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Architecture and sedimentary evolution of the Ladinian Kobilji curek basin (External Dinarides, central Slovenia) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 Boštjan Rožič, Anja Kocjančič, Luka Gale, Nina Zupančič, Tomislav Popit, Primož Vodnik, Tea Kolar-Jurkovšek, Rok Brajkovič, Petra Žvab Rožič
The study area is located in cental Slovenia, and geologically located at the junction between the Alps and the Dinarides. The Middle Triassic of this region is characterised by intense rifting manifested by differential subsidence and volcanism. This led to a major paleogeographic reorganisation of the region, where three paleogeographic domains formed in the Upper Triassic: The Julian Carbonate Platform
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Report on an open dataset to constrain the Balmuccia peridotite body (Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Italy) through a participative gravity-modelling challenge Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 György Hetényi, Ludovic Baron, Matteo Scarponi, Shiba Subedi, Konstantinos Michailos, Fergus Dal, Anna Gerle, Benoît Petri, Jodok Zwahlen, Antonio Langone, Andrew Greenwood, Luca Ziberna, Mattia Pistone, Alberto Zanetti, Othmar Müntener
The Balmuccia peridotite exposes relatively fresh mantle rocks at the Earth’s surface, and as such it is of interest for geologists and geophysicists. The outcrop is a kilometre-scale feature, yet its extent at depth is insufficiently imaged. Our aim is to provide new constraints on the shape of the density anomaly this body represents, through 3D gravity modelling. In an effort to avoid personal or
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Christian Renggli receives the 2023 Paul Niggli Medal Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-29
The Paul Niggli Medal is Switzerland’s most prestigious award for young earth scientists who made outstanding contributions in the research fields of mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, resource geology or solid-earth geophysics. The Paul Niggli Medal honours and supports young ambassadors of Swiss geoscience, who are either Swiss citizens or obtained at least two of their academic degrees in the
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East Asian analogues for early Alpine orogenesis Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 John Milsom
The Alpine orogeny is a consequence of the collision of Africa with Eurasia, which eliminated the Western Tethys Ocean. Processes similar to those that would have taken place early in that collision can today be seen operating in the islands of the Indo-Pacific gateway between Southeast Asia and Australia and have the potential to offer insights into the beginnings of orogenesis in the Alps. Studies
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Overdeepenings in the Swiss plateau: U-shaped geometries underlain by inner gorges Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-12-05 Dimitri Bandou, Fritz Schlunegger, Edi Kissling, Urs Marti, Regina Reber, Jonathan Pfander
We investigated the mechanisms leading to the formation of tunnel valleys in the Swiss foreland near Bern. We proceeded through producing 3D maps of the bedrock topography based on drillhole information and a new gravimetric survey combined with modelling. In this context, the combination of information about the densities of the sedimentary fill and of the bedrock, together with published borehole
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Structural and metamorphic evolution of a subducted passive margin: insights from the Briançonnais nappes of the Western Alps (Ubaye–Maira valleys, France–Italy) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Davide Dana, Salvatore Iaccarino, Stefan M. Schmid, Alessandro Petroccia, André Michard
This contribution analyses the structural architecture and tectono-metamorphic evolution of Briançonnais units in the southern French-Italian Western Alps. The studied area extends from a virtually non-metamorphic area adjacent to the Helvetic-Dauphinois External Domain in the west to the Monviso-Queyras ocean-derived units in the east, where metamorphism increases up to eclogite-facies. Mapping at
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Evidence for a pre-Himalayan metamorphism in the High Himalayan Crystalline of the Miyar Valley (NW India) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Martin Robyr
Most of the tectonic, metamorphic and geochronological data suggest that the Himalaya is essentially the consequence of a single orogenic cycle associated with the India-Asia collision during the Cenozoic era. Therefore, metamorphic assemblages and tectonic structures across the Himalayan range are systematically considered as post-collisional geological records. However, over the last decades, several
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Lithofacies, stratigraphy and depositional history of Middle Muschelkalk evaporites (Zeglingen Formation) in northern Switzerland Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 Johannes S. Pietsch, Andreas Wetzel, Gaudenz Deplazes, Marco Filipponi
In northern Switzerland, Middle Muschelkalk evaporites (Zeglingen Formation) were deposited under arid conditions in the southernmost part of the epicontinental Central European Basin during times of reduced inflow of sea water from the Tethyan realm. Because of their marginal position in the basin, direct and detailed correlation of Muschelkalk sediments of northern Switzerland with equivalent strata
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Anatomy of a km-scale fault zone controlling the Oligo-Miocene bending of the Ligurian Alps (NW Italy): integration of field and 3D high-resolution digital outcrop model data Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Ludovico Manna, Michele Perozzo, Niccolò Menegoni, Silvia Tamburelli, Laura Crispini, Laura Federico, Silvio Seno, Matteo Maino
We report the first description of a ~ 15 km long NE-SW-striking transtensive fault network crosscutting the metamorphic units of the Ligurian Alps. The main fault zone, hereby named Horse Head Fault Zone, is up to 250 m thick, involves quarzite, metarhyolite, marble and alternation of dolostone and limestone and minor pelite. Relatively narrow (~ 1–3 m-thick) fault cores are characterized by gouge
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Mid-Cretaceous extensional magmatism in the Alborz Mountains, north Iran; geochemistry and geochronology of Gasht-Masuleh gabbros Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-22 Leila Rezaei, Martin J. Timmerman, Mohssen Moazzen, Uwe Altenberger, Jiří Sláma, Masafumi Sudo, Christina Günter, Franziska D. H. Wilke, Anja M. Schleicher
In the Gasht-Masuleh area in the Alborz Mountains, gabbroic magma intruded Palaeozoic metasediments and Mesozoic sediments and crystallised as isotropic and cumulate gabbros. LREE enrichment points to relatively low degrees of mantle melting and depletion of Ti, Nb and Ta relative to primitive mantle points to an arc related component in the magma. Clinopyroxene compositions indicate MORB to arc signatures
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The Twannberg iron meteorite strewn field in the Swiss Jura mountains: insights for Quaternary environmental conditions Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-09 Beda A. Hofmann, Naki Akçar, Sönke Szidat, Pierre G. Valla, Marcus Christl, Christoph Vockenhuber
The ~ 10 km2 strewn field of the Twannberg type IIG iron meteorite is located in the Swiss Jura Mountains, 30 km northwest of Bern. The strewn field has been mapped by a group of citizen scientists since 2006, yielding more than 2000 meteorite fragments with a total mass of 152.7 kg until the end of 2022. With a terrestrial age of 176 ± 19 ka and a minimum pre-atmospheric mass of ~ 250 t, the Twannberg
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Palaeomagnetic and mineral magnetic analyses of the Deckenschotter of northern Switzerland and southern Germany Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-31 Stephanie Scheidt, Marius W. Buechi, Ramon Egli, Andrea R. Biedermann, Gaudenz Deplazes
The Deckenschotter is a fluvial to glaciofluvial gravel unit in northern Switzerland and southern Germany. The deposits are considered the oldest preserved glacial to interglacial Quaternary deposits in the northern Alpine foreland and are thus important geomorphological markers for landscape evolution. Nevertheless, the age of the deposits is only approximately known and subject to controversial debates
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Sedimentology of the Jura Molasse: Miocene tidal clastics and freshwater carbonates from the Tramelan-2 Borehole, NW Switzerland Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-28 Nigel H. Platt, Albert Matter
The Tramelan-2 borehole (Canton Bern, Switzerland) continuously cored a 275.60 m sequence of Palaeogene to Neogene sediments, providing a rare opportunity for sedimentological analysis of the Jura Molasse. Lithostratigraphy, sedimentary facies and heavy minerals allow correlation with the classical Swiss Molasse. Evidence for clastic input from Alpine and non-Alpine sources is consistent with deposition
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Tectonics of the Western Internal Jura fold-and-thrust belt: 2D kinematic forward modelling Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-11 Adeline Marro, Louis Hauvette, Sandra Borderie, Jon Mosar
The balancing technique, called 2D kinematic forward modelling, is a powerful tool to understand the kinematic evolution of fold-and-thrust belts. This study presents a new 2D kinematic forward model for the westernmost Internal Jura fold-and-thrust belt (FTB), situated immediately adjacent to the Geneva Basin. The technique used not only provides a new valid balanced cross-section but also offers
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First fossil record of Varanus (Reptilia, Squamata) from Switzerland and the earliest occurrences of the genus in Europe Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-06-30 Georgios L. Georgalis, Bastien Mennecart, Krister T. Smith
We here describe two isolated fossil teeth from the Early Miocene (MN 4) of Hüenerbach, Switzerland. The material is tentatively referred to Varanus, marking the first occurrence of this iconic lizard genus in the Swiss fossil record, while it also represents one of its earliest occurrences from Europe, being coeval with other records from Spain, France, and the Czech Republic. Important diagnostic
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Microstructural characterization of natural fractures and faults in the Opalinus Clay: insights from a deep drilling campaign across central northern Switzerland Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-06-29 Ismay Vénice Akker, Raphael Schneeberger, Marco Herwegh, Nathan Looser, Lukas Aschwanden, Martin Mazurek, Kurt Decker, Andreas Ebert, Marcel Guillong, Stefano M. Bernasconi, Christoph Schrank, Michael W. M. Jones, Andrew Langendam, Herfried Madritsch
The Middle-Jurassic Opalinus Clay is the foreseen host rock for radioactive waste disposal in central northern Switzerland. An extensive drilling campaign aiming to characterize the argillaceous formation resulted in a comprehensive drill core data set. The rheologically weak Opalinus Clay is only mildly deformed compared to the over- and underlying rock units but shows a variety of natural fractures
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Impact of mechanical stratigraphy on deformation style and distribution of seismicity in the central External Dinarides: a 2D forward kinematic modelling study Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-06-21 Philipp Balling, Bruno Tomljenović, Marijan Herak, Kamil Ustaszewski
The External Dinarides fold-thrust belt formed during Mid-Eocene–Oligocene times by SW-propagating thrusting from the Internal Dinarides towards the Adriatic foreland. Although previously considered as structurally quite uniform, recent work reported along-strike contrasting deformation styles in two structural domains within this fold-thrust belt. The two areas with very contrasting deformation styles
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Genesis of host rock in the Tamusu Mudstone pre-selected area in Northwest China for high-level radioactive waste geological disposal purposes Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-05-24 Long Xiang, Xiaodong Liu, Pinghui Liu, Chaocheng Dai, Meixia Jiang
Mudstone characterized by typical structures and mineral assemblages in the Tamusu Mudstone pre-selected area, in Inner Mongolia, Northwest China, has been selected as a potential host rock for China’s high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repository purpose. Based on indications of petrological and geochemical characteristics, hydrothermal sedimentary geneses of host rock are well discussed from the
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From freshwater inflows to salt lakes and salt deposits in the Qaidam Basin, W China Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-05-24 I. Stober, J. Zhong, K. Bucher
The Qaidam basin in W China is an immense hyperarid intramontane basin with flat vast playas and salt lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The central basin is about 2800–2900 m a.s.l. elevation and enclosed by mountain ranges reaching > 5800 m in the Qilian Mountains and > 6200 m in the eastern Kunlun Mountains. The extensive playas of the basin are covered by gypsum or halite with very subordinate
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Continental weathering as the source of iron in Jurassic iron oolites from Switzerland Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-05-24 Stefan Schunck, Jörg Rickli, Stephan Wohlwend, Helmut Weissert, Derek Vance
Iron is extremely insoluble in oxic seawater. The lack of a large aqueous reservoir means that sediments rich in authigenic iron are rare in the modern ocean. In the Middle Jurassic, however, condensed iron-rich sedimentary rocks are widely distributed. Their formation coincides with increased volcanic activity and continental weathering related to the breakup of Pangea, suggesting iron supply through
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Sedimentary architecture of shallow-water fan-delta front in a lacustrine basin: Sangyuan section of Lower Cretaceous Xiguayuan Formation, Luanping Basin, northeast China Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-05-24 Ke Zhang, Shenghe Wu, Hehua Wang, Zhongrong Mi, Jianhua Qu, Zhikun Wang, Haonan Wang
The sedimentary architecture of fan deltas, which commonly constitute reservoirs, is a primary control on distribution and recovery efficiency of oil and gas. Deep-water fan deltas have been extensively discussed in the literature, whereas the sedimentary architecture of shallow-water fan-delta fronts, especially the characterization of mouth bar, quantification of architectural elements, and factors
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Schistes Lustrés in a hyper-extended continental margin setting and reinterpretation of the limit between the Mont Fort and Tsaté nappes (Middle and Upper Penninics, Western Swiss Alps) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-03-20 Adrien Pantet, Jean-Luc Epard, Henri Masson, Claudia Baumgartner-Mora, Peter Oliver Baumgartner, Lukas Baumgartner
The Schistes Lustrés form a large and complex unit at the top of the Penninic nappe stack of the Alpine belt. Calcschists, partly of Late Cretaceous age, constitute the dominant lithology. They are closely associated both with blueschist facies Piemont-Ligurian ophiolites and continent-derived Mesozoic metasediments. The question of whether the Schistes Lustrés originated on continental or oceanic
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Record of a dense succession of drowning phases in the Alpstein mountains, northeastern Switzerland: Part II—the Lower Cretaceous Schrattenkalk Formation (late Barremian) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2023-01-24 Antoine Pictet, Karl Tschanz, Peter Kürsteiner
The Schrattenkalk Formation represents a complete succession of Lower Cretaceous shallow-water carbonate platform series cropping out in the Alpstein massif of north-eastern Switzerland. The Schrattenkalk Formation is traditionally divided into two sedimentary units, the “Lower” and the “Upper” Schrattenkalk, separated by the more marly Rawil Member. The “Lower” Schrattenkalk is habitually dated to
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Juliana Troch receives the 2022 Paul Niggli Medal Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-12-30
The Paul Niggli Medal is Switzerland’s most prestigious award for young earth scientists who made outstanding contributions in the research fields of mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, resource geology or solid-earth geophysics. The Paul Niggli Medal honours and supports young ambassadors of Swiss geoscience, who are either Swiss citizens or obtained at least two of their academic degrees in the
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Rift-related paleogeography of the European margin in the Eastern Alps (Central Tauern Window) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-12-29 Groß, Philip, Pleuger, Jan, Handy, Mark R.
Continent-derived tectonic units in the Tauern Window of the Alps exhibit stratigraphic and structural traces of extension of continental margins eventually leading to the opening of the Alpine Tethys. In this study, we reassess lithostratigraphic data from the central part of the Tauern Window to reconstruct the post-Variscan evolution of this area, particularly the rift-related geometry of the European
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Influence of rheologically weak layers on fault architecture: insights from analogue models in the context of the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-12-16 Zwaan, Frank, Schreurs, Guido, Madritsch, Herfried, Herwegh, Marco
We present a series of analogue models inspired by the geology of the Zürcher Weinland region in the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin of Switzerland to explore the influence of rheological weak, i.e. (partially) ductile layers on the 3D evolution of tectonic deformation. Our model series test the impact of varying weak layer thickness and rheology, as well as different kinematics of an underlying “basal
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Marine facies differentiation along complex paleotopography: an example from the Middle Miocene (Serravallian) of Lower Austria Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-12-12 Piller, Werner E., Auer, Gerald, Graber, Hugo, Gross, Martin
In the area of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg (Hainburg Mountains, Lower Austria) a Middle Miocene transgression over Mesozoic basement was explored in the course of the Danube power plant project “Hainburg”. The Mesozoic basement forms a narrow ridge dipping to the northeast towards the Vienna Basin, covered by various Miocene sediments. The ridge represents a specific paleotopography that required a detailed
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The Flims rock avalanche: structure and consequences Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-11-28 Pfiffner, O. Adrian
The Flims rock avalanche has a gliding surface that cuts down section in a limestone sequence and does not follow a weak horizon. The gliding surface is parallel to bedding and/or to the penetrative Alpine foliation in the limestone that is characterized by a shape-preferred orientation of calcite grains. Predisposition was governed by structural weaknesses in form of sub-vertical fault zones within
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Thermal evolution of a Variscan syn-orogenic intracontinental basin (Servoz basin, Western Alps): RSCM geothermometry and geochronology Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-11-24 Vanardois, Jonas, Lahfid, Abdeltif, Trap, Pierre, Lacroix, Brice, Roger, Françoise, Guillou-Frottier, Laurent, Marquer, Didier, Paquette, Jean-Louis, Melleton, Jérémie
The Variscan basement of the Aiguilles-Rouges massif (Western Alps) exposes the Servoz syncline which consists of a metavolcano-sedimentary sequence composed of (i) a volcanic unit of unknown age and origin, (ii) Early Carboniferous sedimentary series affected by the Variscan orogeny and intruded by the Montées-Pélissier pluton, and (iii) a Late Carboniferous late-orogenic sedimentary sequence. We
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A gravimetric assessment of the Gotthard Base Tunnel geological model: insights from a novel gravity terrain-adaptation correction and rock physics data Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-11-11 Scarponi, M., Hetényi, G., Baron, L., Marti, U.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) is a 57 km long railway tunnel, constructed in the Central Alps in Switzerland and extending mainly North–South across numerous geological units. We acquired 80 new gravity data points at the surface along the GBT profile and used 77 gravity measurements in the tunnel to test and constrain the shallow crustal, km-scale geological model established during the tunnel construction
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Record of a dense succession of drowning phases in the Alpstein mountains, north-eastern Switzerland: part I—the Lower Cretaceous Tierwis Formation (latest Hauterivian to latest Barremian) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-08-22 Pictet, Antoine, Kürsteiner, Peter, Tschanz, Karl, Tajika, Amane
In the Alpstein massif of north-eastern Switzerland, a complete succession of uppermost Hauterivian to uppermost Barremian condensed hemipelagic sediments crops out. This succession is known as Tierwis Formation, comprising in ascending order, the Altmann and Drusberg members. The sedimentary succession bears a number of fossiliferous glauconite- or phosphate-rich beds. A large number of newly discovered
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Reassessing the intrusive tempo and magma genesis of the late Variscan Aar batholith: U–Pb geochronology, trace element and initial Hf isotope composition of zircon Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-07-18 Ruiz, Mélissa, Schaltegger, Urs, Gaynor, Sean P., Chiaradia, Massimo, Abrecht, Jürgen, Gisler, Christian, Giovanoli, Federico, Wiederkehr, Michael
The Variscan orogeny was responsible for the formation of a significant volume of igneous basement throughout present-day Europe. Detailed understanding of these rocks has, however, been obfuscated by significant overprinting during younger geologic events. In order to better understand the formation of this basement, we present U–Pb dates, trace element concentrations and Hf isotope compositions of
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The Maira-Sampeyre and Val Grana Allochthons (south Western Alps): review and new data on the tectonometamorphic evolution of the Briançonnais distal margin Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-06-07 Michard, André, Schmid, Stefan M., Lahfid, Abdeltif, Ballèvre, Michel, Manzotti, Paola, Chopin, Christian, Iaccarino, Salvatore, Dana, Davide
Here we describe the structure, the high-pressure, low-temperature (HP-LT) metamorphism and tectonic evolution of the Briançonnais distal margin units from the south Western Alps. The studied area extends southwest of the Dora-Maira (U)HP basement units and east-southeast of the classical Briançonnais nappes. A new structural map accompanied by geological profiles shows the thrusting of the oceanic
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Coupling length: a generalized gleno-acetabular distance measurement for interpreting the size and gait of quadrupedal trackmakers Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-05-12 Stevens, Kent A., Ernst, Scott, Marty, Daniel
The gleno-acetabular distance DGA, a conventional proxy for the size of a quadrupedal trackmaker, is often estimated as the distance GA between the midpoint between a left and right pair of pes tracks and the midpoint between a selected pair of left and right manus tracks. While frequently used to estimate trackmaker size from fossil trackways, the relationship between GA and DGA depends upon the gait
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New paleontological and biostratigraphical data (calcareous nannofossils, ostracods, brachiopods), correlations and lithostratigraphic units in the Urgonian facies (latest Hauterivian-Barremian) of the Swiss and French Jura Mountains: the Falaises Member and the Saars Formation (former “Gorges de l’Orbe Formation”) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-05-10 Mojon, Pierre‑Olivier, De Kaenel, Eric
From latest Hauterivian to latest Barremian, the Urgonian facies of the Swiss and French Jura Mountains are subdivided into three formations and five members: new Saars Formation (= former “Gorges de l’Orbe Formation” sensu Strasser et al., 2016; Pictet, 2021) with a new Falaises Member below the Montcherand and Bôle members of Pictet (2021), Rocher des Hirondelles Formation with Fort de l’Ecluse and
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Integrated stratigraphic, sedimentological and petrographical evaluation for CERN’s Future Circular Collider subsurface infrastructure (Geneva Basin, Switzerland-France) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-05-03 Haas, Maximilian, Carraro, Davide, Ventra, Dario, Plötze, Michael, De Haller, Antoine, Moscariello, Andrea
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is currently undertaking a feasibility study to build the next-generation particle accelerator, named the Future Circular Collider (FCC), hosted in a 90–100 km subsurface infrastructure in the Geneva Basin, extending across western Switzerland and adjacent France. This article represents a preliminary, basin-scale stratigraphic and lithotype analysis
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Crushed but not lost: a colubriform snake (Serpentes) from the Miocene Swiss Molasse, identified through the use of micro-CT scanning technology Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-04-22 Georgalis, Georgios L., Scheyer, Torsten M.
An incomplete postcranial skeleton of a snake from the middle Miocene of the Swiss Molasse in Käpfnach mine, near Zurich, Switzerland, is described in this paper. The skeleton is rather crushed and resting on a block of coal, with only some articulated vertebrae partially discerned via visual microscopy. We conducted micro-CT scanning in the specimen and we digitally reconstructed the whole preserved
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Serpentinite dehydration at low pressures Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-04-15 Kempf, Elias D., Hermann, Jörg, Connolly, James A. D.
Petrographic observations combined with mineral compositional analyses constrain the phase relations of prograde metamorphosed serpentinites in the Bergell contact aureole (Italy). In a 1500 m profile perpendicular to the north-eastern edge of the Bergell intrusion, seven dehydration reactions ran to completion. Three previously undocumented reactions have been identified within 70 m of the intrusive
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Traces of a prehistoric and potentially tsunamigenic mass movement in the sediments of Lake Thun (Switzerland) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-04-09 Kremer, Katrina, Fabbri, Stefano C., Evers, Frederic M., Schweizer, Nora, Wirth, Stefanie B.
Mass movements constitute major natural hazards in the Alpine realm. When triggered on slopes adjacent to lakes, these mass movements can generate tsunami-like waves that may cause additional damage along the shore. For hazard assessment, knowledge about the occurrence, the trigger and the geomechanical and hydrogeological mechanisms of these mass movements is necessary. For reconstructing mass movements
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Glaciofluvial sequences recording the Birrfeld Glaciation (MIS 5d–2) in the Bern area, Swiss Plateau Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-26 Pfander, Jonathan, Schlunegger, Fritz, Serra, Elena, Gribenski, Natacha, Garefalakis, Philippos, Akçar, Naki
In this paper, we document that glaciofluvial gravel sequences and glacial till deposits that are exposed in the Müntschemier and Finsterhennen gravel pits (Swiss Plateau west of Bern) record three glacial advances during the Birrfeld Glaciation, which corresponds to the last glacial cycle. Sedimentological logging shows that both gravel pits expose deposits of glaciofluvial braided river systems.
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Early Pleistocene complex cut-and-fill sequences in the Alps Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-24 Dieleman, Catharina, Christl, Marcus, Vockenhuber, Christof, Gautschi, Philip, Akçar, Naki
Cut-and-fill sequences are the result of climatically or tectonically induced alternating aggradation and incision phases of a fluvial system. A recently established cosmogenic nuclide chronology of the Cover Gravels (Deckenschotter in German) in the northern Alpine Foreland, which are the oldest Quaternary glaciofluvial gravels and comprise evidence of early Pleistocene glaciations, suggests a cut-and-fill
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120 years of georesources research in Switzerland: the Swiss Geotechnical Commission (1899–2018) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-24 Heuberger, S., Nibourel, L., Fulda, D., Vernooij, M. G. C.
Geological surveys have a wide range of tasks for their countries: to map the geology and to assess the georesources potential for metallic ores, industrial minerals, geothermal energy, fossil fuels, aggregates and groundwater. In Europe, most countries founded geological surveys around the mid-nineteenth century in order to create an overview of the geological resources they wanted to exploit. In
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Deep hydrochemical section through the Central Alps: evolution of deep water in the continental upper crust and solute acquisition during water–rock-interaction along the Sedrun section of the Gotthard Base Tunnel Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-24 Stober, Ingrid, Giovanoli, Federico, Wiebe, Victoria, Bucher, Kurt
Drilling of the Gotthard Rail Base Tunnel through the Central Alps from 2005 to 2010 opened up fractured basement units and frequent water inflows provided access to the major fluid-rock interactions processes in orogenic crystalline upper crust. Construction of the 57 km long tunnel was divided into five different sections. Here we report data and observations from the 10 km long central Sedrun section
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Geology along the Bedretto tunnel: kinematic and geochronological constraints on the evolution of the Gotthard Massif (Central Alps) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-19 Rast, Markus, Galli, Andrea, Ruh, Jonas B., Guillong, Marcel, Madonna, Claudio
The unlined Bedretto tunnel crosses large parts of the pre-Triassic basement of the Gotthard massif (Central Alps), giving the possibility to study late-Variscan plutonic rocks (Rotondo granite) and their Caledonian (poly-)metamorphic host rocks (Tremola and Prato series). The Rotondo granite consists mostly of an equigranular, fine-grained granite and to a lesser extent of a porphyritic granite. Commonly
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Postglacial evolution of Lake Constance: sedimentological and geochemical evidence from a deep-basin sediment core Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-05 Schaller, Sebastian, Böttcher, Michael E., Buechi, Marius W., Epp, Laura S., Fabbri, Stefano C., Gribenski, Natacha, Harms, Ulrich, Krastel, Sebastian, Liebezeit, Alina, Lindhorst, Katja, Marxen, Hanna, Raschke, Ulli, Schleheck, David, Schmiedinger, Iris, Schwalb, Antje, Vogel, Hendrik, Wessels, Martin, Anselmetti, Flavio S.
The modern, over 250-m-deep basin of Lake Constance represents the underfilled northern part of an over 400-m-deep, glacially overdeepened trough, which reaches well into the Alps at its southern end. The overdeepening was formed by repeated glacial advance-retreat cycles of the Rhine Glacier throughout the Middle to Late Pleistocene. A seismic survey of Lake Constance revealed a Quaternary sediment
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First record of the brachiopod Erymnaria in the Chruteren Member (Euthal Formation) from a new Palaeogene site in the Brülisau Schuppenzone of northeastern Switzerland (Canton St. Gallen) with remarks on shell asymmetry Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-02 Sulser, Heinz, Menkveld-Gfeller, Ursula, Bolliger, Thomas, Kürsteiner, Peter, Tschanz, Karl
A small, smooth-shelled rhynchonellid brachiopod, Erymnaria Cooper, 1959 was discovered in a previously unknown locality in the so-called Brülisau Schuppenzone (imbricate zone) of the South Helvetic region of northeastern Switzerland. It is the first record of this genus in this region and in Switzerland in general. It is comparable to the type species of Erymnaria, E. polymorpha (Massalongo, 1850)
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Seismic history of western Anatolia during the last 16 kyr determined by cosmogenic 36Cl dating Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-02-17 Mozafari, Nasim, Özkaymak, Çağlar, Sümer, Ökmen, Tikhomirov, Dmitry, Uzel, Bora, Yeşilyurt, Serdar, Ivy-Ochs, Susan, Vockenhuber, Christof, Sözbilir, Hasan, Akçar, Naki
Western Anatolia is one of the most seismically active regions worldwide. To date, the paleoseismic history of many major faults, in terms of recurrence intervals of destructive earthquakes, their magnitude, displacement, and slip rates is poorly understood. Regional crustal extension has produced major horst-graben systems bounded by kilometer-scale normal faults locally in carbonates, along which
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Anatomy and kinematic evolution of an ancient passive margin involved into an orogenic wedge (Western Southern Alps, Varese area, Italy and Switzerland) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-31 Scaramuzzo, Emanuele, Livio, Franz A., Granado, Pablo, Di Capua, Andrea, Bitonte, Raffaele
We make use of own geological mapping, interpretations of seismic reflection profiles and deep geophysical data to build a lithospheric-scale cross-section across the European Western Southern Alps (Varese area) and to model a progressive restoration from the end of Mesozoic rifting to present-day. Early phases of Alpine orogeny were characterized by Europe-directed thrusting, whereas post-Oligocene
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The deep Basel-1 geothermal well: an attempt assessing the predrilling hydraulic and hydrochemical conditions in the basement of the Upper Rhine Graben Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-31 Stober, Ingrid, Ladner, Florentin, Hofer, Moritz, Bucher, Kurt
Hydrogeological properties of fluid reservoirs in the brittle continental crust at 5 km have been deduced from hydraulic and chemical data provided by the Deep Heat Mining well Basel-1 in the south of the Upper Rhine rift valley (central Europe, Switzerland). The investigation was challenging because no direct temperature logs or fluid samples from the undisturbed reservoir exist. However, the properties
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The Saint-Ursanne earthquakes of 2000 revisited: evidence for active shallow thrust-faulting in the Jura fold-and-thrust belt Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-06 Lanza, Federica, Diehl, Tobias, Deichmann, Nicholas, Kraft, Toni, Nussbaum, Christophe, Schefer, Senecio, Wiemer, Stefan
The interpretation of seismotectonic processes within the uppermost few kilometers of the Earth’s crust has proven challenging due to the often significant uncertainties in hypocenter locations and focal mechanisms of shallow seismicity. Here, we revisit the shallow seismic sequence of Saint-Ursanne of March and April 2000 and apply advanced seismological analyses to reduce these uncertainties. The
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Correction to: New insights on the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian–Barremian) Urgonian lithostratigraphic units in the Jura Mountains (France and Switzerland): the Gorges de l’Orbe and the Rocher des Hirondelles formations Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-05 Pictet, Antoine
Following publication of the original article (Pictet 2021), Dr. Pierre-Olivier Mojon protested officially about his past collaboration being ignored according to him and about the inappropriate use of his ostracod data. The publication of this erratum is thus necessary in order to clarify these points, correct inaccuracies and indicate clearly the sources of ostracod data lacking in the caption of
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Arya Udry receives the 2021 Paul Niggli Medal Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-12-29
The Paul Niggli Medal is Switzerland’s most prestigious award for young earth scientists who made outstanding contributions in the research fields of mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, resource geology or solid-earth geophysics. The Paul Niggli Medal honours and supports young ambassadors of Swiss geoscience, who are either Swiss citizens or obtained at least two of their academic degrees in the
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Subaqueous geomorphology and delta dynamics of Lake Brienz (Switzerland): implications for the sediment budget in the alpine realm Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-12-20 Fabbri, Stefano C., Haas, Isabel, Kremer, Katrina, Motta, Danae, Girardclos, Stéphanie, Anselmetti, Flavio S.
Non-invasive techniques such as seismic investigations and high-resolution multibeam sonars immensely improved our understanding of the geomorphology and sediment regimes in both the lacustrine and the marine domain. However, only few studies provide quantifications of basin wide-sediment budgets in lakes. Here, we use the combination of high-resolution bathymetric mapping and seismic reflection data
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Seismic anisotropy of Opalinus Clay: tomographic investigations using the infrastructure of an underground rock laboratory (URL) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-11-27 Esefelder, Roman, Wawerzinek, Britta, Lüth, Stefan, Giese, Rüdiger, Krawczyk, Charlotte M.
Seismic anisotropy and attenuation make claystone formations difficult to characterize. On the other hand, in many geotechnical environments, precise knowledge of structure and elastic properties of clay formations is needed. In crystalline and rock salt underground structures, high-resolution seismic tomography and reflection imaging have proven a useful tool for structural and mechanical characterization
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Alpine peak pressure and tectono-metamorphic history of the Monte Rosa nappe: evidence from the cirque du Véraz, upper Ayas valley, Italy Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-10-29 Vaughan-Hammon, Joshua D., Luisier, Cindy, Baumgartner, Lukas P., Schmalholz, Stefan M.
The Monte Rosa nappe consists of a wide range of lithologies that record conditions associated with peak Alpine metamorphism. While peak temperature conditions inferred from previous studies largely agree, variable peak pressures have been estimated for the Alpine high-pressure metamorphic event. Small volumes of whiteschist lithologies with the assemblage chloritoid + phengite + talc + quartz record
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Peter Jung-Bandelier (1937–2019): a life-long dedication to Caribbean Cenozoic mollusks and to the Natural History Museum Basel Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-10-11 Etter, Walter
Peter Jung-Bandelier (Fig. 1) died on February 27th 2019 in Santa Maria Val Müstair, canton Graubünden, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Suzanne Jung-Bandelier, daughter Regula Jung and son Thomas Jung. With his death, the scientific community has lost an eminent expert of Cenozoic mollusks, mainly of the tropical Americas. He was the last of a long line of scientists affiliated with
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New insights on the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian–Barremian) Urgonian lithostratigraphic units in the Jura Mountains (France and Switzerland): the Gorges de l’Orbe and the Rocher des Hirondelles formations Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-10-06 Pictet, Antoine
The Hauterivian–Barremian series of the Jura Mountains were measured over more than 60 sections along a 200 km long transect between Aix-les-Bains (Savoie Department, France) and Bienne (Bern Canton, Switzerland), which prompted the need for a revision and improvement of the current lithostratigraphic scheme for this stratigraphic interval. A new formation, the Rocher des Hirondelles Formation, is
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Seiches and the slide/seiche dynamics; subcritical and supercritical subaquous mass flows and their deposits. Examples from Swiss Lakes Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-10-04 Siegenthaler, Christoph
Four historically documented large and potentially dangerous lacustrine waves in Swiss lakes show that these waves have been seiches (standing waves) triggered by sublacustrine slides; a statement which is in accordance with the experience of seismologists who see earthquakes triggering seiches in lakes. Nevertheless, large historical waves in Switzerland have recently been modeled as progressive shallow
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Eclogitic metamorphism in the Alpine far-west: petrological constraints on the Banchetta-Rognosa tectonic unit (Val Troncea, Western Alps) Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-09-16 Corno, Alberto, Groppo, Chiara, Mosca, Pietro, Borghi, Alessandro, Gattiglio, Marco
The Banchetta-Rognosa tectonic unit (BRU), covering an area of 10 km2 in the upper Chisone valley, consists of two successions referred to a continental margin (Monte Banchetta succession) and a proximal oceanic domain (Punta Rognosa succession) respectively. In both successions, Mesozoic meta-sedimentary covers discordantly lie on their basement. This paper presents new data on the lithostratigraphy
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On the use of gravity data in delineating geologic features of interest for geothermal exploration in the Geneva Basin (Switzerland): prospects and limitations Swiss J. Geosci. (IF 3.1) Pub Date : 2021-07-21 L. Guglielmetti, A. Moscariello
Gravity data retrieved from the Bureau Gravimétrique International and the Gravimetric Atlas of Switzerland have been used to evaluate their applicability as a subsurface investigation tool to assess key geological features in support of the geothermal exploration in the Geneva Basin (GB). In this context, the application of an effective processing workflow able to produce reliable residual gravity