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 kilometers faraway – the concerned methane is released via thermal groundwater outflows that are apparently not

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 rutile–

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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 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

The syenitic rocks of South Rallier du Baty Intrusive Complex (SRBIC) represent intrusions into the oceanic plateau basalts of the south‐western Kerguelen Islands. The SRBIC was previously interpreted as a typical ring complex due to magma emplacement with cauldron subsidence. Our new structural and geochronological data reveal that it is a laccolith built between 11.6 and 7.9 Ma by successive injections

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

The Daggyai geyserites serve as hosts for cesium deposits; however, their origin, whether by chemical deposition or biological formation, is a topic of debate. To decipher the origin of geyserites, the petrographic features of the geyserite samples were examined. The geyserites exhibited columnar laminated, planar laminated and spicular morphologies. Furthermore, they contained morphological and confocal

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

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

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

The dating of volcanic tephras forms a critical cornerstone of chronostratigraphy and is paramount for the resolution of the geological timescale. (U‐Th[‐Sm])/He dating is an emerging tool in Quaternary tephrochronology and ideally suited to date tephras <1 Ma. We present zircon, magnetite and apatite (U‐Th[‐Sm])/He combined with zircon U‐Pb data for a Pleistocene tephra in syn‐rift strata of the Woodlark

3D earthquake locations, focal mechanisms and stress tensor distribution in a 16‐month interval covering the 2018 Mt. Etna flank eruption, enabled us to investigate the relationship between magma intrusion and structural response of the volcano and shed light on the dynamic processes affecting the instability of Mt. Etna. The magma intrusion likely caused tension in the flanks of the volcano, leading

Structural analysis and new zircon U/Pb geochronology were performed in the Cuonadong Dome in order to test the hypothesis that the top‐to‐North deformation in the North Himalayan Gneiss Domes (NHGD) has been correlated with deformation along the South Tibetan detachment system (STDS). Structural analysis suggests that the X‐axes of sheath folds at the different flanks of the dome are consistent, and

The timing of Svalbard's assembly in relation to the mid‐Paleozoic Caledonian collision between Baltica and Laurentia remains contentious. The Svalbard archipelago consists of three basement provinces bounded by N–S‐trending strike–slip faults whose displacement histories are poorly understood. Here, we report microstructural and mineral chemistry data integrated with 40Ar/39Ar muscovite geochronology

The Early Cretaceous hyperextended Mauléon rift is localized in the north‐western Pyrenean orogen. We infer the Tertiary evolution of the Mauléon basin through the restoration of a 153‐km‐long crustal‐scale balanced cross‐section of the Pyrenean belt, which documents at least 67 km (31%) of orogenic shortening in the Western Pyrenees. Initial shortening, accommodated through inversion of inherited

Studies of basement‐bounded canyons in West Greenland show that these were long‐lasting features that extended inland for several hundreds of kilometres, acting as prominent sediment conduits sourcing the Albian–Palaeocene Nuussuaq Basin during several phases of basin evolution. The Ilulissat Icefjord canyon was the major conduit for sediment into the basin and provenance data indicate that it had

Records of Earth's primitive crust are scarce. Eoarchean (older than 3.6 Ga) banded mafic to felsic gneisses have been discovered in the São Francisco Craton, Brazil, pushing back by over 100 million years the oldest gneisses known to date in South America (3.5 Ga). Zircon U‐Pb data yield rock ages from 3,598 to 3,642 Ma with a few ca. 3.65–3.69 Ga grains suggesting even older rocks in the area. Zircon

Precise dating of the activity of Late Pleistocene to Holocene neo‐tectonic structures is crucial to quantify the rate of deformation in low‐seismicity regions. Sardinia is a relatively stable continental fragment set in the middle of the tectonically active Western Mediterranean belt. This paper provides evidences of significant uplift of northwest Sardinia that support an ongoing tectonic activity

To verify the usefulness of calcite U–Pb measurement for vertebrate‐bearing strata in the Eastern Gobi, Mongolia, we performed laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry calcite U–Pb and trace element analyses of three caliche (calcrete) of the Bayn Shire Formation. The trace element analysis demonstrates high concentration of U in the calcites. Two meaningful calcite U–Pb ages were

Within the Variscan Orogen, Early Devonian and Late Devonian high‐P belts separated by mid‐Devonian ophiolites can be interpreted as having formed in a single subduction zone. Early Devonian convergence nucleated a Laurussia‐dipping subduction zone from an inherited lithospheric neck (peri‐Gondwanan Cambrian back‐arc). Slab‐retreat induced upper plate extension, mantle incursion and lower plate thermal

Dating of young (<1 Ma) geological events has long been a challenge for geochronologists. Combining (U‐Th)/He with U‐Pb or U‐Th‐disequilibrium dating methods offers a unique dating tool that can address this important period. We present a new methodology that combines U‐Pb LA‐ICP‐MS and (U‐Th)/He dating of zircon and use it to date two Pleistocene marker tephras (A1Pm and DPm) from the Omachi Tephra

Heat‐flow in the Caribbean is poorly known and generally low in the major basins and the Greater Antilles arc, but with some high values in active zones, like in the Cayman trough or in the Lesser Antilles Arc. Here we present new heat‐flow data for offshore Haiti, which is part of the Greater Antilles arc. We obtain new heat‐flow estimates from in situ measurements and Bottom Simulating Reflector

There has been a longstanding debate about the nature of the 1908 Tunguska event. Many eyewitness accounts were collected more than half of a century after the event. Among these are many second‐hand oral accounts after the generation of eyewitnesses faded away. However, several years ago, two valuable publications appeared containing first‐hand eyewitness accounts collected by a Russian ethnographer

The Sheep Mountain‐Little Sheep Mountain Anticlines, Bighorn Basin (USA) formed as basement‐cored Laramide structures in the formerly undeformed foreland of the thin‐skinned Sevier orogen. We take advantage of the well‐constrained microstructural network there to reconstruct differential stress magnitudes that prevailed during both Sevier and Laramide layer‐parallel shortening (LPS), before the onset

Vorticity estimates based on porphyroclasts analysis are limited by the extrapolation to three dimensions of two‐dimensional data. We describe a 3D approach based on the use of X‐ray micro‐computed tomography that better reflects the real 3D geometry of the porphyroclasts population. This new approach for kinematic vorticity analysis in the Munsiari Thrust mylonites, the lower boundary of the Main

This study presents the first suite of apatite fission‐track (AFT) ages from the SE part of the Western Sudetes. AFT cooling ages from the Orlica‐Śnieżnik Dome and the Upper Nysa Kłodzka Graben range from Late Cretaceous (84 Ma) to Early Palaeocene–Middle Eocene (64–45 Ma). The first stage of basin evolution (~100–90 Ma) was marked by the formation of a local extensional depocentre and disruption of

The Tibetan plateau is host to numerous ~N‐S striking graben that have accommodated E‐W directed extension. The development of these structures has been interpreted to reflect a variety of different geological processes including plateau collapse, oroclinal bending or mid‐to‐lower crustal flow. New 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology and quartz c‐axis data from the Thakkhola graben of west‐central Nepal show

Closure and opening of oceans on time‐scales of a few hundred million years is a fundamental tectonic process on Earth, typically referred to as a “Wilson cycle”. Subduction of oceanic and continental crust leading up to and during continent–continent collision can refertilize and enrich the orogenic continental lithospheric mantle in heat‐producing elements. The resulting thermal anomaly weakens the

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.97–5.33 Ma) was caused by the closure of the Atlantic‐Mediterranean gateways that cut through the Gibraltar orogenic system. The geodynamic drivers underlying gateway closure and re‐opening are still debated. Here, we interrogate the gateway successions to find the imprints of surface deformation, infer the timing and nature of associated geodynamic drivers, and test

Low‐temperature thermochronology (LTT) is commonly used to investigate onshore records of continental rifting and geomorphic evolution of passive continental margins. The SE Australian passive margin, like many others, has an elevated plateau separated from the coastal plain by an erosional escarpment, presumed to originate through Cretaceous rifting prior to Tasman Sea seafloor spreading. Previous

Analysing the provenance changes of synorogenic sediments in the Turpan‐Hami basin by detrital zircon geochronology is an efficient tool to examine the uplift and erosion history of the easternmost Tian Shan. We present detrital zircon U‐Pb analysis from nine samples that were collected within marginal lacustrine Middle‐Late Jurassic and aeolian‐fluvial Early Cretaceous strata in the basin. Middle‐Early

The Natal Valley, offshore Mozambique, is a key area for understanding the evolution of East Gondwana. Within the scope of the integrated multidisciplinary PAMELA project, we present new wide‐angle seismic data and interpretations, which considerably alter Geoscience paradigms. These data reveal the presence of a 30‐km‐thick crust that we argue to be of continental nature. This falsifies all the most

The North Qilian Orogen (NQO) in northwest China underwent oceanic subduction and subsequent continental collision. Metasedimentary rocks from a deep borehole in the Dingxi Basin, NQO, contain garnet, biotite, plagioclase, quartz and minor cummingtonite and chlorite in the matrix, with inclusions of kyanite and staurolite in garnet. The mineral textures and compositions define clockwise pressure–temperature

Rivers with little to no influence of vegetation and their implications for the architecture of Early Paleozoic and Precambrian fluvial deposits are an important topic of investigation for both clastic sedimentology and Earth System evolution perspectives. Despite the long‐held concept of a dominant style of wide, shallow sheet‐braided sandy channels, growing evidence for a great variability of architectural