especially in regions of calculated stress increase greater than 0.3 bars. The 2004 earthquake stressed

Methane occurrences displaying signatures of a possible abiotic origin had previously been reported in the South‐West Carpathians (Romania). Such an accumulation, at Tisoviţa, was intercepted by a well drilled in an ophiolitic rocks massif, whereas in two other localities—situated tens of kilometres faraway—the concerned methane is released via thermal groundwater outflows that are apparently not associated

Identifying evidence of oxidative weathering in the geological record is essential to trace the evolution of Earth's atmosphere oxygenation. Metamorphosed residues of lateritic weathering have been identified as two rock types in the 2.1‐Ga‐old Cercadinho Formation, Piracicaba Group, Quadrilátero Ferrífero of Minas Gerais. One is tourmaline–hematite–sillimanite–kyanite quartzite; the other is ruti

That the Sanandaj–Sirjan arc (SSA) is a Jurassic continental arc is deeply ingrained in the literature of the geology of Iran (e.g. Berberian and Berberian, 1981; Hassanzadeh and Wernicke, 2016 and references therein). The central SSA is characterized by voluminous calc‐alkaline arc magmatism of Jurassic age. However, recent reports of OIB‐type alkaline igneous rocks from the Ghorveh region (Azizi

Understanding deformation associated with active thrust wedges is essential to evaluate seismic hazards. In this study, we investigate the spatial distribution, timing, and rates of deformation across the central Andean backarc of Argentina, where deformation and shortening have been assumed to occur within a narrow wedge‐front zone. The combined results of our geomorphic mapping, topographic surveying

Geochemical data compilation of Cenozoic basalts recovered from the South China Sea tectonic domain shows westward weakening of the influence of a focal zone‐like component in Nd–Hf, Nd–Pb and Sr–Pb, but not in Pb–Pb isotope spaces because the Pb isotopes are dominantly controlled by the high U/Pb component derived from the subducted Pacific oceanic slab. Low Th/U melt generated by recycling of marine

Orogenic crustal thickening leads to increased continental elevation and runoff into the oceans, but there are fundamental uncertainties in the temporal patterns of thickening through Earth history. U‐Pb age and trace element data in detrital zircons from Antarctica are consistent with recent global analyses suggesting two dominant peaks in average crustal thickness from ~2.6 to 2.0 Ga and ~0.8 to

The Quito Basin, a narrow NE‐trending tectonic depression, contains a perched Quaternary volcaniclastic sequence juxtaposed against the Interandean Depression through the Quito fault system (QFS). Syntectonic infilling, which occurs during a piggy‐back phase, consists of alluvial fan sets grading eastward into lacustrine facies. The western piedmont margin overlies the foothills of Quaternary volcanoes

The Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF) serves as a key continental‐scale controlling structural element of the Tibetan Plateau. However, its eastward extent remains controversial. Here we use high‐resolution seismic reflection profiles to investigate the subsurface structures of the easternmost ATF and use these to delimit the easternmost extent of the fault. The structural analyses show an eastward geometric

Lithospheric breakup is generally defined as the process that results in a new plate boundary and oceanic crust. However, how this process occurs in magma‐poor systems remains debated. As recently suggested, the J‐magnetic anomaly at the Iberia–Newfoundland margins has polygenic sources and therefore cannot be interpreted as an isochron. However, the presence of the J‐anomaly on both margins suggests

Quebecia is a unique Geon 15 to 13 composite arc belt in the central Grenville Province that preserves record of rifting and subsequent re‐amalgamation of part of the Laurentian margin. Key lithological components include: (a) c. 1.5 Ga metasedimentary sequences indicative of earlier rifting of the Laurentian margin; (b) remnants of 1.50–1.45 Ga peri‐Laurentian island arcs to the south built on rifted

The Late Triassic is enigmatic in terms of how terrestrial life evolved: it was the time when new groups arose, such as dinosaurs, lizards, crocodiles and mammals. Also, it witnessed a prolonged period of extinctions, distinguishing it from other great mass extinction events, while the gradual rise of the dinosaurs during the Carnian to Norian remains unexplained. Here we show that key extinctions

The Neoproterozoic Jacobsville Sandstone outcrops along the south and east shores of Lake Superior, USA. It records intraplate deformation, some during its deposition and some afterwards, after the c. 1,100 Ma Midcontinent Rift (MCR) failed. Here we analyse 549 new detrital zircon ages from five sites, combined with prior data. Initially, local palaeo‐topography controlled the source material, including

In contrast to seamount chains, small solitary seamounts/seamount groups have rarely been sampled despite their large number and therefore their origins remain enigmatic. Here we present new 40Ar/39Ar, trace element and Nd‐Hf‐Pb isotope data from the solitary Demenitskoy Seamount, the isolated Tolkien seamount group and the Krylov Seamount and Ridge in the Canary Basin, Central Atlantic Ocean. Their

Folds are marvellous features of mountain terrains, but despite extensive research, many fundamental problems have still not been solved. In terrains of sandstone, fold hinges are rarely straight lines but curved, forming a pattern characterized by doubly plunging, elliptical dome‐and‐basin structures. Such structures are an obvious manifestation of coeval or successive shortening deformation in two

Resolving the timing of brittle tectonism is a challenge. We examined intra‐cratonic Middle Ordovician limestone bedrock that overlies Mesoproterozoic crystalline basement, which are both cut by ENE‐WSW trending fault zones that have historic M4‐5 earthquakes along their trace. Calcite‐filled mode I joints are ubiquitous within the strata, and are parallel to the modern stress field. Calcite δ18O and

The slip rate predicted from geodetic and geomorphological measurements is quite uniform on ~800–1,000 km length of the Altyn Tagh and the Kunlun faults. GPS velocity field documents that tectonic loading on the two active faults changes greatly along their strikes. To explore the mechanical relationship between far‐field tectonic loading and fault slip‐rate accumulation, we built a 3D viscoelastic

The Qilian Shan is a reactivated fold‐thrust belt at the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The initiated timing of the Qilian Shan's tectonic response to Indian‐Asian plate convergence has significant implications for our understanding of the growth of the TP, yet remains a controversial topic. We conducted apatite fission track analyses of the Cenozoic synorogenic sediments in the Subei

Despite Italy has one of the most complete and back‐in‐time extended seismic catalogue worldwide, our knowledge concerning the periodicity of the strongest earthquakes is still poor and debated. Whereas we are aware that almost all the highest magnitude classes (6 ≤ M ≤ 7) in the Italian peninsula are sourced by the normal fault systems paralleling the Apennines divide, the relatively low slip rates