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 modeling, we show how the relative motion of modeled blocks are 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

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 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 preexisting strong blocks within the

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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