Detrital zircon U–Pb ages for sediments in and around the Palaeo-Tethyan convergence zone in northern Thailand provide constraints for tectonic interpretations of the Indochina Block, the Sibumasu Block, the Inthanon Zone accretionary complex and the Nan Back-arc Basin during the Triassic. In sedimentary rocks of the Indochina Block, almost all of the Palaeozoic and Triassic zircons were sourced from

Beothukis mistakensis from the Ediacaran System of Newfoundland, Canada demonstrates complex fractal-like morphology through the development of primary-, secondary- and tertiary-order Rangea-like units. The primary-order rangeomorph units observed in B. mistakensis are tightly juxtaposed, show no evidence of being independent of one another and are made up of chamber-like secondary-order – probably

We study the largest exposed example of an early Cambrian palaeokarst, associated with laterites and developed during rifting of the Ossa–Morena Zone. The lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, facies and the genesis reflect episodes of sea-level fall (Cerro del Hierro Regression) related to tectonic events and palaeoclimate. This palaeokarst can be primarily considered as the result of early Cambrian

The Kamusite pluton is located in the eastern Junggar area, the westernmost segment of the Karamaili structural belt, and is predominantly composed of medium granite and microgranite with an exposure area of 30 km2. The U–Pb zircon geochronology of the Kamusite granites indicates that they crystallized in the late Carboniferous period (328–321 Ma). These granites exhibit high contents of SiO2 (76.09–77

We investigated the Sakar unit metamorphic rocks of the Sakar–Strandzha zone in Bulgaria, using 40Ar/39Ar dating of amphibole from the polymetamorphic basement and white mica in the overlying upper Permian metasedimentary rocks of the Paleokastro Formation. The amphibole and white mica revealed plateau ages of 140.50 ± 1.75 Ma and 126.19 ± 1.29 Ma, respectively, indicating an Early Cretaceous cooling

The northern Alxa orogenic belt, located in the middle segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, is a junction between the North China Craton, Tarim Craton and Mongolian microcontinents. However, its Permo-Carboniferous tectono-palaeogeographic evolution has not been well established. In this study, new zircon U–Pb–Hf isotopic data for the Permo-Carboniferous clastic rocks were used to address the

The Yangtze Block in South China constitutes an important Precambrian landmass in the present East Asian continent. The Neoproterozoic sedimentary successions of the Hengdan Group in the NW Yangtze Block record essential information for deciphering the Neoproterozoic tectonics along the NW margin. However, its depositional age, provenance and tectonic properties remain uncertain. Here, a combined analysis

Bullslaughter Bay in southern Pembrokeshire, UK, exposes sections of Upper Mississippian limestone strata. In many places, the rock suffered an isovolumetric alteration during a period of sea-level oscillations. We used multiple approaches to study the weathered rocks, combining sedimentological, petrographic and isotopic compositions (δ18O and δ13C values). Two main microfacies are recognized: (i)

During Messinian time, the Mediterranean underwent hydrological modifications culminating 5.97 Ma ago with the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC). Evaporite deposition and alleged annihilation of most marine eukaryotes were taken as evidence of the establishment of basin-wide hypersalinity followed by desiccation. However, the palaeoenvironmental conditions during the MSC are still a matter of debate

Fieldwork forms the basis of geoscience studies. However, field activities present limitations for people with mental or physical impairments. This aspect can preclude participation in field trips by certain groups of students or limit their experience. In recent years, new types of supporting material and the development of accessible field trips have been a step forward towards the reduction of barriers

Rare earth elements (REE) in marine minerals have been widely used as proxies for the redox status of depositional and/or diagenetic environments. Phosphate nodules, which are thought to grow within decimetres below the sediment–water interface and to be able to scavenge REE from the ambient pore water, are potential archives of subtle changes in REE compositions. Whether their REE signals represent

Twenty-one sandstone samples belonging to the intermediate part of Gorgoglione Flysch (GF) dated Middle-Miocene, cropping out in the Southern Apennines (Italy), have been studied to highlight the detritus provenance. Petrographic and chemical composition indicates that the successions consist of feldspatho-quartzose and litho-feldspatho-quartzose arenites interbedded with pelitic and calciclastic layers

The almost complete skeleton of a fossil dreamer, identified as Oneirodes sp., is described from the middle–upper Miocene Kurasi Formation of southern Sakhalin Island, Russia. This is the second fossil skeletal record of oneirodid anglerfishes following those described from the Puente Formation of California, USA. The new specimen possesses morphological features very similar to those of the recent

Carbonatite melts derived from the mantle are enriched in CO2- and H2O-bearing fluids. This melt can metasomatize the peridotitic lithosphere and liberate a considerable amount of CO2. Experimental studies have also shown that a CO2–H2O-rich fluid can form Fe- and Mg-rich carbonate by reacting with olivine. The Sung Valley carbonatite of NE India is related to the Kerguelen plume and is characterized

Southern China is affected by multi-stage tectonic activities, with strong fold deformation, complex fault systems and poor shale gas preservation conditions. Here, we used shale samples from the lower Silurian Longmaxi shale in the complex tectonic area of Southern China, to study the relationship between differential structural deformation, and pore structure and adsorption capacity. According to

The Jhalida porphyritic granitoid pluton is exposed in a regional shear zone belonging to the Chhotanagpur Gneissic Complex of the Satpura Orogen (c. 1.0 Ga), regarded as the collisional suture between the South and North Indian blocks. The pluton intruded the migmatitic gneisses, metapelites, calc-silicate rocks and amphibolites belonging to the amphibolite facies. The mineral assemblage indicates

Precise U–Pb zircon dating using the chemical abrasion – isotope dilution – thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) method constrains the age of the Central Sudetic Ophiolite (CSO) in the Variscan Belt of Europe. A felsic gabbro from the Ślęża Massif contains zircon xenocrysts dated at 404.8 ± 0.3 Ma and younger crystals dated at 402.6 ± 0.2 Ma that determine the final crystallization age

The North Qilian orogenic belt in North China has been defined as a subduction–collision zone between the Alxa Block and the Qilian Block. We present petrography, zircon U–Pb geochronology, major- and trace-element geochemistry, and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope analysis for the Yushigou diabase from the Longshoushan area, which is located SW of the Alxa Block, aiming to understand its petrogenetic link to subduction

The Late Jurassic – earliest Cretaceous time interval was characterized by a widespread distribution of dysoxiс–anoxiс environments in temperate- and high-latitude epicontinental seas, which could be defined as a shelf dysoxic–anoxic event (SDAE). In contrast to black shales related to oceanic anoxic events, deposits generated by the SDAE were especially common in shelf sites in the Northern Hemisphere

An enhanced concentration of phosphorus has been found at the stratigraphic level of the disappearance of Ediacaran taxa in two areas, the Cis-Dniester region and the Moscow syneclise, on the East European Platform (EEP). The isotope composition of neodymium was determined in Fe sulphide and phosphorite in the same beds. Measured εNd(t) values in diagenetic phosphate nodules are similar to those in

The formation of magmatic plumbing systems in the crust involves mass and heat transfer from deep to shallow levels. This process modifies the local geotherm and increases the thermal maturation of the crust, affecting the rheological state of the host rock and the composition of magma. Here, we report a petrological, geochemical, isotopic and geochronological integrated study of the Huaco (~354 Ma)

Since Plio-Pleistocene time, southward migration of shortening in the eastern part of the Greater Caucasus into the Kura foreland basin has progressively formed the Kura fold–thrust belt and Alazani piggyback basin, which separates the Kura fold–thrust belt from the Greater Caucasus. Previous work argued for an eastward propagation of the Kura fold–thrust belt, but this hypothesis was based on coarse

Most tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) suites are Archean–Palaeoproterozoic in age, but those of Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic age are scarce. A rare Ediacaran high-Al TTG suite has been identified at the Fannani Igneous Complex (FIC) in the northern Arabian–Nubian Shield, which is essentially composed of amalgamated Neoproterozoic island-arc Pan-African composite terranes that contain several

40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb data from five structural domains constrain the late Neoproterozoic – early Palaeozoic tectonothermal history of the eastern part of the East African–Antarctic Orogen in Sør Rondane. A total of 27 new Ar/Ar ages span 570–474 Ma, roughly corresponding to the age range of three generations of syn- to post-tectonic granitoids. The ages are distinct for the five structural domains. The

A suite of Jurassic–Cretaceous migmatites was newly identified in the Liaodong Peninsula of the eastern North China Craton (NCC). Anatexis is commonly associated with crustal thickening. However, the newly identified migmatites were formed during strong lithospheric thinning accompanied by voluminous magmatism and intense deformation. Field investigations show that the migmatites are spatially associated

Ediacaran rangeomorphs were the first substantially macroscopic organisms to appear in the fossil record, but their underlying biology remains problematic. Although demonstrably heterotrophic, their current interpretation as osmotrophic consumers of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is incompatible with the inertial (high Re) and advective (high Pe) fluid dynamics accompanying macroscopic length scales

Six acidic dykes were discovered surrounding the Laiziling pluton, Xianghualing area, in the western Cathaysia Block, South China. A number of captured zircons are found in two of these acidic dykes. By detailed U–Pb dating, Lu–Hf isotopes and trace-element analysis, we find that these zircons have ages clustered at c. 2.5 Ga. Two acidic dyke samples yielded upper intersection point 206U/238Pb ages

Guided by conodont biostratigraphy and unconformities observed in the field, stable carbon isotopic analysis (δ13Ccarb) was performed on 210 samples from Lower–Middle Ordovician (Tremadocian to Darriwilian) sections and wells in the Tarim Basin, NW China. The δ13C trend in the Tarim Basin sections has three distinct characteristics: (1) from the Tremadocian to the Floian, a positive shift from −1.9

Whole-rock major and trace elements and Hf isotopes of magmatic zircons of tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) rocks with different ages (2.9, 2.7 and 2.5 Ga) from the three blocks (the Eastern Block, Western Block and Trans-North China Orogen) of the North China Craton were compiled to investigate their respective petrogenesis, tectonic setting and implications for crustal growth and evolution

Significant uncertainty remains regarding the exact timing and nature of subduction events during the closure of the Tethyan seas in what is now NW Iran. This study thus presents new geochemical compositions and U–Pb ages for a suite of volcanic rocks emplaced during Cenozoic volcanism in the west Alborz Magmatic Assemblage, which is commonly regarded as the back-arc of the Neotethyan magmatism in

Nektaspids are Palaeozoic non-biomineralized euarthropods that were at the peak of their diversity during the Cambrian Period. Post-Cambrian nektaspids are a low-diversity group with only a few species described so far. Here we describe Tariccoia tazagurtensis, a new species of small-bodied nektaspid from the Lower Ordovician Fezouata Shale of Morocco. The new species differs from the type (and only

The Haimur area represents the central part of the Wadi Allaqi region in the southern block of the Egyptian Eastern Desert near Nasser Lake and the Nile valley. It is made up of ophiolitic assemblage comprising serpentinite and talc carbonate, listwenite, metagabbro/amphibolite and metabasalt and island arc assemblages. The orogenic gold deposits in the Haimur area occur in the form of smoky/white

The South Altyn Orogenic Belt (SAOB) is one of the most important orogenic belts in NW China, consisting of the South Altyn Continental Block and the Apa–Mangya Ophiolitic Mélange Belt. However, its Palaeozoic tectonic evolution is still controversial. Here, we present petrological, geochemical, zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data for the Mangya plutons with the aim of establishing the Palaeozoic tectonic

We present the first comprehensive detrital zircon U–Pb age dataset from Palaeozoic sandstones of Saudi Arabia, which provides new insights into the erosion history of the East African Orogen and sediment recycling in northern Gondwana. Five main age populations are present in varying amounts in the zircon age spectra, with age peaks at ~625 Ma, ~775 Ma, ~980 Ma, ~1840 Ma and ~2480 Ma. Mainly igneous

A correlation and interpretation of the sequence stratigraphy of the lower Cambrian strata of NW France is presented and used to characterize basin-wide controls on processes of sedimentation. Deposition occurred in two basins, as two third-order stratigraphic sequences. A northern basin in the Cotentin was dominated by deposition of marine siliciclastic sediments of Sequence 1 (Cambrian Stages 2–3)

In the Transdanubian Range, Pannonian Basin, Hungary, karstic sinkholes on a planation surface of Triassic carbonates are filled by grey clayey–silty kaolin deposits. The provenance and accumulation age of these strongly altered terrestrial karst-filling sediments are constrained by X-ray powder diffraction, heavy mineral analysis and zircon U–Pb dating. The heavy minerals of the Southern Bakony Mountains

Most skarns are found near the pluton or in lithologies containing at least some limestone. However, recent research has shown that neither a pluton nor limestone is necessarily required to form a skarn deposit. The newly discovered Bagenheigeqier Pb–Zn skarn deposit is located in NE China. The skarn and Pb–Zn orebodies occur in volcanic lithologies of the Baiyin’gaolao Formation and are controlled

Chemostratigraphic units require consistent definitions and unambiguous names. So-called TOCE (Top of Cambrian Excursion) is used as an uppermost Cambrian δ13Ccarb negative excursion although it was proposed without documentation, is ambiguously defined, and variably correlated into four Laurentian trilobite zones. TOCE, a nihilartikel, is regularly substituted to the exclusion of the earlier named

The Wulian complex is located on the northern margin of the Sulu orogenic belt, and was formed by collision between the North China Craton (NCC) to the north and South China Craton (SCC) to the south. It consists of the metasedimentary Wulian Group, gneissic granite and meta-diorite. The U–Pb analyses for the detrital zircons from the Wulian Group exhibit one predominant age population of 2600–2400 Ma

Along the Dinaric–Hellenic orogen, the Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous ophiolite obduction over the Adria continental margin was sealed by sedimentation of clastic terrestrial deposits rapidly followed by a widespread carbonate platform system since the Early Cretaceous period. These Cretaceous sediments presently crop out over areas of varying extension, from several hundred kilometre wide undeformed

New U–Pb radioisotopic ages on early Cambrian volcanic zircons condition a high-resolution Bayesian age model that constrains the first occurrences and zonations of West Gondwanan archaeocyaths and trilobites in southern Morocco. The oldest archaeocyaths in the Tiout Member of the Igoudine Formation (519.71 + 0.26/− 0.35 Ma) are c. 6 Ma younger than the oldest Siberian archaeocyaths. The oldest Moroccan

The Shyok Suture in western Himalaya preserves a record of the opening and closure of the Mesotethys Ocean between the Shyok ophiolite and Karakoram terrane prior to the India–Eurasia collision. The formation age of the Shyok ophiolite was unknown, which impeded correlation with similar rocks along the Shyok Suture in Pakistan and corresponding sutures in Tibet. We report the first zircon U–Pb ages

An integrated approach involving Sr–Nd isotope, trace and rare earth element analyses tracks multiple sources of the Mesozoic sediments of the Kutch Basin at the western continental margin of India. High (87Sr/86Sr)t (ratio at time of deposition), negative εNd and high concentrations of large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) indicate the upper continental source. Ratios of Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf suggest sedimentary

Results of in situ U–Pb dating of calcite spherulites, cone-in-cone (CIC) calcite and calcite fibres from a calcareous concretion of the upper Ediacaran of Finnmark, Arctic Norway, are reported. Calcite spherulites from the innermost layers of the concretion yielded a lower intercept age of 563 ± 70 Ma, which, although imprecise, is within uncertainty of the age of sedimentation based on fossil assemblages

Dolostones are widely developed in the middle Permian rocks of East Yunnan, China, mainly in the shoal-facies Maokou Formation. The previously reported dolostone formation mechanisms cannot explain the distribution and geochemical characteristics of these dolostones, in particular their strontium, magnesium and oxygen isotope signatures. To help predict the distribution of dolostone reservoirs and

Detrital zircon populations from six samples of upper Triassic sandstone (Algarve Basin) were analysed, yielding mostly Precambrian ages. zircon age populations of the Triassic sandstone sampled from the western and central sectors of the basin are distinct, suggesting local recycling and/or lateral changes in their sources. Our findings and the available detrital zircon ages from the Palaeozoic terranes

Production, transport and deposition of aeolian dust from land to sea closely interact with regional environment and global climate. This Special Issue addresses transport of aeolian dust from the Asian inland to the Loess Plateau and North Pacific Ocean and their possible links to oceanic ecosystem, global climate and even human activity, over various timescales. The papers in this volume are multidisciplinary

The Tarim Basin is the major source of aeolian dust in the northern hemisphere. Glacial activity in the mountains, transportation by rivers and homogenization by wind are believed to be responsible for dust production within the basin. However, the major source(s) and homogenization process(es) are not clear. Moreover, provenance studies on fine fractions have never been conducted. Here, we measured

Understanding variations in body size is essential for deciphering the response of an organism to its surrounding environmental conditions and its ecological adaptations. In modern environments, large marine animals are mostly found in cold waters. However, numerous parameters can influence body-size variations other than temperatures, such as oxygenation, nutrient availability, predation or physical

Reconstructing the provenance of siliciclastic marine sediment is important for understanding sediment pathways and constraining palaeoclimate and erosion records. However, physical fractionation of different size fractions can occur during sediment transport, potentially biasing records derived from bulk sediment. In this study, records of radiogenic Sr and Nd isotopic composition and K/Al ratio of

Partial equilibrium textures such as corona provide information on changing pressure–temperature (P-T) conditions experienced by a rock during its geological evolution. Coronae layers may form in single or multiple stages; understanding the genesis of each layer is necessary to correctly extract information regarding the physicochemical conditions experienced by the rock. Mafic rocks from SE Chotanagpur

We report a study of whole-rock O–H–Sr–Nd isotopes of Ordovician igneous and metamorphic rocks exposed at different crustal palaeodepths along c. 750 km in the Sierras Pampeanas, NW Argentina. The isotope compositions preserved in the intermediate rocks (mostly tonalite) (average δ18O = +8.7 ± 0.5‰, δD = −73 ± 14‰, 87Sr/86Srt = 0.7088 ± 0.0001 and εNdt = −4.5 ± 0.6) show no major difference from those

Magmatic rocks from the Dolomites, Carnic and Julian Alps, Italy, have been sampled to investigate the origin and geodynamic setting of Triassic magmatism in the Southern Alps. Basaltic, gabbroic and lamprophyric samples have been characterized for their petrography, mineral chemistry, whole-rock major and trace elements, and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. Geothermobarometric estimates suggest

A diverse assemblage of moderately well-preserved radiolarians occurs in the Ordovician cherts of the Crawford Group in the Southern Uplands terrane of the Scottish borders. A total of 8 genera and 11 species are described. Taxa present correlate to the Middle Ordovician Pygodus anserinus biozone. Key species identified include: Proventocitum procerulum, Inanigutta gansuensis, Inanigutta sp. cf. I

Situated between the North China Craton to the east and the Tarim Craton to the west, the northern Alxa area in westernmost Inner Mongolia in China occupies a key location for interpreting the late-stage tectonic evolution of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating results reveal 282.2 ± 3.9 Ma gabbros and 216.3 ± 3.2 Ma granites from the Yagan metamorphic core complex

We investigate the phased evolution and variation of the South Asian monsoon and resulting weathering intensity and physical erosion in the Himalaya–Karakoram Mountains since late Pliocene time (c. 3.4 Ma) using a comprehensive approach. Neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions and single-grain zircon U–Pb age spectra reveal the sources of the deposits in the east Arabian Sea, and show a combination

New information on acritarchs from the Duolbagáisá Formation, Digermulen Peninsula, Arctic Norway, enable recognition of the three Cambrian Series 2 acritarch-based zones: the Skiagia ornata–Fimbriaglomerella membranacea, Heliosphaeridium dissimilare–Skiagia ciliosa and Volkovia dentifera–Liepaina plana Assemblage zones. Acritarchs of the Skiagia ornata–Fimbriaglomerella membranacea Zone (Cambrian

The Upper Mustang region of west-central Nepal contains exposures of metamorphosed Tethyan Sedimentary Sequence rocks that have been interpreted to reflect either contact metamorphism related to the nearby Mugu pluton or regional metamorphism associated with the North Himalayan domes. New monazite geochronology results show that the Mugu leucogranite crystallized at c. 21.3 Ma, while the dominant monazite

The Permian metavolcano–sedimentary sequence of the Jianglang and Taka domes in the southern Songpan–Ganzi Orogen is composed of bedded marble and sandwiched metabasalt. This study presents geochemistry, C–O–Nd isotope systematics and zircon U–Pb geochronology data to explore the formation mechanism and tectonic setting of its protolith. The marble samples have high δ13CV-PDB (4.0 ‰ to −0.1 ‰) and

Palaeoscolecid worms are widespread in the Palaeozoic period, and are of key importance to understanding the emergence of moulting animals (superphylum Ecdysozoa). However, palaeoscolecids lack a diagnostic set of morphological characters, and as such are unlikely to form a natural (monophyletic) group. Consequently, detailed anatomical study of individual taxa is necessary in order to evaluate the