Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sofia Lorenzon, Michelle Wenz, Paolo Nimis, Steven D. Jacobsen, Leonardo Pasqualetto, Martha G. Pamato, Davide Novella, Dongzhou Zhang, Chiara Anzolini, Margo Regier, Thomas Stachel, D. Graham Pearson, Jeffrey W. Harris, Fabrizio Nestola
Summary: This study investigates the crystallographic orientation relationships between ferropericlase inclusions and diamonds, and finds that there is a specific relationship between Fe-rich ferropericlases and their host diamonds, supporting a dual origin hypothesis for ferropericlase in the Earth's mantle.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Fabrizio Nestola, Martha G. Pamato, Davide Novella, Yanjuan Wang, Kai Qu, Evan M. Smith
Summary: Diamonds can provide valuable information about mantle geological activity. A study shows that a ferropericlase inclusion in a diamond can accurately estimate diamond growth pressure using elastic geobarometry. By comparing unit-cell volume measurements before and after releasing the inclusion, the study reveals that the inclusion was held at a residual pressure of 5.2(+/- 0.5) GPa, providing an independent constraint for the depth of diamond formation. This approach may be a valuable tool for assessing formation depth in future studies.
Article
Geology
Lily S. Pfeifer, Brooke A. Birkett, Jean Van Den Driessche, Stephane Pochat, Gerilyn S. Soreghan
Summary: The study examines delicate impressions in lacustrine strata of the Lower Permian in the Lodeve Basin of southern Massif Central, France, indicating ephemeral freezing in equatorial Pangea. Experimental replication supports the interpretation of these features as ice-crystal molds. This calls for a reevaluation of climate conditions in eastern equatorial Pangea, suggesting either cold tropical temperatures or lapse rates exceeding those of the Last Glacial Maximum.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
G. R. Shi, Allen P. Nutman, Sangmin Lee, Brian G. Jones, Glen R. Bann
Summary: This study presents a suite of U-Pb zircon ages from the Permian succession in the southern Sydney Basin, providing new insights into the chronostratigraphy and glacial events of the Permian period.
Article
Geography, Physical
Luca Zurli, Gianluca Cornamusini, Giovanni Pio Liberato, Paolo Conti
Summary: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age is one of the coldest periods in Earth history, and the glacial sedimentation in the Tasmanian Basin recorded the advance and retreat of the glacial front during different phases of this period.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Brave Manda, Renatus Kachira, Habibu Mohamed, Simon C. George
Summary: This study analysed samples of Permian high latitude sedimentary rocks from the southern Sydney Basin using organic geochemical methods. The results showed differences in organic matter inputs, thermal maturity, and depositional environment. The samples came from two boreholes (ECR-DDH01 and ECR-DDH07) and various formations, such as Berry Siltstone and Nowra Sandstone. The study revealed variations in total organic carbon content and thermal maturity between the samples from different boreholes and formations.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Felix V. Kaminsky, Dmitry A. Zedgenizov, Vyacheslav S. Sevastyanov, Olga V. Kuznetsova
Summary: Diamonds from the Rio Sorriso placer in Brazil contain ferropericlase mineral inclusions with different genetic and compositional groups, indicating their origins from the mantle and lithosphere. The difference in carbon isotopic compositions of the diamonds suggests stratification of carbon isotopes in the mantle.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Brooke A. Davis, Sandra Rodrigues, Joan S. Esterle, Ai D. Nguyen, Alexander J. Duxbury, Suzanne D. Golding
Summary: Apatite in coal seams of the Late Permian in the Bowen Basin shows varied origins, including pore-apatites, fracture-apatites, detrital-apatites, and encrusting-apatites. Despite different modes of occurrence, the apatites analyzed in this study are predominantly fluorapatite, with minor variation in trace-element chemistry by mode of occurrence. Further investigation is needed to verify the geothermal source of apatite formation and isotopic composition analysis may provide important insights.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COAL GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Christopher R. Fielding, Tracy D. Frank, Katarina Savatic, Chris Mays, Stephen McLoughlin, Vivi Vajda, Robert S. Nicoll
Summary: This study investigates the upper part of the upper Permian succession in the Bowen Basin of Queensland, NE Australia, and aims to determine the timeline and character of environmental changes leading up to the End-Permian Extinction. The research reveals a series of intermittent stepwise changes, including volcanic activity, cold conditions, and glaciation, in this region. In contrast, the terrestrial ecosystems show remarkable consistency during this period.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Guanzhou Yan, Oliver Lehnert, Peep Mannik, Mikael Calner, Xiaocong Luan, Fangyi Gong, Lixia Li, Xin Wei, Guangxu Wang, Renbin Zhan, Rongchang Wu
Summary: This study presents new conodont and stable isotope data from the Baizitian section in Sichuan Province, China. The data reveal the presence of the Manitowoc carbon isotope excursion and suggest a perturbation of the global carbon cycle during the middle Telychian. The findings provide important evidence for correlation and understanding of the stratigraphy in the Baizitian section and Telychian strata in other regions.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geology
Libby R. W. Ives, John L. Isbell
Summary: This study evaluates the sedimentology, stratigraphy, and flow directions of the glaciogenic deposits from the Asselian-Sakmarian Pagoda Formation in the Shackleton Glacier region of the Transantarctic Basin to characterize Late Paleozoic Ice Age glaciation in a South Polar, basin-marginal setting. The analyses show that the deposits were likely from two different ice centers, one centered on the Antarctic Craton and another located over Marie Byrd Land, indicating the complexity of the glaciation during that period.
JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Joaquin Bastias, David Chew, Camila Villanueva, Teal Riley, Joseline Manfroi, Cristine Trevisan, Marcelo Leppe, Paula Castillo, Fernando Poblete, Dieter Tetzner, Gregory Giuliani, Bastian Lopez, Hong Chen, Guang-Gao Zheng, Yue Zhao, Liang Gao, Anna Rauch, Ricardo Jana
Summary: In the South Shetland Islands, geological studies have greatly contributed to the understanding of its geological evolution. However, little research has been done on the correlation of geological units throughout the archipelago. This study provides a lithostratigraphical correlation and a new geological map for the South Shetland Islands, revealing three main stages of geological and environmental evolution.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhong-Shuai Hou, Shi-Yue Chen, Zhao Liang
Summary: The sedimentary successions around the Carboniferous-Permian boundary in the Ordos Basin exhibit five distinct lithofacies associations, indicating sedimentary and sequence stratigraphic responses to glaciation and volcanism. These lithofacies record regressive-transgressive cycles caused by the transcontinental glacier expansion in Gondwana around the CPB.
JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY-ENGLISH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pia A. Viglietti, Roger B. J. Benson, Roger M. H. Smith, Jennifer Botha, Christian F. Kammerer, Zaituna Skosan, Elize Butler, Annelise Crean, Bobby Eloff, Sheena Kaal, Joel Mohoi, William Molehe, Nolusindiso Mtalana, Sibusiso Mtungata, Nthaopa Ntheri, Thabang Ntsala, John Nyaphuli, Paul October, Georgina Skinner, Mike Strong, Hedi Stummer, Frederik P. Wolvaardt, Kenneth D. Angielczyk
Summary: The study analyzed fossil data from South Africa's Karoo Basin, revealing a period of high extinction rates lasting approximately 1 million years during the Permo-Triassic Transition. This period was characterized by rapid turnover and the emergence of short-lived species, indicating ecosystem instability.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Rui Ma, Jianghai Yang, Yuan Wang, Jiaxin Yan, Jia Liu
Summary: In the Henan Province of southern North China, the lower Taiyuan Formation from the late Pennsylvanian to early Permian was studied to constrain the amplitude of sea level variations. Three facies associations were identified and four transgression-regression cycles were revealed. Based on detrital zircon provenance data, the sea-level rise in southern North China during this time period was estimated to be between 16 and 32 m, which is consistent with previous studies and modelled sea-level variations.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Geology
M. G. Pamato, D. Novella, D. E. Jacob, B. Oliveira, D. G. Pearson, S. Greene, J. C. Afonso, M. Favero, T. Stachel, M. Alvaro, F. Nestola
Summary: Sulfides are the most abundant inclusions in diamonds and can be used to date diamond formation via Re-Os isotopic analyses. The study found that Re-Os isotope equilibration in sulfide inclusions is sufficiently fast at mantle temperatures to be reset by the diamond-forming event, confirming that the Re-Os isochrons likely reflect the ages of diamond formation.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Mei Yan Lai, Thomas Stachel, Richard A. Stern, Matthew F. Hardman, D. Graham Pearson, Jeff W. Harris
Summary: In this study, inclusion-bearing diamonds from the Koidu kimberlite complex in Sierra Leone were analyzed, revealing different origins of mineral inclusions and identifying three major compositional clusters based on isotope analysis.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Geology
J. P. McGunnigle, E. J. Cano, Z. D. Sharp, K. Muehlenbachs, D. Cole, M. F. Hardman, T. Stachel, D. G. Pearson
Summary: This study measured the triple oxygen isotope values of high- and low-temperature altered oceanic crust and basalt alteration experiments to better understand the isotope compositions of ancient oceans. The results show that the ancient oceans had similar isotope values as today, and the oxygen isotope value of the ocean cannot exceed 1.1%. The data from eclogites suggest that the Archean oceans had a surface temperature of 70-100 degrees Celsius, which is consistent with the modern altered oceanic crust.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Walter, Simon C. Kohn, D. Graham Pearson, Steven B. Shirey, Laura Speich, Thomas Stachel, Andrew R. Thomson, Jing Yang
Summary: Tschauner et al. provide evidence suggesting that diamond GRR-1507 is more likely formed in the cold, subcratonic lithospheric mantle rather than the lower mantle. X-ray diffraction data used in the study align with the phases commonly found in lithospheric diamonds with microinclusions. However, the imprecise calculation of the inclusion composition prevents a unique confirmation of CaSiO3 stoichiometry and is consistent with inclusions observed in other lithospheric diamonds.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonja Aulbach, Thomas Stachel
Summary: A study shows that eclogitic minerals trapped in the mantle beneath continents billions of years ago have remained in a stable redox state, as evidenced by the lack of change in minerals found inside ancient diamonds. This suggests that eclogite, a type of rock formed through subduction, is an efficient system for maintaining oxygen balance over long periods of time. It also highlights the importance of eclogite as a source rock for diamonds.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Chiara Anzolini, William K. Siva-Jothy, Andrew J. LococK, Fabrizio Nestola, Tonci Balic-Zunic, Matteo Alvaro, Ingrid L. Chinn, Thomas Stachel, D. Graham Pearson
Summary: Heamanite-(Ce), a new perovskite-group mineral, with the chemical formula (K0.5Ce0.5)TiO3, was found in the Gahcho Kue mine in Canada. It has brown translucent single crystals and occurs with rutile and calcite. The physical properties and crystal structure of Heamanite-(Ce) are similar to known minerals.
AMERICAN MINERALOGIST
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
S. Timmerman, J. R. Reimink, A. Vezinet, F. Nestola, K. Kublik, A. Banas, T. Stachel, R. A. Stern, Y. Luo, C. Sarkar, A. Ielpi, C. A. Currie, C. Mircea, V Jackson, D. G. Pearson
Summary: The formation of Earth's ancient crust and the development of cool, thick lithospheric mantle roots capable of hosting diamonds in the Archean era has long been debated. A recent discovery in Canada sheds new light on this topic, with the finding of a diamond-bearing quartz-pebble conglomerate from the northern Slave craton. The age of the diamonds, determined through detrital-zircon geochronology, suggests that they formed around 2.94 billion years ago and were deposited around 2.83 billion years ago. These diamonds provide insight into the thermal conditions of the mantle during the Mesoarchean era, indicating a relatively cool lithosphere compared to nearby Mesoarchean komatiites. This suggests that the early building blocks of cratons were small with deep cool roots, formed through slab-stacking, and were later juxtaposed with regions of thinner, hotter lithosphere. These initial structures later amalgamated and thickened through lateral accretion, forming the more uniformly thick cratonic lithosphere observed today.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Luisa D. Carvalho, Thomas Stachel, D. Graham Pearson, Reinhardt A. Fuck, Tiago Jalowitzki, Suzette Timmerman, Matthew Steele-Maclnnis, Guilherme O. Goncalves, Rogerio Silvestre Pereira, Ricardo Scholz
Summary: This study provides important insights into the lithospheric mantle beneath the Alto Paranaiba Igneous Province through the analysis of diamonds and their mineral inclusions. The findings suggest a post-Archean origin or modification of the mantle beneath this region, as well as a connection between subduction processes and diamond formation in the Coromandel area.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Margo E. Regier, Karen V. Smit, Thomas B. Chalk, Thomas Stachel, Richard A. Stern, Evan M. Smith, Gavin L. Foster, Yannick Bussweiler, Chris DeBuhr, Antony D. Burnham, Jeff W. Harris, D. Graham Pearson
Summary: The isotopic composition of boron in blue diamonds indicates a potential subduction pathway for volatile elements into the deep mantle, possibly originating from subducted oceanic lithosphere. This finding reveals the process of volatile elements entering the deep mantle through deep material subduction.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Nicole A. Meyer, Thomas Stachel, D. Graham Pearson, Richard A. Stern, Jeffrey W. Harris, Michael J. Walter
Summary: Characterizing compositional heterogeneity in Earth's lower mantle is essential to understanding its dynamics. Three low-nitrogen diamonds from South Africa contain inclusion assemblages that provide insights into diamond formation in an Mg-rich lower-mantle environment. The compositions of the inclusions indicate a melt-depleted meta-harzburgitic environment, with high Mg# and low Ca, Al, and Na. The presence of orthopyroxene and mantle-like delta 18O values suggests the involvement of subducted oceanic slab meta-harzburgite in diamond growth.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fabrizio Nestola, Margo E. E. Regier, Robert W. W. Luth, D. Graham Pearson, Thomas Stachel, Catherine McCammon, Michelle D. D. Wenz, Steven D. D. Jacobsen, Chiara Anzolini, Luca Bindi, Jeffrey W. W. Harris
Summary: The introduction of volatile-rich subducting slabs to the mantle creates large redox gradients, affecting various geological processes. A study on diamonds from Kankan, Guinea reveals the presence of enstatite, ferropericlase, and a highly magnesian olivine inclusion, indicating the formation under highly variable redox conditions near the 660 km seismic discontinuity. The proposed model suggests that the formation of these minerals is driven by dehydration, rehydration, and dehydration processes occurring in the underside of a warming slab at the transition zone-lower mantle boundary.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sofia Lorenzon, Michelle Wenz, Paolo Nimis, Steven D. Jacobsen, Leonardo Pasqualetto, Martha G. Pamato, Davide Novella, Dongzhou Zhang, Chiara Anzolini, Margo Regier, Thomas Stachel, D. Graham Pearson, Jeffrey W. Harris, Fabrizio Nestola
Summary: This study investigates the crystallographic orientation relationships between ferropericlase inclusions and diamonds, and finds that there is a specific relationship between Fe-rich ferropericlases and their host diamonds, supporting a dual origin hypothesis for ferropericlase in the Earth's mantle.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Mei Yan Lai, Thomas Stachel, Richard A. Stern, Kan Li, D. Graham Pearson, Jeff W. Harris
Summary: Through examining 16 diamonds with eclogitic garnet inclusions from the Koidu kimberlite complex in Sierra Leone, it was found that the garnet inclusions have high oxygen isotope values, indicating a link to protoliths that had undergone extensive low-temperature alteration by seawater. The carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of the host diamonds suggest that diamond formation is associated with an external, mantle-derived fluid.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Suzette Timmerman, Thomas Stachel, Janne M. Koornneef, Karen V. Smit, Rikke Harlou, Geoff M. Nowell, Andrew R. Thomson, Simon C. Kohn, Joshua H. F. L. Davies, Gareth R. Davies, Mandy Y. Krebs, Qiwei Zhang, Sarah E. M. Milne, Jeffrey W. Harris, Felix Kaminsky, Dmitry Zedgenizov, Galina Bulanova, Chris B. Smith, Izaac Cabral Neto, Francisco V. Silveira, Antony D. Burnham, Fabrizio Nestola, Steven B. Shirey, Michael J. Walter, Andrew Steele, D. Graham Pearson
Summary: The sublithospheric diamonds from Brazil and Guinea, with ages ranging from 450 to 650 million years ago, were formed in a subduction system near Gondwana. These diamonds were preserved beneath Gondwana for over 300 million years and might have enhanced supercontinent stability by attaching to the lithospheric keel.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alan S. Collins, Morgan L. Blades, Andrew S. Merdith, John D. Foden
Summary: A plate reorganization event occurred in the late Tonian period about 720 million years ago, leading to changes in plate movements in the Mozambique Ocean and the future amalgamation of central Gondwana. This event also caused continents to shift to the southern hemisphere and created a pan-northern hemisphere ocean in the Ediacaran.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Huichuan Liu, Alan R. Hastie, Chiara Maria Petrone
Summary: This study conducted isotope analyses on two ocean island basalt (OIB)-associated enriched mafic intrusions in the Yunnan-Burma region, and found that these rocks may have originated from the subduction recycling of marine sediments and altered oceanic crust.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
L. Notini, M. Scambelluri, A. Tommasi, A. Zanetti, F. Ferri, A. Rodriguez-Vargas, E. Rampone
Summary: This study provides important petrologic information on the mantle wedge above an active subduction zone in Southern Colombia. The researchers analyzed a unique suite of rock samples and found evidence of hydration, metasomatism, and partial melting in the mantle wedge. They also observed variations in lithotypes, textures, and mineral abundance, indicating different interactions with melts and fluids. This study sheds light on the complex petrological processes occurring in the mantle wedge and contributes to our understanding of subduction zone dynamics.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sourav Bhattacharjee, Aniket Chakrabarty, Roger H. Mitchell, Suresh Chandra Patel, Evgeniy N. Kozlov, Ekaterina N. Fomina, Monojit Dey, Supratim Pal
Summary: The Hogenakkal complex in India consists of silicate-rich and silicate-poor carbonatites and clinopyroxenites. The formation of carbonatite is influenced by silicate minerals. The carbohydrothermal mineralization in the carbonatites is induced by magma-derived fluids and interactions with the surrounding rocks.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jia-Min Wang, Kyle Patrick Larson, Jin-Jiang Zhang, Liang Zhao, Fu-Yuan Wu
Summary: The role of collisional belts in the global carbon budget is controversial. This study reveals a previously unrecognized carbon source in the collisional orogen of the Himalayas, where metamorphism of carbonate-bearing rocks in the hanging wall resulted in significant CO2 degassing.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Joseph Martial Akame, Elson Paiva Oliveira, Vinciane Debaille, Marc Poujol, Bernhard Schulz, Dieudonnee Bisso, Fabien Humbert, Serge Parfait Koah Na Lebogo, Philmont Zo'o Zame
Summary: Archean granitoids play key roles in the crustal evolution and can provide important insights into early geologic processes.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Xiguang Huang, Jun He, Jingxin Zhao, Jingzhao Dou, Weiyong Li, Aimin Hu, Ge Liu, Yiru Ji, Fukun Chen, Shuangqing Li
Summary: This study investigates the zircon ages and whole-rock geochemical data of Late Paleozoic magmatic rocks in the Western Yunnan Tethyan belt to identify the origin and mechanism of mantle melting. The results suggest that these magmatic rocks may originate from different mantle domains that were metasomatized by slab-derived fluids and sediment-derived melts.