The Youjiang Basin is usually regarded as an important foreland basin in the southern part of the South China Block that is related to the convergence of the South China and Indochina blocks during the Permian-Triassic. However, the nature of the basin remains controversial due to questions about the subduction polarity and suture boundary between these two blocks. Permian-Triassic felsic volcanics

Reliable ages of proximal conglomerates in the Cordilleran foreland basin that are associated with emplacement and erosion of major thrust sheets are essential for reconstructing the kinematic history of the Sevier fold-thrust belt. Although these conglomerates have been dated by palynology, their absolute ages have been difficult to determine because of their coarse-grained texture and a lack of marine

The unexpected intersection of rhyolitic magma and retrieval of quenched glass particles at the Iceland Deep Drilling Project-1 geothermal well in 2009 at Krafla, Iceland, provide unprecedented opportunities to characterize the genesis, storage, and behavior of subsurface silicic magma. In this study, we analyzed the complete time series of glass particles retrieved after magma was intersected, in

Boninites in many supra-subduction zone ophiolites are thought to mark the early stage of subduction. The Troodos ophiolite in Cyprus contains a variety of volcanic rocks including the lower pillow lavas and the boninite-bearing upper pillow lavas (UPL). Here we present major, trace element and Pb isotope data for melt inclusions in olivine from the UPL on the northern flank of the Troodos ophiolite

Riverine measurements of sediment and solute transport give empirical basin-scale estimates of bed-load, suspended-sediment, and silicate-solute fluxes for 100,000 km2 of northwestern California and western Oregon. This spatially explicit sediment budget shows the multifaceted control of geology and physiography on the rates and processes of fluvial denudation. Bed-load transport is greatest for steep

Knowledge of the timing of the closure of the Meso-Tethys Ocean as represented by the Bangong–Nujiang Suture Zone, i.e., the timing of the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision, is critical for understanding the Mesozoic tectonics of the Tibetan Plateau. But this timing is hotly debated; existing suggestions vary from the Middle Jurassic (ca. 166 Ma) to Late Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma). In this study, we describe

Hydrothermal iron-oxyhydroxide chimney mounds (iron mounds) have been discovered in a fishing port in Nagahama Bay, located on the southwest coast of Satsuma Iwo-Jima Island, south of Kyushu Island, Japan. In the fishing port, uncovered ∼1.0-m-high iron mounds in shallow waters formed under relatively calm conditions. Typically, the fishing port has orange-colored turbid waters that mix with outer

Earthquake ground surface ruptures provide insights into faulting mechanics and inform seismic hazard analyses. We analyze surface ruptures for 11 historical (1968–2018) moment magnitude (Mw) 4.7–6.6 reverse earthquakes in Australia using statistical techniques and compare their characteristics with magnetic, gravity, and stress trajectory data sets. Of the total combined (summative) length of all

Carbonate hillslopes are often soil mantled and display a classic convex morphology. In this study we examine controls on carbonate hillslope denudation and morphology using a modified regolith mass balance equation to account for chemical weathering and dust input—two fluxes that are commonly neglected in settings with silicate-dominated bedrock. We utilize seven study sites in the Eastern Mediterranean

Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic sedimentation shows systematic temporal-spatial variations within South China, which must be considered in reconstructing geological evolution of South China in response to global plate reorganization from the breakup of Rodinia to the assembly of Gondwana. We use >1000 new U-Pb and Hf isotopic data for detrital zircons from Neoproterozoic–Cambrian strata across the western

The complex sedimentary processes from source to sink lead to a substantial fractionation of sediment size and composition. Relatively coarse-grained, continent-derived detritus is rarely transported and deposited in the deep ocean, and the terminus of this sediment routing system is poorly understood. Sandy turbidite deposits within the Upper Miocene–Pleistocene strata drilled in the deep central

The Philippine Mobile Belt is a complex plate boundary with multiple terranes in Southeast Asia, yet its early tectonic evolution is still not fully understood due to a scarcity of solid evidence. Here we report new whole rock geochemical, Sr-Nd isotopic, and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic data for Cretaceous-Miocene arc magmatic rocks from the Cebu and Bohol Islands, Philippine Mobile Belt. Bulk geochemical

The Upper Cretaceous Fort Crittenden Formation exposed in the Santa Rita and Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona is a syntectonic deposit that has been associated with Laramide tectonic activity. However, the spatio-temporal relationships among Cretaceous sedimentation, magmatism, basement exhumation, and possible flat slab-related processes in the southern Laramide region remain poorly understood

Amphibolite retrograded from high-pressure (HP) mafic granulite can provide valuable insight into exhumation of deeply buried crust in orogenic belts. In the north Hengshan terrane of the North China Craton, amphibolite occurs as rims of HP mafic granulite block or as smaller homogeneous boudins representing retrograde products of the granulite. Three amphibolite samples were selected. The rocks are

In this study, we present whole-rock geochemistry and Sm-Nd data; zircon trace element, U-Pb, and Lu-Hf data; titanite U-Pb dating; and structural analysis of igneous and metasedimentary rocks of the Sawtooth metamorphic complex that provide insight into regional metamorphism, partial melting, and crustal thickening in the Idaho batholith segment of the Cordilleran orogen. Four magmatic events are

Basement fault reactivation, and the growth, interaction, and linkage with new fault segments are fundamentally three-dimensional and critical for understanding the evolution of fault network development in sedimentary basins. This paper analyzes the evolution of a complex, basement-involved extensional fault network on the Enderby Terrace on the eastern margin of the Dampier sub-basin, North West

Steep, rocky landscapes often produce large sediment yields and debris flows following wildfire. Debris flows can initiate from landsliding or rilling in soil-mantled portions of the landscape, but there have been few direct observations of debris flow initiation in steep, rocky portions of the landscape that lacdk a thick, continuous soil mantle. We monitored a steep, first-order catchment that burned

The response of sediment routing to climatic changes across icehouse-to-greenhouse turnovers is not well documented in Earth's pre-Cenozoic sedimentary record. Southwest Gondwana hosts one of the thickest and most laterally extensive records of Earth's penultimate icehouse, the late Paleozoic ice age. We present the first high-resolution U-Pb zircon chemical abrasion–isotope dilution–thermal ionization

The Upper Cretaceous Western Interior Basin of North America provides a unique laboratory for constraining the effects of spatial climate patterns on the macroevolution and spatiotemporal distribution of biological communities across geologic timescales. Previous studies suggested that Western Interior Basin terrestrial ecosystems were divided into distinct southern and northern communities, and that

Stratigraphic, lithologic, foraminiferal, and radiocarbon analyses indicate that at least four abrupt mud-over-peat contacts are recorded across three sites (Jacoby Creek, McDaniel Creek, and Mad River Slough) in northern Humboldt Bay, California, USA (∼44.8°N, −124.2°W). The stratigraphy records subsidence during past megathrust earthquakes at the southern Cascadia subduction zone ∼40 km north of

In accretionary convergent margins, the subduction interface is formed by a lower plate décollement above which sediments are scraped off and incorporated into the accretionary wedge. During subduction, the basal décollement is typically located within or at the base of the sedimentary pile. However, the transition to collision implies the accretion of the lower plate continental crust and deformation

Accompanying Gondwana assembly, widespread but diachronous Ediacaran–early Paleozoic magmatism of uncertain origin occurred along the supercontinent's proto-Tethyan margin. We report new geochemical, isotopic, and geochronological data for Cambrian magmatic rocks (ca. 500 Ma) from the Gondwana-derived North Lhasa terrane, located in the present-day central Tibetan Plateau. The magmatic rocks are composed

This study describes the geomorphometries of archipelagic aprons on the southern flanks of the French Frigate Shoals and Necker Island edifices on the central Northwest Hawaiian Ridge that are hotspot volcanoes that have been dormant for 10–11 m.y. The archipelagic aprons are related to erosional headwall scarps and gullies on landslide surfaces but also include downslope gravitational features that

In Mono Basin, California, USA, a near-circular ring fracture 12 km in diameter was proposed by R.W. Kistler in 1966 to have originated as the protoclastic margin of the Cretaceous Aeolian Buttes pluton, to have been reactivated in the middle Pleistocene, and to have influenced the arcuate trend of the chain of 30 young (62–0.7 ka) rhyolite domes called the Mono Craters. In view of the frequency and

Faults offsetting sedimentary strata can record changes in sedimentation driven by tectonic and climatic forcing. Fault kinematic analysis is effective at evaluating changes in sediment volumes at salt/shale-bearing passive margins where sediment loading drives faulting. We explore these processes along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Incremental throw along 146 buried faults studied across onshore Louisiana

To better constrain the long-term millennial slip rate of the Haiyuan fault in its central part, we revisited the site of Daqing, where there are multiple paired offset terraces. We used 0.1-m-resolution terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and uncrewed aerial vehicle imagery to survey the offset terraces, quantify their geomorphology, and map the fault trace. From these observations, we

Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry has been applied to fossil mollusk shells from Tibet to reconstruct the paleoclimate and paleoelevation of the region. However, inferred paleoelevation and climatic conditions from this proxy are inconsistent with paleontological evidence. Here, we report new clumped isotope data from both modern and fossil (5–4 Ma) freshwater mollusk shells with the results of

The integration of biostratigraphy, strontium isotope stratigraphy, and magnetostratigraphy allowed for the precise dating of the >3.0-km-thick marine to non-marine foreland sedimentary succession within the Dowlatabad growth syncline along the Frontal Fars arc in the Zagros Fold Belt that extends from eastern Turkey to southern Iran. This area was the missing link to complete the dating of syntectonic

Subduction of the Paleo-Pacific slab beneath the North China Craton (NCC) has exerted a strong influence on the Mesozoic destruction of the craton. However, no Andean-type arc magmatism has been reliably identified in the eastern NCC. Here we report the occurrence of Jurassic arc-like lamprophyres in the Liaodong Peninsula, providing a snapshot of the Paleo-Pacific slab subduction beneath the NCC in

The oldest known, intact sedimentary record of a nascent intraoceanic arc was recovered in a ∼100-m-thick unit (IV) above ca. 49 Ma basaltic basement at International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1438 in the Amami Sankaku Basin. During deposition of Unit IV the site was located ∼250 km from the plate edge, where Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction initiated at 52 Ma. Basement basalts are overlain by a mudstone-dominated

The correlation of the ca. 23 Ma Pinnacles and Neenach volcanic complexes provides the most robust estimate on the timing and magnitude of Neogene right-lateral displacement on the San Andreas strike-slip fault system (California, United States). Displacement of ∼315 km has been applied rigorously along the plate margin to guide reconstruction of offset paleogeographic features. We present new detrital

Sodium carbonate evaporites can provide important paleoclimatic constraints and economic resources but are relatively rare; most known examples are limited to the Cenozoic. The first known late Paleozoic occurrence was recently reported from the Fengcheng Formation in the northwestern Junggar Basin, NW China. However, its mineralogy, age, and geologic setting have been sparsely documented. To help

The comprehensive investigation of orogenic-related litho-structural assemblages, metamorphism, and geochronology in early Precambrian orogens can help us better understand the features of plate tectonics in early Earth. The Paleoproterozoic Aketashitage orogenic belt is located at a key position in northwestern China and connects the North China craton, Tarim craton, Altaids orogen, and Tethys orogen

This paper offers a mechanism for meandering in an otherwise braided river and then discusses its general implications for river processes and fluvial deposits. Braided rivers manage to meander without the paired point bars and single-thread channels that are instrumental in developing bends in other meandering rivers. The driving processes for meandering in these braided systems remain enigmatic.

The Qaidam Basin marks a crucial boundary between the Westerlies and the Asian summer monsoons. Previous studies in the Qaidam Basin have advanced our knowledge of the paleoclimate over glacial to interglacial cycles. However, our understanding of the paleoclimatic sensitivity of the Qaidam Basin to the relative strength of these two climatic driving forces remains limited due to the lack of regional

Bentonite beds, which are clay deposits produced by the submarine alteration of volcanic tephra, preserve millions of years of volcanic products linked to magmatic systems for which records are otherwise lost through erosion and alteration. Cretaceous strata from the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, and southwestern South Dakota contain bentonites that originated from arc magmatism produced by subduction of

Oceanic arc subduction systems are the loci of substantial recycling of oceanic crust and production of juvenile arc crust that differentiates to more evolved felsic crust. Inevitably, some juvenile sediments are subducted with the oceanic crust. However, distinguishing the incorporation of juvenile sediments in oceanic arcs is not always straightforward, because they may not measurably shift many

Subduction and exhumation processes, interacting with each other, play a key role in crustal recycling. Downgoing oceanic lithosphere constitutes the dominant input at subduction margins, but subduction erosion, the removal of crustal material from the overriding plate, may add additional ingredients and complexity to the subduction factory. Different exhumation models have been proposed to explain

The Lhasa Terrane in southern Tibet is the leading edge of the Tibet-Himalaya Orogen and represents a fragmentary record of terminal oceanic subduction. Thus, it is an ideal region for studying magmatism and geodynamic processes that occurred during the transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision and/or oceanic slab breakoff. Here we examine a suite of early Cenozoic mafic rocks (ca

Extensive angular unconformities that occur across the Tianshan Orogen provide insight into the Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. This study presents new geochronological and geochemical data to unravel the age and origin of a pronounced angular unconformity in the Baluntai domain of the Chinese Western Tianshan. The angular unconformity separates a ductilely

The nature and timing of post-collisional crustal thickening and its link to surface uplift in the eastern Lhasa block of the southern Tibetan plateau remain controversial. Here we report on Cenozoic magmatism in the Wuyu area of the eastern Lhasa block. The Eocene (ca. 46 Ma) trachyandesites and trachydacites show slight fractionation of rare earth elements (REE), slightly negative Eu and Sr anomalies

River incision in upland areas is controlled by prevailing climatic and tectonic regimes, which are increasingly well described, and the nature of the bedrock lithology, which is still poorly constrained. Here, we calculated downstream variations in stream power and bedrock strength for six rivers crossing a normal fault in western Turkey, to derive new constraints on bedrock erodibility as function

Since the publication of 40Ar/39Ar dates from Cretaceous bentonites in the Western Interior Basin by J.D. Obradovich in 1993 and in Japan by J.D. Obradovich and colleagues in 2002, improvements in the 40Ar/39Ar method have included a shift to astronomically calibrated ages for standard minerals and development of a new generation of multi-collector mass spectrometers. Thus, the 40Ar/39Ar chronometer

In the last decade central Italy was struck by devastating seismic sequences resulting in hundreds of casualties (i.e., 2009-L′Aquila moment magnitude [Mw] = 6.3, and 2016-Amatrice-Visso-Norcia Mw max = 6.5). These seismic events were caused by two NW-SE–striking, SW-dipping, seismogenic normal faults that were modeled based on the available focal mechanisms and the seismic moment computed during the

The High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP) represents extensive Cretaceous magmatism throughout the circum-Arctic borderlands and within the Arctic Ocean (e.g., the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge). Recent aeromagnetic data shows anomalies that extend from the Alpha Ridge onto the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. To test this linkage we present new bulk rock major and trace element geochemistry

Incremental accretion of continental fragments from East Gondwana to Eurasia resulted in the growth of Asia and rise of the Tibetan Plateau, yet its detailed evolution remains uncertain. Argoland, a continental fragment that rifted from NW Australia during the Late Jurassic, played a key role in the initial opening of the Indian Ocean and the evolution of eastern Tethys. However, its present identity

Exploring the relationship between coal deposits as an important terrestrial carbon sink and orbital forcing of climate is critical for understanding the global carbon cycle and climate change. The Jurassic greenhouse period, characterized by extensive coal reserves widely distributed in the mid-latitude terrestrial basins, marks a significant coal-forming interval in Earth's history. However, understanding

Predicting when turbidity currents are erosional or depositional (i.e., leaving no depositional record versus leaving a deposit) remains challenging. Here we combine observations from submarine channel morphology with a new sediment transport model to derive thresholds for net erosional, equilibrium, or net depositional flow to predict how far turbidity currents can transport different grain size classes

The relationship between the North and South China blocks, particularly their spatial-temporal framework and evolutionary history, has been widely debated. We conducted a comprehensive study of the structural geometry and kinematics of the thrust belts in the intersection zone between the Dabashan and eastern Sichuan Basin based on seismic data, drilling data, field investigation data, and zircon and

To better understand the origin and tectonic evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji belt, North China craton, which have long been debated, we have conducted whole-rock geochemical and zircon U-Pb and Hf isotope analyses on Paleoproterozoic monzo(syeno)granitic gneisses and metamafic rocks from eastern Liaoning Province. The results indicate that these monzo(syeno)granitic gneisses and metamafic

The gravel-bedded White River drains a 1279 km2 basin in Washington State, with lowlands sculpted by continental glaciation and headwaters on an actively glaciated stratovolcano. Chronic aggradation along an alluvial fan near the river’s mouth has progressively reduced flood conveyance. In order to better understand how forecasted climate change may influence coarse sediment delivery and aggradation

Laterally continuous terraces along the western flank of Cape Range, Western Australia, record both past sea-level highstands and postdepositional vertical displacement. Four distinct fossil coral reef terraces extend nearly the entire length of the slowly uplifting anticlinal structure (∼100 km), enabling documentation of the timing and degree of deformation-induced elevation contamination of past

New 40Ar/39Ar and whole-rock geochemical data are used to develop a detailed eruptive chronology for Akutan volcano, Akutan Island, Alaska, USA, in the eastern Aleutian island arc. Akutan Island (166°W, 54.1°N) is the site of long-lived volcanism and the entire island comprises volcanic rocks as old as 3.3 Ma. Our current study is on the 225 km2 western half of the island, where our results show that

Large slope collapses have been known to trigger extreme rushes of air loaded with projectiles (airblasts) capable of causing destruction and fatalities far beyond run-out of the rock mass. An appraisal of the likelihood of a destructive airblast should be a component of landslide risk assessments. Yet there is an absence of risk studies directly examining landslide-related airblasts. In this work

Subduction of Indian continental lithosphere during the Asia-India collision played an important role in the formation and evolution of the Himalaya-Tibetan orogen. However, the geometry of early Indian continental subduction remains debated. Given that the Indian continent is characterized by enriched isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr > 0.730, εNd(t) < −10), relative to those in subducted oceanic materials

The silicate mineral fraction of shallow marine carbonates archives dust contributions to the Central Persian Terranes along the northeastern margin of Gondwana (∼30°S paleolatitude), enabling reconstruction of atmospheric dust loading and circulation for intervals of the late Paleozoic ice age. The Central Persian Terranes hosted cyclic deposition of warm water carbonates from middle Pennsylvanian

The timing of the India-Asia collision is greatly debated and is critical for elucidating early orogenic processes. This study documents, for the first time, evidence of India-Asia detrital mixing in the continental sedimentary rocks of the India-Asia collision zone of NW India at ca. 50 Ma and presents the largest detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb age data set (n = 1225) from the region. Our DZ U-Pb age spectra

Middle to late Paleozoic high-angle (45°) oblique convergence between Laurentia and composite Avalon terranes resulted in crustal shortening of ∼5:1 across the Central Maine and Bronson Hill zones of the southern New England Appalachians (USA). The Palmer zone of transpression illustrates the midcrustal expression of magmatism, metamorphism, and ductile deformation that developed in response to oblique

Though it is widely accepted that the Paleo-Pacific Plate has a subducted beneath the eastern Asian continent, controversy still exists regarding the initial timing and geodynamic model of the subduction. In this contribution, we report new geochronology and geochemical data of granitic plutons within the Gan-Hang Belt in Southeast China. The Damaoshan pluton yields zircon U-Pb ages of 139.60 ± 0.69

Hot mantle plumes and ancient cold slabs have been observed beneath modern mid-ocean ridges, but their specific and detailed effects on mid-ocean ridge crustal accretion are poorly understood. The oceanic lithosphere beneath the Southeast Indian Ocean displays unique morphological, geophysical, and geochemical characteristics, which may reflect the influence of both mantle anomalies and upwelling plumes