Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Peter J. McPhee, Ayten Koc, Douwe J. J. van Hinsbergen
Summary: The article discusses the uplift processes of the Central Anatolian high orogenic plateau in Turkey, exploring various causes of plateau rise such as lithospheric dripping, slab break-off, and continental margin underthrusting. The analysis combines geological and geophysical data to evaluate proposed uplift causes.
Article
Geography, Physical
Kevin P. McClain, Cengiz Yildirim, Attila Ciner, M. Akif Sarikaya, Orkan Ozcan, Tolga Gorum, Oguzhan Kose, Sefa Sahin, Nafiye Gunec Kiyak, Tugba Ozturk
Summary: This study explores the complex relationship between sedimentation and tectonic processes along the western flank of the northern margin of the Central Anatolian Plateau, revealing the significant impact of climate, topography, hillslope processes, and lithology on main river aggradation and incision patterns. The findings suggest that prolonged aggradation can prevent the channel equilibrium necessary for calculating rock uplift rates, potentially underestimating the rate of tectonic uplift due to high levels of aggradation in the main valley.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
M. Paknia, P. Ballato, G. Heidarzadeh, F. Cifelli, J. Hassanzadeh, G. Vezzoli, M. Mirzaie Ataabadi, M. R. Ghassemi, M. Mattei
Summary: The study shows that the Tarom Basin in NW Iran was filled with upper Cenozoic red beds, providing key information on the erosional history of adjacent topography, the vertical growth of the plateau margin and its orogen perpendicular expansion. The basin experienced intrabasinal synorogenic sedimentation prior to 7.6 Ma, followed by intrabasinal deformation, uplift, and erosion, with interruptions in fluvial connectivity with the Caspian Sea. Provenance data suggests greater Miocene deformation and erosional exhumation on the northern margin of the basin compared to the southern margin, indicating vertical growth driven by deep-seated processes.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
L. A. Evenstar, A. J. Hartley, A. E. Mather
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between tectonics and climate on the uplift of the Central Andes over the past 50 million years, providing insights into the development of mountain ranges.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Guoqing Xia, Chihua Wu, Ahmed Mansour, Xin Jin, Haisheng Yi, Gaojie Li, Qiushuang Fan, Zhiqiang Shi, Julian B. Murton, Junling Pei, Juan Pedro Rodriguez-Lopez
Summary: Intermittent cryospheric processes occurred in the midlatitude Northern Hemisphere during the late Eocene and Eocene-Oligocene transition, as evidenced by the presence of frost marks, ice-rafted debris (IRD), and glendonites in the Lunpola Basin of the central Tibetan Plateau. These cryospheric deposits, dated to approximately 36.2-31.8 Ma, provide robust continental evidence for the influence of the global cold snap EOT-1 on already glacierized high-altitude mountains, resulting in the development of ice fields, ice caps, and valley glaciers with proglacial lake systems.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Simone Racano, Taylor F. Schildgen, Domenico Cosentino, Scott R. Miller
Summary: In geodynamically active areas, variations in rock uplift can be studied through quantitative analysis of river profiles, providing insights into the evolution of topography. Factors such as rock-uplift rate, erodibility of underlying rock, and climate affect fluvial landscapes, and river profiles can be inverted to determine the rock-uplift histories that created them. This study demonstrates how the spatio-temporal rock-uplift history of the CAP southern margin can be defined through analysis of river profiles.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2021)
Article
Geology
X. P. Yuan, K. L. Huppert, J. Braun, X. Shen, J. Liu-Zeng, L. Guerit, S. G. Wolf, J. F. Zhang, M. Jolivet
Summary: This study suggests that the high-elevation, low-relief surfaces in the southeast Tibetan Plateau are a result of mountain growth and do not require a special process to form. The low-relief surfaces can persist for long periods of time due to lack of necessary drainage networks.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Simone Racano, Taylor Schildgen, Paolo Ballato, Cengiz Yildirim, Hella Wittmann
Summary: Major strike-slip fault systems, like the North Anatolian Fault (NAF), play a crucial role in accommodating plate motion, but little is known about their evolution. In the Central Pontides, the NAF has experienced transpression and crustal thickening, resulting in rock-uplift rates of 0.2-0.3 km/Myr. However, the exact onset of faster uplift phase associated with the NAF's development is poorly understood. This study presents the spatiotemporal pattern of rock-uplift rates in the Central Pontides, showing an increase in rates after 10 Ma, with peak rates occurring between 4 and 2 Ma.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Paola Molin, Andrea Sembroni, Paolo Ballato, Claudio Faccenna
Summary: Orogenic plateaus in continental collision zones offer valuable data on the topographic evolution and vertical growth through their landforms and fluvial networks. By analyzing the longitudinal profiles of rivers, it is possible to reconstruct the history of base level falls and study landscape evolution within geodynamic models. This study focuses on the Eastern Anatolian Plateau (EAP) and employs the inversion of the Arax River's profile to understand its hydrography and topography. The results reveal a plateau undergoing active tectonic control, with a surface uplift of approximately 2000 m, 500 m of which can be attributed to residual topography.
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yunpeng Dong, Shengsi Sun, M. Santosh, Bo Hui, Jiaopeng Sun, Feifei Zhang, Bin Cheng, Zhao Yang, Xiaohui Shi, Dengfeng He, Lei Yang, Chao Cheng, Xiaoming Liu, Xiaohu Zhou, Wei Wang, Nan Qi
Summary: The East Asian continent has a complex geological and tectonic history that shaped the formation and evolution of the China continent. The Central China Orogenic Belt and the Helan-Chuandian Orogenic Belt, known as the Cross Orogenic Belts, played a crucial role in controlling the geological, geographical, ecological, environmental, economic, and cultural division of the China continent. The uplift of these belts influenced the climate, environment, economy, and culture in different regions of China.
Article
Geography, Physical
Jordan C. Anderson, Karl E. Karlstrom, Matthew T. Heizler
Summary: Dating of paleoriver deposits using U-Pb detrital zircon and 40Ar-39Ar detrital sanidine provides detailed information on the timing of the mid Cenozoic drainage reversal across the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. The research reveals a transition of the Salt River from NE-flowing rivers to internal drainage over millions of years, ultimately establishing its current course.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Gilles Y. Brocard, Maud J. M. Meijers, Michael A. Cosca, Tristan Salles, Jane Willenbring, Christian Teyssier, Donna L. Whitney
Summary: During the Miocene-Pliocene period, continental sedimentation was widespread across the Central Anatolian Plateau, but now most sediment is carried away by integrated drainage systems. Long-term sediment storage is limited to closed catchments, and lacustrine sedimentation is now confined to these areas as well. The rapid drainage integration that occurred around the turn of the Pliocene was likely triggered by tectonic events, leading to the formation of the present-day drainage system.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Colton Lynner, Jonathan R. Delph, Daniel E. Portner, Susan L. Beck, Eric Sandvol, A. Arda Ozacar
Summary: This study investigates the deformation of the African Plate beneath the Anatolian Plate in the eastern Mediterranean. Using shear wave splitting measurements, the authors examine patterns of mantle flow around the edges of a fragmenting African slab segment. They identify three distinct regions of shear wave splitting that correspond to the segmentation boundaries of the slab. Additionally, the study reveals regional coherent mantle flow near the eastern and western edges of the slab, with an area of null splitting near the easternmost edge, likely caused by mantle upwelling due to the displacement of asthenosphere.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geology
M. Ozkaptan, E. Gulyuz, N. Kaymakci, C. G. Langereis
Summary: Through paleomagnetic data, we have discovered that the rotational deformation in Central Anatolia during the Neogene is more complex than previously thought, with five distinct tectonic domains exhibiting different rotation patterns, providing a more detailed insight into the geometries of suture zones.
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
(2022)
Review
Geology
Y. Yilmaz, E. Yigitbas
Summary: The Eastern Pontides are the northeasternmost component of the Anatolian orogen and are closely associated with the evolution of the Ankara-Erzincan Suture. It records the geological events from the opening to the elimination of the surrounding oceans. The Pontides experienced four collisional events throughout its development, including forearc-arc collision and continent-arc collision.
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Taylor F. Schildgen, Peter A. van der Beek, Mitch D'Arcy, Duna N. Roda-Boluda, Elizabeth N. Orr, Hella Wittmann
Summary: The migration of drainage divides, influenced by rock uplift and rainfall patterns, is an important factor in the geomorphic evolution of mountain ranges. This study focuses on the Sierra de Aconquija in northwest Argentina and uses low-temperature thermochronometric data to explore its topographic evolution. The findings indicate that westward drainage-divide migration, combined with faulting, played a dominant role in the range's evolution. These results provide new insights into the rates and magnitudes of drainage-divide migration in real landscapes and highlight the significance of considering this process when interpreting thermochronometer age patterns.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Asfaw Erbello, Daniel Melnick, Gerold Zeilinger, Bodo Bookhagen, Heiko Pingel, Manfred R. Strecker
Summary: This study reveals a north-south gradient of tectonic activity in the transfer zone of southern Ethiopia, with the highest extensional deformation and recent tectonic activity occurring in the southern Chew Bahir Basin. The quantitative geomorphic analysis of river catchments and field work provide valuable insights into the tectono-geomorphic history of this complex kinematic transfer zone.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Francisco Acuna, Gonzalo A. Montalva, Daniel Melnick
Summary: This study examines the impact of dating uncertainty and completeness of paleoseismic catalogs on probabilistic estimates of forthcoming earthquakes, finding that the Weibull model predicts the highest forecasting probabilities of 44% and 72% in the next 50 and 100 years. Uncertainties in earthquake chronologies may produce changes in forecast probabilities of up to 50%.
SEISMOLOGICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Pedro Matos-Llavona, Lisa L. Ely, Breanyn MacInnes, Tina Dura, Marco A. Cisternas, Joanne Bourgeois, David Bruce, Jessica DePaolis, Alexander Dolcimascolo, Benjamin P. Horton, Daniel Melnick, Alan R. Nelson, Walter Szeliga, Robert L. Wesson
Summary: This study examines the inconsistency between the tsunami deposits at a location in south-central Chile and the historical and geological records of tsunamis. The research suggests that the discrepancy may be attributed to factors such as falling sea levels, coastal geomorphological changes, and a potentially larger tsunami in 1960.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
S. Riedl, D. Melnick, L. Njue, M. Sudo, M. R. Strecker
Summary: This study investigates the extension rates in the inner graben of the Northern Kenya Rift using digital elevation models and radiometric dating. The results indicate that extension primarily occurs in the region of the active volcano-tectonic axis, highlighting the maturing of continental rifting in the area.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Hakan Tanyas, Tolga Gorum, Islam Fadel, Cengiz Yildirim, Luigi Lombardo
Summary: This study focuses on the extensive landslide event triggered by the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake in New Zealand. By mapping landslide inventory and analyzing the spatial distribution and size characteristics of the landslides, the researchers found that while the spatial distribution of the Kaikoura landslide event is similar to other extreme landslide events, the average size of the landslides generated by the Kaikoura earthquake is relatively larger.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
J. Jara-Munoz, D. Melnick, S. Li, A. Socquet, J. Cortes-Aranda, D. Brill, M. R. Strecker
Summary: The first step in assessing hazards in seismically active areas is to map possible faults and estimate their recurrence times. This study focuses on the Pichilemu Fault in coastal Chile, which was unknown until it caused a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2010. By analyzing off-fault deformed marine terraces, researchers estimated the fault-slip rate and recurrence time, providing valuable insights for assessing the seismic potential of hidden faults.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Luis Astudillo-Sotomayor, Joaquin Cortes-Aranda, Daniel Melnick, Julius Jara-Munoz, Catalina Cabello, Laura Perucca, Andres Tassara, Jose Vicente Perez-Pena, Pablo Leon-Ibanez
Summary: The seismic threat of intra-arc faults in the Southern Chile Subduction Zone should be considered due to their potential to produce moderate-to-large shallow earthquakes, causing severe damage to surrounding areas.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
F. McNab, T. F. Schildgen, J. M. Turowski, A. D. Wickert
Summary: Alluvial rivers adjust their sediment-transport rates and form landforms such as river terraces in response to changing sediment and water supply. Using a model, we found that the likelihood of terrace formation is greater upstream and in shorter and/or wetter catchments. The evolution of sediment-transport rates depends on whether water or sediment supply is varied, leading to diverse responses to environmental change in alluvial valleys.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Tunahan Aykut, Cengiz Yildirim, I. Tonguc Uysal
Summary: In this study, new kinematic data and high-resolution digital elevation models were used to understand the deformation pattern and its relation with crustal deformation. Geomorphic analysis revealed an actively deforming post-orogenic topography, with an increasing trend from west to east. The highest uplift values were found in the Alanya-Basyayla-Ermenek-Gazipasa quadrangle. Active NE-SW extensional deformation was observed in a 200 km zone in the north of the subduction. These findings have significant implications for understanding the morphotectonic evolution and post-orogenic deformation in the plateau margins and geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Simone Racano, Taylor Schildgen, Paolo Ballato, Cengiz Yildirim, Hella Wittmann
Summary: Major strike-slip fault systems, like the North Anatolian Fault (NAF), play a crucial role in accommodating plate motion, but little is known about their evolution. In the Central Pontides, the NAF has experienced transpression and crustal thickening, resulting in rock-uplift rates of 0.2-0.3 km/Myr. However, the exact onset of faster uplift phase associated with the NAF's development is poorly understood. This study presents the spatiotemporal pattern of rock-uplift rates in the Central Pontides, showing an increase in rates after 10 Ma, with peak rates occurring between 4 and 2 Ma.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Roland Freisleben, Julius Jara-Munoz, Daniel Melnick, Diego Molina, Andres Tassara, Peter van der Beek, Manfred R. Strecker
Summary: This study investigates the mechanisms driving permanent coastal uplift in the tectonically active South American margin. By analyzing uplifted marine terraces and tectonic parameters, the researchers identify a constant background-uplift rate along the margin, perturbed by changes at variable wavelengths. The study suggests that major, deep earthquakes near the Moho are responsible for the moderate, long-term background uplift, while accumulation of permanent deformation over millennial time scales occurs through multiple, distinct uplift phases. The findings highlight the utility of a signal-analysis approach in understanding surface deformation in subduction zones at a continental scale.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juan Martin de Blas, Giampiero Iaffaldano, Andres Tassara, Daniel Melnick
Summary: The convergence between the Nazca and South America tectonic plates has resulted in the formation of the Andean orogeny and drives the earthquake cycle of the Andean megathrust. While the long-term feedback mechanism of Andean orogeny on plate convergence rates is well recognized, the short-term feedback mechanism of the earthquake cycle has not been considered. This study investigates whether the contemporary motion of the Nazca/South America plate varies over year-/decade-long periods in response to stress variations associated with the earthquake cycle. The findings show significant slowdowns in plate motions preceding the three largest recent earthquakes, suggesting a possible link between these slowdowns and the buildup of interseismic stress.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Erin A. Wirth, Valerie J. Sahakian, Laura M. Wallace, Daniel Melnick
Summary: Subduction zone earthquakes are one of the most devastating natural hazards on Earth. Understanding their occurrence and rupture mechanisms is crucial for mitigating seismic and tsunami hazards. This Review emphasizes the influence of subduction zone properties on the location and characteristics of large earthquakes, and highlights the impact of rupture characteristics on earthquake and tsunami hazards.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)